COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff on Thursday commented on the latest data on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, which shows a worsening situation in the state as cases and hospitalizations rise to very high levels.
Ohios top doctor said the latest analysis of hospitalization data shows 22% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ohio over the past two weeks are under 50 years old and 13% are under 40.
The number of patients currently in intensive care 1,177 is also almost as bad as its ever been during the nearly two-year-long pandemic, which was 1,318 ICU patients at one time about a year ago.
Our data continues to show that most hospitalizations and deaths are actually among individuals who are not fully vaccinated, Vanderhoff said, with about 95% of all hospitalizations having occurred among the unvaccinated.
Vanderhoff also reminded Ohioans of the powerful tool available to them to fight the coronavirus: vaccination.
Ive heard too many stories from physicians and nurses treating patients who have then begged for the vaccine when fighting the virus in the hospital, he said, but by then its too late. Making the choice to be vaccinated right now can keep you out of the hospital, and more importantly, out of the obituary pages.
Vanderhoff encouraged fully vaccinated Ohioans to get their booster dose of the vaccine, since immunity can wane over time. Boosters are available for people aged 16 and up.
Receiving a timely booster dose now if youre eligible has been shown to restore those antibody levels and will provide significant protection, he said.
Vanderhoff was joined in his Thursday press conference by Worthington pharmacistAimee OReilly and Dr.Steven Gordon of theCleveland Clinic Department of Infectious Disease.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 15, a total of 1,807,539 (+10,588) coronavirus cases have been reported in Ohio, leading to 91,409 (+486) hospitalizations and 11,289 (+50) admissions into the ICU. A total of 6,884,418 people 58.9% of the states population have at least started the vaccination process, an increase of 8,967 from the previous day.
ODH announced daily case numbers Tuesday through Thursday will be artificially inflated as a result of a laboratory reporting backlog. A backlog of 7,699 positive COVID-19 cases will be added to the 24-hour daily case change as the files are processed.
ODH reported 223 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total to 27,594. The state is updating the number only after death certificates have been processed, usually twice a week.
Including the backlog, the 21-day case average was sitting at more than 7,000. The rate hadnt been over 6,000 since Oct. 6.
On Saturday, the state reported thefirst two cases of the omicronvariant had been detected in Ohio. The variant was found in two men in central Ohio who tested positive for COVID-19 with PCR tests on Dec. 7.
The faulty coronavirus testing kits developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the early weeks of the pandemic were not only contaminated but had a basic design flaw, according to an internal review by the agency.
Health officials had already acknowledged that the test kits were contaminated, but the internal report, whose findings were published in PLOS ONE on Wednesday, also documented a design error that caused false positives.
The distribution of faulty test kits, at a time when no other tests were authorized, set back health officials efforts to detect and track the virus.
It delayed the availability of more widespread testing, said Dr. Benjamin Pinsky, the director of clinical virology for Stanford Health Care. He added, I think its important that they got to the bottom of what went wrong.
In January 2020, the C.D.C. developed a polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., test for the virus. P.C.R. tests, which are performed in laboratories, can detect the virus at very low levels and have been considered the gold standard for diagnosing a coronavirus infection.
Problems emerged soon after the C.D.C. had begun shipping its test kits out to public health laboratories in early February. Within days, many labs were reporting that the tests were generating inconclusive results.
In mid-February, the agency acknowledged that the kits were flawed, and in April, officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that poor manufacturing practices had resulted in contamination of the test kits.
The new paper presents the results of the C.D.C.s own internal investigation into the problems with the tests.
The C.D.C.s test was designed to detect three distinct regions, or target sequences, of the viruss genetic material. The test kits contain a set of what are known as primers, which bind to and make copies of the target sequences, and probes, which produce a fluorescent signal when these copies are made, indicating that genetic material from the virus is present.
The primers and probes need to be carefully designed so that they bind to the target sequences and not to each other. In this case, that did not happen. One of the probes in the kit sometimes bound to one of the primers, producing the fluorescent signal and generating a false positive.
Dec. 16, 2021, 11:32 a.m. ET
Its something that should have been caught in the design phase, said Susan Butler-Wu, a clinical microbiologist at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Thats one thing that you check for.
The investigation also confirmed that the test kits had been contaminated with synthetic fragments of the viruss genetic material. These synthetic sequences, which are often used to ensure that the tests are working properly, were manufactured at the same C.D.C. lab where the test kits were undergoing a quality analysis. It is likely that the test kits were contaminated there, the agency concluded.
The contamination suggests that the agency violated standard manufacturing protocols, officials have said.
U.S. surpasses 800,000 deaths. Covid deaths in the United States surpassed 800,000 the highest known number of any country. About 75 percent of the 800,000 deaths have involved people 65 or older. One in 100 older Americans has died from the virus.
Pfizers Covid pill. A study of Pfizers oral Covid treatmentconfirmed that it helps stave off severe disease, even from the Omicron variant, the company announced. Pfizer said the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent if given within three days of the onset of symptoms.
The problems may also have been a sign of an agency in a rush, experts said.
Im not entirely surprised that they ran into some glitches right out of the gate, said Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists, who also praised the agency for its transparency. They were asked to ramp up production in a way that Im not sure that they had ever been asked to before.
The problems with the early tests prompted the C.D.C. to implement a more comprehensive and rigorous review process in developing a new test that can detect both the coronavirus and the flu, the authors reported. The new test was also piloted in three public health laboratories to ensure that it worked, they noted.
Since the rollout of the initial Covid-19 test, C.D.C. has implemented corrective measures and remains dedicated to the highest quality laboratory science and safety, the agency said in a statement.
The bigger lesson, Dr. Butler-Wu said, is that the responsibility for developing diagnostic tests should be distributed more widely during a public health emergency. Rather than relying on the C.D.C. to be the sole test developer, officials could also enlist clinical and commercial labs to create and deploy tests.
Its great that theres all these additional checks in place, but what are you going to do when theres a new emerging pathogen and we need to respond quickly? she said. I dont think thats a viable model for responding to a pandemic.
The rising wave of Omicron infections could lead to daily hospitalisations from Covid exceeding the peak of last winter, when more than 4,500 people in the UK were admitted on a single day, Englands chief medical officer has said.
The staggering speed at which Omicron is spreading means large numbers of vulnerable people may need hospital care over a very short space of time, Prof Chris Whitty told MPs on Thursday, with daily admissions potentially peaking above that seen last winter at the start of the vaccine programme.
On Thursday, the UK set another grim record for the Covid epidemic with 88,376 new cases reported, a 31.4% rise on the week. The number of confirmed Omicron cases rose to 11,708, up 1,691 on Wednesday.
The highest number of Covid hospitalisations in a day in the UK was 4,583 on 12 January, when the Alpha variant first spotted in Kent was dominant. Omicron is now the dominant variant in London and is expected to become the most common in England within days or weeks.
Even if it is milder, because it is concentrated over a short period of time you could end up with a higher number than that going into hospital on a single day. That is entirely possible, Whitty told the health and social care committee. The whole point about this is its going to be really concentrated in a very short period of time, very possibly.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser for the UK Health Security Agency, said the UK was experiencing two Covid epidemics, with cases of Delta largely flat and Omicron doubling every two days. She said the R number the number of people an infected person typically passes the virus on to for Omicron was estimated at between three and five.
Whitty said many people failed to appreciate that the NHS was likely to face a sudden influx of Covid patients at a time when it would be struggling for staff because of infections and illness. The broader economy was also at risk as the variant swept across the country, he added.
The numbers in hospital over a short period could be very high indeed. This will be happening at a time when a very significant number of staff are going to be off ill, isolating or caring. So youre going to have both a reduction in supply and an increase in demand in the health service over a very short time period, and that really is the reason why were all taking this extremely seriously, Whitty said.
One risk that is going to happen irrespective is, because of the steepness of this, even if this ended up in a situation where boosters do hold this to a large degree for a lots of people a lot of people will simultaneously fall ill and be unwell, isolating or caring for others at the same time across the whole economy.
Covid cases are rising most steeply among those aged 20-29, followed by people in their 30s, although children aged five to nine, and 10- 19-year-olds still have the highest rates of infection, according to the UKHSAs Covid surveillance report released on Thursday. On 12 December, 67.9% of the UK population had received at least one dose of vaccine and 62.2% had received two shots. More than 80% of the over-70s have received a booster.
Some early reports from South Africa raised concerns that the Omicron variant might be slightly more severe than Delta in children, but Whitty said this was not being seen in the UK and the assumption was that it was still far more serious for older people than those who were young and healthy.
Before the vaccination programme in the Alpha wave, more than a fifth of people over the age of 65 who caught Covid were hospitalised. This fell to 6% as the vaccine rollout protected the oldest and most vulnerable people. Whitty said at worst the UK may go back to the hospital admission rate seen in January, but a booster may protect more people against severe disease from Omicron than two shots did against severe disease caused by Delta.
He urged people to get vaccinated or boosted as soon as they became eligible and emphasised that vaccine coverage among pregnant women was still depressingly low. Almost all pregnant women with Covid in hospital and intensive care are unvaccinated.
Significant numbers of women have come to serious harm as a result of this, he said, blaming myths about vaccine safety in the group for the low uptake. What is true is that Covid and pregnancy is a dangerous combination and we absolutely should be encouraging everybody who is pregnant to get vaccinated.
The most difficult decision now, Whitty said, was how to balance family visits to people in care homes with safety. What we dont want is a situation where over the Christmas period people are left completely alone, but nor do we want to have outbreaks we can avoid. Were trying to navigate a route between those two very clear needs. That is probably the most difficult decision at this point, he said.
Early estimates from South Africa have suggested that Omicron may cause milder disease than previous waves of Covid. That would be expected, since people catching Omicron, which was discovered only last month, have more immunity to Covid because of previous infection or vaccination. Hopkins said the UKHSA would be able to assess Omicron severity and vaccine protection in Britain once about 250 people had been hospitalised with the variant. The earliest we will have reliable data is the week between Christmas and New Year, and probably early January, she told MPs.
Canceling random performances can only hurt it just puts the whole confidence that a performance will happen up in the air, said Ted Chapin, a longtime industry leader and the former president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. It would be nice if Covid could calm down, but it does seem as if during this time when people are not being as diligent as they should be, we may be in this longer than we would like.
But thus far, patrons still seem to be flocking to shows. The cancellations are still a small number of performances relative to the whole, said Victoria Bailey, executive director of the nonprofit Theater Development Fund, which runs the TKTS booth in Times Square. Were hyper-aware of it because within the industry we all have this underlying anxiety: We need this to last. We need this to last. We need this to keep going. But the average consumer: not so much.
Understudies are helping some shows keep going. But in some instances, particularly for new shows, there are not enough replacements ready to go on.
It may be that certain shows have to think about how much coverage they have, and economically whether we can afford to expand coverage, said Tom Kirdahy, a lead producer of Little Shop. It cant be that if one person tests positive, an entire production shuts down that model is unsustainable.
One unresolved question: compensation. Thus far, most shows have paid company members even when performances have been canceled, but it is not clear whether that practice will continue.
The cancellations are happening elsewhere as well. Canceled performances are now widespread in London, where theaters have had less stringent safety rules. In Paris, a performance of the ballet Don Quixote was canceled this week at the Opra Bastille because of positive cases in its company. And in Washington on Wednesday, the Kennedy Center announced that it was delaying the start of a touring production of Aint Too Proud for 13 days, citing breakthrough cases.
Melissa Castor, a 31-year-old graphic designer, was still at home on Long Island on Saturday when she saw on Twitter that the performance of Freestyle Love Supreme she was planning to attend that night had been canceled. I was upset, but its not like I had to buy a plane ticket or get a hotel, and I know going in that a show could be canceled, she said. This is the age we live in.
The reversal of fortune was particularly abrupt for Ben Ratner, a 29-year-old digital producer, who on Sunday morning scored a rush ticket to that days Mrs. Doubtfire matinee, but 90 minutes later got an email saying the performance was canceled. I was a little annoyed, but also understanding, he said. I will never blame a production for doing the right thing for safety.
The question on most peoples minds is when will the COVID-19 pandemic end? Well, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a new prediction.
Walensky told ABC News that the pandemic will end when the country sees a huge drop in deaths per day and when hospitals arent packed with patients.
The pandemic, she said, will eventually end. And that will mean that we can drop the face masks from our culture, too.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said during Face the Nation on CBS News in early November that the pandemic phase of the coronavirus outbreak was close to ending.
But that was before the omicron variant emerged, worrying experts about what might be next in the coronavirus pandemic. Experts told The Sydney Morning Herald that the omicron variant could be less virulent and cause less severe outcomes which has proven true so far which might be a sign of the future of the pandemic.
Newby is a retired research biologist of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla. He was the director of The Bronowski Art & Science Forum from 1999 to 2012. He lives in Del Mar.
Humanity is now faced with a new coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529, commonly called Omicron. The common ancestor for all the coronaviruses had a long co-evolution with bat and avian species stretching far back 55 million years or more. At some time, the coronavirus jumped from bats to humans. The first of five recognized worldwide pandemics was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. The December 2019 COVID 19 outbreak was followed by the Delta variant and other less reported variants. There are now several variants of interest.
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Data suggest that the Omicron variant is spreading more quickly and may be more contagious than Delta. It is too early to determine the severity of an Omicron infection compared to the earlier versions of the COVID virus. It has been speculated that Omicron originated possibly in an immuno-compromised person, perhaps somewhere in Southern Africa. The evolution and spreading of these coronaviruses are aided by the lack of global vaccination efforts and disdain of vaccinations and masks by too many politicians and their followers. Additionally, there are many conspirators with alternative nonscientific theories and solutions.
The climate crisis is a threat to humanity with negative consequences far greater than these virus pandemics. Coverage of our warming planet has been extensively reported. New reports of climate research appear nearly daily. One of the latest is the Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean.
The larger salty, warmer Atlantic Ocean has begun flowing faster north toward and into the Arctic Ocean, a sea with sea ice on top, cool freshwater in the middle and warm, salty water at the bottom. This Atlantic invasion is causing a disruption between these layers and transforming Arctic waters into something closer to the Atlantic. As a consequence, the Arctic is warming faster than any other ocean. This is just one more indication that we are in the sixth mass extinction, the Anthropocene. Opposing taking action to slow our warming planet are the doubters, belittling not only the science but directing ridicule toward climate change advocates. Both the pandemic and global warming have become politicized and polarized.
How is humanity handling these threats? If our past behavior is an indication, the future for humanity is indeed gloomy. Why are humans such a muddled species, unable to rationally deal with these threats with compassion for all of humanity?
One approach for understanding our disorganized approach to these two impending disasters is to consider that humans were and remain a tribal species. Our species lineage has a 6-million-year evolutionary history. Likely you may have some familiarity with some of our ancestors: Homo hablis, H. naledi, H. egaster, H. erectus. H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis and H. denisova. Of all these hominin species, only Homo sapiens, us, have survived. What happened to the several dozen other hominin species? We became the lone survivor because we had a well-developed brain to deal with predators, other competing hominin species and the environment. We formed cohesive tribes with compassion for tribal members, and we eliminated resource competitors, likely with ruthless precision. Our tribal skills and knowledge ensured our place in evolutionary history.
It is not surprising these genetic survival behavioral traits of our ancestors remain vibrant in modern humans. Some of these traits while beneficial for our early ancestors may hinder modern relations. Two of the many genetic survival behavior traits that ensured H. sapiens survival were selfishness and compassion.
The genetic aspect of selfishness involves vasopressin. Vasopressin is a hormone involved in altruism and pro-social behavior. The gene AVPR1A is involved in the vasopressin pathway. This gene has two versions, a long and short version, either one inherited from our parents. Individuals with the long version of AVPR1A tend to be more generous. Those with the short version of this gene are likely to be more selfish and greedy.
Humanitarians are compassionate. Oxytocin functions as a hormone and a neurotransmitter.
Normal levels of oxytocin are associated with romantic love, parent-child bonding, empathy and generosity, traits that one may expect in a humanitarian. Small genetic differences in the oxytocin pathway can influence the level of oxytocin produced. Low levels of oxytocin are associated with stress, depression, lower compassion and empathy. Variant levels of oxytocin plays a role in whether one is compassionate or one lack empathy.
Decisions we make are influenced by our own experiences and education as well as our inherited behavioral genome. To mitigate both pandemics and global warming, humans will need to exhibit less selfishness and greater compassion and empathy for all humanity.
Most all our genetic behavioral traits anger, aggression, hate, greed and selfishness and compassion can be modulated. Moral guidance, laws and the threat of punishment, as well as peer pressure, can affect ones behavior.
Being unvaccinated and avoiding masks in gatherings is a selfish act of defiance. The selfish act of not acknowledging or adopting green values ultimately impedes efforts to curb global warming. At this time in human history, unfortunately, there is little unity in our approach to solving the viral pandemic or global warming. Polarizing political rhetoric with some leaders having only self-interest and little compassion or empathy has accelerated humans into the sixth mass extinction, the Anthropocene.
Defiance of common sense and science will certainly lead to cataclysmic events. A worldview which embraces compassion for all of humanity is certainly our only solution.
KINGSTON, N.Y. Free coronavirus rapid at-home test kits are set to be distributed from City Hall starting Monday, Dec. 20, according to Mayor Steve Noble.
The city will distribute 500 test kits from Ulster County after county officials obtained 33,000 of them this week.
They will be given out at City Hall, 420 Broadway, on Monday from 10 a.m. to noon.
The initiative will assist schools and businesses in remaining open, and will allow residents to take a test before gathering with family, friends, and those at higher risk for Covid-19, a press release from Nobles office said.
Each kit has two tests, which use shallow nasal swabs and provide results in 15 minutes.
More than 500 test kits, half of what was available, were handed out on Tuesday at the Andy Murphy III Midtown Neighborhood Center on Broadway, with the help of Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.
The remaining 500 testing kits will be available in the Mayors Office at City from Monday, Dec. 20 to Wednesday, December 22, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. until supplies run out. City Hall will be closed on December 23-24 for the Christmas holiday.
Masks must be worn at all times in City Hall, and people must sign in when entering the building.
Our wish is that everyone would have a safe and healthy holiday, and these tests will help families to have a Covid test before gathering and potentially exposing others, Noble said. The county, along with us here in Kingston, are working hard to slow the spread of Covid, which has ticked up in recent days. I hope the reassurance of a negative test will help you celebrate safely and brighten your holidays.
Here are local COVID-19 statistics:
Ulster County: 982, down from 989 reported the previous day.
Dutchess County:1,420 down from, 1,452, reported the previous day.
Ulster County: 22,518 confirmed cases, 21,225 recoveries; and 311 deaths. (Two new deaths reported Wednesday).
Dutchess County: 39,956 confirmed cases and 38,015 recoveries, 62 residents hospitalized, and one new death, making the total 521.
Ulster County: 6.7% daily.
Dutchess County: 5.8% 7-day average.
Data as of Tuesday fromthe New York states online vaccine tracker.
Ulster County: 69.5% fully vaccinated, 77% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 85.8% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Dutchess County: 64% fully vaccinated, 71.9% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 81.2% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
Here are the most recent reports of COVID cases in area school districts.
Kingston: One student each at Chambers Elementary School and Ernest C. Meyer Elementary School and two students and one staff at J. Watson Bailey Middle School.
New Paltz: One student at the high school.
Onteora: One teacher at the high school and one student at Reginald Bennett Elementary School.
Saugerties: One student at the junior high school.
Wallkill: One student each at Leftondale Elementary School and the high school and two students at Plattekill Elementary School.
Ellenville: One student each at Ellenville Elementary and the high school.
Marlboro: One student at the elementary school and middle school.
Pine Plains: Cold Spring early Learning Center
Red Hook: One student at Mill Road Primary School and one staff at the high school.
Kingston Catholic School: One teacher.
Ulster BOCES: One teacher at BOCES Ulster Special Education.
Appointments:vaccinateulster.com,bit.ly/dut-vax,bit.ly/ny-vaxme.
For online local coverage related to the coronavirus, go todailyfreeman.com/tag/coronavirus.
In summary
A state audit says four California universities could have received millions more in federal pandemic money and helped more students. University of California and California State University officials could still recoup some of the cash.
Four California public universities could have received $47 million more in coronavirus aid if they sought funds from a different federal agency, a recent state audit found. As a result, some students may have missed out on support services and equipment during what has been an unprecedented disruption in schooling worldwide.
California colleges could apply to two pots of money one supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the other by the U.S. Department of Education, called the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). Of six University of California and Cal State University campuses audited, four used Department of Education funding for expenses where they should have asked FEMA for reimbursement, the audit said.
The audit recommended that Chico State, Cal State Long Beach, UC Merced, and UC San Diego apply to FEMA for reimbursement of about $7.5 million in past expenses and $39.7 million in planned expenses so they can use that money to support students.
The other two universities in the audit Sonoma State and UC Riverside had used and sought reimbursement appropriately, according to the audit. In total, the six universities received $822 million in HEERF funding.
FEMA could potentially reimburse campuses for expenses including coronavirus testing, vaccines and temporary medical tents. The U.S. Department of Education provided emergency funding to pay for those expenses, too, but that money could also be used for other pandemic-related costs such as technology services.
Though campus officials said FEMA reimbursement is a more difficult process, education advocates said that was not a good enough reason to give up millions.
Students were having trouble meeting their basic needs, said Yvonne Muoz, a higher education policy analyst for the nonprofit advocacy group Education Trust West. The emergency funding really should have been distributed with an urgency that recognizes that.
The potential $47 million could have been used to directly support students, Muoz said. Education Trust and the Global Strategy Group polled 1,010 students about their experiences during the pandemic and found that more students struggled with paying for necessities including rent, food and tuition during the pandemic, and a third of survey respondents frequently skipped meals because they couldnt afford them, the poll found.
Students were having trouble meeting their basic needs. The emergency funding really should have been distributed with an urgency that recognizes that.
Chico State officials said seeking reimbursement from FEMA isnt so simple. About three years ago, they asked FEMA for reimbursement for costs associated with the deadly and destructive 2018 Camp Fire, and their claims were fully settled only recently, said Stacie Corona, Chico States associate vice president of financial services. Corona said it took almost three years to close out their FEMA claim for the Camp Fire.
Its quite a process, its a lot of back and forth, Corona said.
Still, theyve asked FEMA to reimburse$367,409 for pandemic-related expenses, and the campus hasnt yet been paid, she said. The costs covered by the claims include PPE, cleaning supplies and sanitation stations, Corona said.The university has also filed a claim with FEMA for the additional $164,00 that the audit said it should reallocate from their HEERF spending, she said.
An official at UC San Diego which lost out on the most with $4.3 million in spent dollars and $36.3 million in planned spending that FEMA could reimburse also indicated that FEMAs claims process puts a large administrative burden on campuses to gather all of the required documents, such as invoices and receipts associated with each expense, according to the audit.
We agree with the recommendations outlined in the audit and are working on the recommended improvements to strengthen our use of federal aid funds, maximize the benefit of those funds to the University community, and ensure compliance with the changing landscape of federal rules and requirements governing the distribution of this aid, a spokesperson for UC San Diego said in a statement.
During a normal year, FEMA typically took about three to six months to process and approve applications for funds. During the pandemic, though, it could take about six to 12 months, according to the audit. Though campuses would have to wait for the money, the audit urged officials to apply anyway.
Regardless of the amount of time it takes FEMA to process these claims, the millions of dollars the campuses could receive should outweigh their reluctance to engage in this process, the audit said.
The audit explained where four schools went wrong with their federal aid, and where two schools Sonoma State and UC Riverside made better decisions.
Cal State Long Beach spent $2.836 million from the Department of Education on expenses including a temporary medical tent, coronavirus testing and vaccines, when it could have asked FEMA to reimburse those costs, the audit said. UC Merced spent $113,000 on FEMA-refundable items as well.
By comparison, the audit noted Sonoma State and UC Riverside made sure to use Department of Education funding for items that couldnt be reimbursed by FEMA such as purchasing technology for students.
Regardless of the amount of time it takes FEMA to process these claims, the millions of dollars the campuses could receive should outweigh their reluctance to engage in this process.
The audit found the UC Office of the President and the Cal State Chancellors Office should have given more guidance to schools on how to disperse the federal funding to avoid any mistakes.
Universities distributed the grant money to their students differently. So students at some colleges received grants while students at other colleges didnt, even if they were in similar financial situations.
For example, UC San Diego gave out the same amount of automatic grants to nearly all students, while UC Riverside distributed grants based on students expected family contribution in their financial aid documents.
These grants also varied by school. For example: a student who had an expected family contribution of $1 to $2,000 would receive a grant of $900 at Chico State, $1,300 at Sonoma State and $500 at CSU Long Beach.
Students at Cal State Long Beach, Chico State and Sonoma State could also apply for additional grants if they believed their college underestimated their pandemic-related expenses. Cal State Long Beach, however, only awarded extra grants to students if they applied for money because of the change to virtual instruction.
Nathen Ortiz, a student intern at Lets Go To College CA and a senior at Cal State Fullerton, said he received a grant from his university that was deposited into his bank account. He said he would have liked to see more engagement with students, to provide students more information about the grants, including where the funding came from and how students could apply for more aid.
Every university should be including a lot more students in terms of budgeting and how certain money should be allocated across different campus departments, Ortiz said.
The fact that grants were dispersed differently across universities shows how higher education is very inequitable, he added.
The differences in grant funding caused confusion among students. When students compared how much federal aid they received with friends at their own university and other universities, they didnt know why other people qualified for more funding and others for less, according to Marcos Montes, the program manager of Lets Go to College CA, a program created to support students through the coronavirus pandemic.
Its important for campuses to find the balance between ensuring that they are catering to the needs of their specific student populations, but also that there is uniformity in how they spend and use those dollars, Montes said.
As the audit recommended, the UCOP will require each campus to write a report on their pandemic-related expenses from January 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021 to ensure all eligible items are submitted to FEMA for reimbursement, according to university spokesperson Joanna McWilliams. The university hasnt set a deadline yet for the reports, she said.
The Cal State Chancellors Office, however, will not require campuses to submit a report but will assist campuses who want to apply to FEMA for reimbursement, spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp said.
In addition to adding an additional level of bureaucracy to the process, there is also no guarantee that FEMA will approve those claims, much less in a timely manner, Uhlenkamp said via email. He added that the average wait time for reimbursement claims from FEMA to campuses is 279 days.
Mendoza, Zappelli and Ananthavel are fellows with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation.
Information you can trust
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For Immediate Release: September 22, 2021
Espaol
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose, to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series in:
Todays authorization applies only to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
Todays action demonstrates that science and the currently available data continue to guide the FDAs decision-making for COVID-19 vaccines during this pandemic. After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA amended the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for a booster dose in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others, said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. This pandemic is dynamic and evolving, with new data about vaccine safety and effectiveness becoming available every day. As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed.
The Process for Assessing the Available Data
Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA), was approved by the FDA on Aug. 23, for the prevention of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 16 years of age and older. On Aug. 25, 2021, the FDA received a supplement from Pfizer Inc. to their biologics license application for Comirnaty seeking approval of a single booster dose to be administered approximately six months after completion of the primary vaccination series for individuals 16 years of age and older.
As part of the FDAs commitment to transparency, the agency convened a public meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on Sept. 17 to solicit input from independent scientific and public health experts on the data submitted in the application. During the meeting, the vaccine manufacturer presented information and data in support of its application. The FDA also presented its analysis of clinical trial data submitted by the vaccine manufacturer. Additionally, the public was also given an opportunity to provide comment; and FDA invited international and U.S. agencies and external groups, including representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Health, the University of Bristol, U.K. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to present recent data on the use of vaccine boosters, epidemiology of COVID-19, and real-world evidence on vaccine effectiveness.
The FDA considered the data that the vaccine manufacturer submitted, information presented at the VRBPAC meeting, and the committees discussion, and has determined that based on the totality of the available scientific evidence, a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19 and that the known and potential benefits of a booster dose outweigh the known and potential risks in the populations that the FDA is authorizing for use. The booster dose is authorized for administration to these individuals at least six months following completion of their primary series and may be given at any point after that time.
Its important to note that the FDA-authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is the same formulation as the FDA-approved Comirnaty and the vaccines may be used interchangeably.
Were grateful for the advice of the doctors, scientists, and leading vaccine experts on our advisory committee and the important role they have played in ensuring transparent discussions about COVID-19 vaccines. We appreciate the robust discussion, including the vote regarding individuals over 65 years of age and individuals at high risk for severe disease, as well as the committees views regarding the use of a booster dose for those with institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The FDA considered the committees input and conducted its own thorough review of the submitted data to reach todays decision. We will continue to analyze data submitted to the FDA pertaining to the use of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines and we will make further decisions as appropriate based on the data.
Data Supporting Authorization for Emergency Use
To support the authorization for emergency use of a single booster dose, the FDA analyzed safety and immune response data from a subset of participants from the original clinical trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. In addition, consideration was given to real-world data on the vaccines efficacy over a sustained period of time provided by both U.S. and international sources, including the CDC, the UK and Israel. The immune responses of approximately 200 participants 18 through 55 years of age who received a single booster dose approximately six months after their second dose were assessed. The antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 virus one month after a booster dose of the vaccine compared to the response one month after the two-dose primary series in the same individuals demonstrated a booster response.
Additional analysis conducted by the manufacturer, as requested by the FDA, compared the rates of COVID-19 accrued during the current Delta variant surge among original clinical trial participants who completed the primary two-dose vaccination series early in the clinical trial to those who completed a two-dose series later in the study. The analysis submitted by the company showed that during the study period of July and August 2021, the incidence of COVID-19 was higher among the participants who completed their primary vaccine series earlier, compared to participants who completed it later. The FDA determined that the rate of breakthrough COVID-19 reported during this time period translates to a modest decrease in the efficacy of the vaccine among those vaccinated earlier.
Safety was evaluated in 306 participants 18 through 55 years of age and 12 participants 65 years of age and older who were followed for an average of over two months. The most commonly reported side effects by the clinical trial participants who received the booster dose of the vaccine were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills. Of note, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were observed more frequently following the booster dose than after the primary two-dose series.
Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA for individuals 16 years of age and older. The authorization was expanded on May 10, 2021 to include those 12 through 15 years of age, and again on Aug. 12, 2021 to include the use of a third dose of a three-dose primary series in certain immunocompromised individuals 12 years of age and older. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.
The amendment to the EUA to include a single booster dose was granted to Pfizer Inc.
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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
