STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Longer commutes on public transit were linked to higher rates of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission during New York Citys first wave of the pandemic, a potentially concerning revelation for the thousands of Staten Islanders who spend hours commuting to and from other boroughs on a daily basis.
A recent study from Cornell University found that during the initial coronavirus outbreak in New York City, neighborhoods where residents spent more time commuting on public transportation saw higher infection rates than those where bus and subway usage was less frequent.
The latest research shows that for closed environments, such as public transportation (PT) vehicles, adherence to physical distancing, high-frequency cleaning and proper use of face masks can successfully reduce the probability of contagion, but the total viral load and the risk of inhaling infectious aerosols both increase with time spent in a confined space, according to the study.
Researchers analyzed the correlation between average time commuting on public transportation and infection rates in various neighborhoods throughout the city during the initial coronavirus lockdown.
Data showed that from April 6, 2020, through June 7, 2020, every additional minute added onto a neighborhoods average commute by public transportation resulted in a 0.8 in the daily new case rate per 100,000 residents.
While this may not seem significant at first glance, this means that every additional 30 minutes spent commuting on public transportation correlated to an increase of 24 new cases per 100,000, and every additional hour resulted in 48 new cases per 100,000.
These findings are particularly concerning for Staten Islanders, who consistently deal with the longest public transportation commutes of any borough.
Staten Islanders who commute to work by public transit spend an average of 59.9 minutes on their daily commute, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the study.
That was the highest average public transit commute time of any borough, followed by Queens (54.6 minutes), the Bronx (53.1 minutes), Brooklyn (49.2 minutes) and Manhattan (40.2 minutes).
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. New York City public schools have been open for nearly two weeks, and some students have already experienced a disruption to their in-person instruction as positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are being reported and shuttering classrooms across the five boroughs.
According to the city Department of Educations (DOE) Daily COVID Case Map, there has been a total of 1,689 confirmed positive coronavirus cases in schools across New York City since the first day of school on Sept. 13. This data was last updated on Wednesday evening.
Last week during the first week of school in New York City at least 30 Staten Island public schools had at least one classroom closed or partially closed. As of last Wednesday, there were already 403 confirmed positive coronavirus cases in schools citywide since the first day of school. This resulted in 178 classroom closures across New York City. Another 165 classrooms were partially closed, as those classrooms had a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students, according to the data.
Currently, there are 687 full classroom closures in effect across New York City, the data shows. Another 521 classrooms are currently partially closed, as those classrooms have a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students, according to the data.
There is one school, located in Manhattan, that has shuttered its entire campus due to multiple coronavirus cases.
However, a new quarantine policy going into effect in New York City on Monday will likely lead to fewer classroom closures across the five boroughs. The policy will align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccinated and unvaccinated students who are wearing a face covering and have maintained at least three feet of distance from a student who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be considered close contacts and wont have to quarantine, according to the DOEs website.
On Staten Island, 39 schools have at least one classroom closed, or partially closed, due to exposure to COVID-19 as of Wednesday evening. Those schools are listed below.
The DOEs Daily COVID Case Map shows all known active interventions and cases of coronavirus in New York City public schools. It is updated Sunday through Friday at 6 p.m.
It includes the daily and cumulative numbers for coronavirus cases, broken down by students and staff. It also includes the actions taken at schools daily and cumulative, and the closures currently in effect including classroom closures, partial classroom closures, non-classroom quarantines and full school closures.
Heres a closer look at what the protocol terms mean.
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Georgia Republican Buddy Carter weighs in on vaccine messaging on 'The Evening Edit'
Moderna, Inc. CEO Stephane Bancel said that he believes the COVID-19 pandemic could be over in a year as vaccine production continues.
"If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated. Boosters should also be possible to the extent required," he told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung, according to Reuters.
MODERNA'S CASH HITS $15B, NEW VACCINE DETAILS RELEASED
Bancelalso said vaccinations would soon be available for infants and that he assumed there would be a return to normal "in a year."
"Those who do not get vaccinated will immunize themselves naturally, because the Delta variant is so contagious. In this way we will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu. You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don't do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital," he said.
Bancel's comments come on the heels of a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for individuals above the age of 65 and those ages 18 to 64 who are either at "high risk of severe COVID-19" or who work in high-risk places.
The single booster is to be administered at least six months afterpeople receive their first two doses.
Moderna, Inc. 50 g-dose boosters remain under consideration and the U.S. already offers an extra dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines at least 28 days after getting the second shot to people with severely weakened immune systems.
According to Bancel, patients at risk who were vaccinated last fall "undoubtedly" need a booster and he said he expected governments to approve the shots for people who have already been vaccinated.
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"The volume of vaccine is the biggest limiting factor. With half the dose, we would have three billion doses available worldwide for the coming year instead of just two billion," he added.
The composition of Moderna's booster shot remains the same as the original, Reuters reported, with half the dose of the initial dose.
"We are currently testing Delta-optimized variants in clinical trials. They will form the basis for the booster vaccination for 2022. We are also trying out Delta plus Beta, the next mutation that scientists believe is likely," Bancel said.
The CEO said the price of vaccination would not change.
The Moderna vaccine is available under emergency use authorization for individuals 18 years and older, and the company also requested to expand authorization to adolescents ages 12-17.
Moderna has dispensed millions of doses of its vaccine thus far and global vaccine data shows that 43.9% of the worlds population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
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In the U.S., 182.4 million people have been fully vaccinated, or nearly 55% of America's total population. Nearly 77% of adults have received at least one shot.
FOX Business' Kayla Rivas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dr. Diane Gilles takes a handful of syringes filled with the Moderna vaccine to be given to people on Thursday, March 18, 2021, as the Utah Film Studios loans its space to the Summit County Health Department as a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination station.
| Sep. 23, 2021, 7:26 p.m.
Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
Fifteen more Utahns died of COVID-19 in the past day, and there were almost 1,600 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The Utah Department of Health also added four deaths that occurred before Sept. 1 to the states total, which now stands at 2,860.
In the past day, 1,598 Utahns tested positive for COVID-19. School-age children accounted for 23% of those cases, the Utah Department of Health announced a total of 371. There were 147 cases in children aged 5 to 10; 76 cases in children 11 to 13; and 148 cases in children 14 to 18.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,401 per day.
In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 5.2 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a state Health Department analysis. The unvaccinated also were 7.1 times more likely to be hospitalized and 6.5 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
An additional 3,734 Utahns were fully vaccinated in the past day, bringing the total to 1,666,808 51% of Utahs total population.
Vaccine doses administered in past day / total doses administered 5,826 / 3,411,342.
Utahns fully vaccinated 1,666,808
Cases reported in past day 1,598.
Deaths reported in past day 19.
Tests reported in past day 11,908 people were tested for the first time. A total of 20,466 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day 562. Thats one more than reported on Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 223 are in intensive care, four fewer than reported on Wednesday.
Percentage of positive tests Under the states original method, the rate is 13.4% over the past day. That is slightly lower than the seven-day average of 13.6%.
The states new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. The rate reported Thursday was 7.8%, which is lower than the seven-day average of 9.9%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Heres what that means.]
Totals to date 499,026 cases; 2,860 deaths; 21,676 hospitalizations; 3,394,580 people tested.
According to the state Health Department, Utah has seen 15,879 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 people who contracted the virus two weeks or more after being fully vaccinated. Thats 0.95% of people who are fully vaccinated.
Of that number, 827 required hospitalization 0.05% of those fully vaccinated. And there have been 106 deaths 0.0064% of those fully vaccinated.
This story is developing and will be updated.
The Delta variant continues to be the driving force behind COVID-19 cases in the U.S., but theres another variant thats been getting some buzz in the news. Its called R.1, and it caused an outbreak at a Kentucky nursing home last spring. So what is the R.1 variant and what do officials think? Heres what you need to know to keep your loved ones, and yourself, safe.
The R.1 variant was the subject of a spring 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that noted that this particular COVID-19 variant has mutations of importance. One of those mutations, called the D614G mutation, demonstrates evidence of increasing virus transmissibility, per the CDC. Meaning, it could be more infectious than previous COVID-19 strains. However, the CDC does not currently list R.1 as a variant of interest or concern.
Other mutations in R.1 have been seen in variants that have made the CDCs list of variants of concern. These mutations, the CDC says, may not respond as well to COVID-19 treatments and may be able to at least partially evade the vaccine.
Some reports say the variant has appeared in 47 states, but since R.1 is not being actively monitored by the CDC, it is hard to know for surebut it's at least known to have shown up in Kentucky.
The CDC study analyzed data from the Kentucky nursing home outbreak, which took place in March. That report showed that, among 83 residents and 116 healthcare workers, 26 residents and 20 works tested positive for COVID-19 during the outbreak. Genomic testing later found the infections were due to the R.1 variant.
All of the people who were infected had symptoms and one of them died. About 90% of the nursing home residents and 52% of staff had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and, overall, 25.4% of the residents and 7.1% of the staff were infected.
While the CDC points out that attack rates were three to four times as high among unvaccinated residents and healthcare professionals as among those who were vaccinated, the organization also notes that the data suggest the COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against R.1.
The data also detected four possible reinfections, which shows some evidence of limited or waning natural immunity to this variant, the CDC says.
Not very. Its important for public health officials to be aware of R.1 and track its location in the country, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. But, he says, its not something the general public should stress about right now. R.1, although smoldering around, is not really competing with the Delta variant in any serious way, he says. (The Delta variant currently makes up 98.4% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to CDC data.)
Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agrees. It is unlikely to supplant Delta, he says. Still, Dr. Adalja says, its important to study this variant, its response to vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and its spread.
In the meantime, doctors recommend that you make sure youre fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and continue to mask up indoors in areas with substantial or high levels of COVID-19 transmission.
This article is accurate as of press time. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves and the scientific communitys understanding of the novel coronavirus develops, some of the information may have changed since it was last updated. While we aim to keep all of our stories up to date, please visit online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department to stay informed on the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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Then-President Donald Trump, flanked by members of his coronavirus task force, speaks to reporters at the White House on March 16, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Americans who relied most on former President Donald Trump and the White House coronavirus task force for COVID-19 news in the early days of the pandemic are now among those least likely to have been vaccinated against the virus, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
In late April 2020, as part of the Centers American News Pathways Project, respondents were asked to name the source they relied on most for pandemic news. At that point, it had been more than a month since the World Health Organization had declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic, businesses and schools in the United States were closing their doors, and the nation was approaching the 1 million mark in number of confirmed cases as the sweeping impact of the pandemic was becoming clearer.
Over a year later, at the end of August 2021, the Center asked U.S. adults about their vaccination status. Of the 10,348 respondents who took the August survey, 6,686 had also taken the April 2020 survey. Looking at the group who took both surveys reveals distinct differences in vaccination rates based on where people turned most for COVID-19 news.
Pew Research Center surveyed U.S. adults to examine the relationship between Americans sources for COVID-19 news and having gotten a vaccine for COVID-19. The question about COVID-19 news sources was asked April 20-26, 2020, and the question about whether Americans received at least one dose of a vaccine for COVID-19 was asked Aug. 23-29, 2021. A total of 6,686 U.S. adults completed both surveys.
Everyone who completed the surveys is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The surveys were weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories using the procedure and benchmarks described in the methodology for the 2020 survey. Here is the methodology for the 2021 survey. Read more about the ATPs methodology. Here are the 2021 questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and the 2020 questions used.
This is the latest report in Pew Research Centers ongoing investigation of the state of news, information and journalism in the digital age, a research program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Those who cited Trump and his task force and those who cited personal and community networks as their favored COVID-19 news sources are far less likely than those who relied on other source types to have received at least one shot of the vaccine. Roughly six-in-ten (59%) of those who relied most on Trump say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 38% say they have not received a vaccine.
Those who said they rely most on personal and community networks such as family and friends, local newsletters or Listservs, or online forums for pandemic news have virtually the same vaccination rate as the Trump group: 58% say they have taken at least one shot and 38% have not had any vaccine doses.
The most highly vaccinated groups are comprised of adults who in April 2020 said they relied most on national news outlets and public health organizations and officials for COVID-19 news; 83% and 82%, respectively, say they have gotten at least one shot. And about three-quarters of those who relied most on international news outlets (78%), state and local elected officials (76%) and local news outlets (72%) also have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those who relied most on Trump and his task force for COVID-19 news stood out in several ways demographically from those who relied most on other sources. About seven-in-ten (72%) are at least 50 years old, including nearly four-in-ten (39%) who are at least age 65. The next oldest group trailed the Trump group by a large margin, with 51% of those who relied on national news outlets being at least 50 years old.
One interesting contrast is that, overall, those ages 65 and older are the most likely of any age group to have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.
Those who relied most on Trump are most likely to be White and least likely to be Black or Hispanic. Just 3% of this group are Black and 8% are Hispanic Americans, while 83% are White. No other group is more than 72% White.
One other distinction that may be predictable but is profound and starkly partisan is that 92% of Americans who relied most on Trump for COVID-19 news are Republicans or independents who lean toward the Republican Party. Conversely, only 7% are Democrats or Democratic leaners.
In every other COVID-19 news source category, Democrats comprised no less than 49% and Republicans comprised no more than 44%.
Registered nurse Shanette Harper recently lost her older brother to COVID-19. (Bill Roth / ADN)
On the last day of August, Shanette Harpers brother died of COVID-19. She was nearby when it happened, though she didnt realize it at the time.
Harper, a nurse, was caring for cardiac patients at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage when her brother was rushed to the emergency room in cardiac arrest. He had called 911, unable to catch his breath. Days earlier he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia. As a medical team tried in vain to restart his heart, Harper was working her shift just down the hallway.
It was the last of his life, and I was with him in the same hospital, she said. And I didnt even know.
Once she heard what had happened, she walked down a long corridor to the nurses station inside the emergency room. Someone took her to his body, so she could spend a few last minutes with her older brother. He was 43.
That night, Harper went home and typed a message on Facebook:
My brother died today, she wrote. After 16 days fighting COVID. I was just so sure hed kick it. Wed texted and the last Id read he was feeling better Saturday. Please consider what informs your choice to not vaccinate, and then seek members in the medical community to ask questions so that your decision is truly informed.
She turned off the comments.
I just dont want people to come down on my brother
Two weeks later, tears slide under Harpers mask when she talks about her big brother: He was tall, with a bass voice and a ready supply of jokes. He worked for more than 20 years at a bank in Anchorage. He was skeptical including of pandemic restrictions. He saw his main job as protecting everyone he loved.
He didnt get vaccinated.
Harper has agonized over whether to tell the story of his death.
She does not want his name published in a news story, though other family members have left it to her discretion. Her brother was a big presence, and a lifelong Alaskan. Plenty of people will know who he is.
But theres so much anger, and judgment, and politics in everything about the pandemic now, Harper says. Including death. She cant bear the thought of strangers belittling his memory.
I just dont want people to come down on my brother for his choice, she said.
At the same time, Harper wants to tell the story of losing an unvaccinated loved one to COVID-19 because so few in Alaska have shared publicly about the experience. She also thinks she could change some minds about vaccination.
If one person lives over this story, thats one, she said.
Harper is Black. She is a longtime nurse. She, too, had questions about the vaccine but ultimately chose to be immunized. She knows people in her community who harbor fears and mistrust about vaccination, and she wants them to at the very least ask their questions to a medical professional they trust.
I need to talk about this, she said. Because I am a person of color. Because I hesitated to get (the vaccine). Because I did get it.
And because her brother didnt.
Registered nurse Shanette Harper shares a text exchange with her brother when he told her that he had COVID-19. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Hey, little one, what are you doing?
Harper has been a nurse in Anchorage for more than 15 years. She is also an actress who has performed in Alaska film, dance and theater productions.
I felt COVID was very serious as a nurse working in the hospital, she said. But I felt very reserved about getting the vaccine.
When the vaccines were rolled out for health care workers back in December and January, she wanted to know about any potential impact on fertility. She asked questions of doctors she worked with, read scientific studies and felt comfortable enough to get her shots.
Harper and her brother were not raised in the same household but had been part of each others life since she was a young child, she said. In their 20s, they grew close. He called her baby sis or little one and said if she ever got married, hed walk her down the aisle.
Theyd gone through periods of estrangement in recent years. But in mid-August, when he got COVID, he texted his sister the nurse:
Hey little one, he wrote. WYD. I caught the Vid. Dont want it to turn into pneumonia.
How did he get it, she asked?
Being out and about without a mask, he answered.
I thought I was dying this morning
They settled into a routine: Hed text to report his symptoms and shed encourage him to take care of himself, giving him tips for staying hydrated, reducing fevers and ensuring he didnt spend too long in bed. He kept her apprised of his fluctuating fever. He told her when he lost his sense of smell. Nothing he reported sounded serious.
It just seemed like he was going to come out of it, she said. Nothing, she said, made her think she needed to put on an N95 mask and race over to take him to the hospital.
[Impossible choices inside Alaskas inundated hospitals]
One day toward the end of August, he texted that hed been to the emergency room. Hed been diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and sent home.
I thought I was dying this morning, he wrote. Soon after, he posted on Facebook that hed gotten an inhaler, which was working.
On Aug. 31, Harpers brother called 911 he couldnt catch his breath. When medics arrived, he collapsed at the door, Harper said. Hed gone into cardiac arrest.
They worked on him four cycles (of CPR) in the field and two in the hospital, she said.
She doesnt know exactly what happened. Doctors say COVID-19 can weaken the heart. The virus hits every person differently, she said.
The funeral is coming up. People in her family remain unvaccinated. Some have said theyll take their chances with the virus.
Its really hard to hear that in the face of having someone taken away from me, she said.
Harper says if she could have done it again, she would have pushed her brother harder to be vaccinated. As much as a younger sister can.
The word "COVID-19" is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration taken November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Sept 22 (Reuters) - The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review.
Severe COVID-19 may "trip off" immune self-attacks
Severe COVID-19 may trick the immune system into producing so-called autoantibodies that have the potential to eventually attack healthy tissue and cause inflammatory diseases, researchers warned in a paper published in Nature Communications. They found autoantibodies in blood samples from roughly 50% of 147 COVID-19 patients they studied, but in fewer than 15% of 41 healthy volunteers. For 48 COVID-19 patients, the researchers had blood samples taken over different days, including the day of hospital admission, allowing them to track the development of the autoantibodies. "Within a week... about 20% of these patients had developed new antibodies to their own tissues that weren't there the day they were admitted," study leader Dr. Paul Utz of Stanford University said in a news release. He urged people to get vaccinated. "You can't know in advance that when you get COVID-19 it will be a mild case," he said. "If you do get a bad case, you could be setting yourself up for a lifetime of trouble because the virus may trip off autoimmunity," he said. "We haven't studied any patients long enough to know whether these autoantibodies are still there a year or two later," he added, but noted that developing an autoimmue disease was a possibility.
New variants may spread more efficiently into air
The virus that causes COVID-19 may be getting better at traveling into the air, a new study suggests. Researchers found that patients infected with the Alpha variant of the virus - the dominant strain circulating when the study was conducted - put 43 to 100 times more virus into the air than people infected with the original version of the coronavirus. Some of this was due to the fact that patients infected with Alpha had increased amounts of virus in nasal swabs and saliva. But the amount of virus being exhaled was 18-times more than could be explained by the higher viral loads, according to a report published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers also found that loose-fitting face coverings worn by patients with mild COVID-19 can reduce the amount of virus-laden particles in the surrounding air around by about 50%. "We know that the Delta variant circulating now is even more contagious than the Alpha variant," coauthor Don Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health said in a statement. "Our research indicates that the variants just keep getting better at traveling through the air, so we must provide better ventilation and wear tight-fitting masks, in addition to vaccination, to help stop spread of the virus."
Most cancer patients respond well to COVID-19 vaccines
People with cancer have appropriate, protective immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines without experiencing any more side effects than the general population, five separate research teams reported at the European oncology meeting this week. In one study involving 44,000 recipients of the two-dose Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech vaccine, researchers found no difference in side effects experienced by the nearly 4,000 participants with past or current cancer. In a separate trial, researchers studied 791 cancer patients who received the two-dose vaccine from Moderna (MRNA.O). At 28 days after administration of the second dose, adequate levels of antibodies to the virus in the blood were found in 84% of patients with cancer who were receiving chemotherapy, in 89% of patients receiving chemotherapy plus an immunotherapy drug, and in 93% of patients on immunotherapy alone. These results compare favorably with the antibody responses seen in a separate group of individuals without cancer, according to European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Press Officer Dr. Antonio Passaro. "The high rates of efficacy of the vaccine observed across the trial population, regardless of the type of anticancer treatment, constitute a strong and reassuring message for patients and their doctors," he said in a statement.
Click for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.
Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Sep 25th 2021
THE BEGINNING of the school year normally brings a sense of relief for most parents. But with covid-19 cases in America reaching levels last seen in February, and the highly infectious Delta-variant sweeping across the nation, the start of term was instead met with fear. Though the benefits of in-person schooling are clearchildren learn better at their desks, the vulnerable are less likely to be left behind, and parents are able to get on with their own workthere were concerns that mixing in packed playgrounds and classrooms would increase the spread of the virus.
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Across the country there is huge variability in back-to-school dates. Children in some Texas school districts returned to the classroom in the middle of July, whereas New York Citys 1m pupils went back only last week. This variation creates an opportunity to test how the start of term has influenced covid-19 cases. So The Economist built a statistical model to do just that.
First, we calculated the average case-rates for each county for each week from the middle of June, before any schools returned, to now. We compared the case-rate in each county with the average within the state. This allows the model to control for overall trends in case numbers as well as other factors, like mask mandates or superspreader events, which might make the virus more or less prevalent within a state. We then examined the effect of the different return-to-school dates, to see if counties that went back earlier had higher case-rates than the rest of the state.
The results are clear. In the weeks after the beginning of term, covid-19 cases in a given county were greater than would be otherwise expected. Even when controlling for demographic factors like age, race, income, education and politics, going back to school drove up the case-rates (see chart). On average, for every extra week of term the increase in cases was about the same as the effect of a percentage point increase in Donald Trumps 2020 vote share (pro-Trump counties tend to have higher covid-19 rates).
The effect was not the same everywhere, however. According to our model, as well as reducing the overall number of cases, the countys vaccination rate played a big role in influencing what happened after schools returned. In counties where many people were jabbed, the start of term had little effect on the spread of the virus. In counties with the lowest vaccine take-up, cases surged after schools returned.
It is worth noting that across America very few children have been vaccinated, so jabs themselves probably have little impact on preventing spread within classrooms. In counties where more people are vaccinated, infections originating inside the school gates may not escape into the community as easily. Additionally, it may be that schools in the most jabbed regions also take more precautions. They might enforce mask wearing or social distancing more strictly, for example.
States set their own rules when it comes to controlling covid-19 in schools. More than a dozen states mandate face coverings in public schools, and nine require teachers and staff to be vaccinated or to undergo weekly testing, including Washington state and Oregon which have made vaccination obligatory for teachers. On September 9th the Los Angeles school board voted unanimously to require vaccines for students aged 12-years and over. At the other end of the spectrum, several conservative states have tried to ban schools from enforcing mask wearing.
Our model cannot pick out the effects of these state-level interventions. However, a slew of other research studies from across Europe and America have found that mask-wearing and social-distancing work to prevent the spread of covid-19 in schools. With these measures in place, schools were not the most likely sources of infections for children. And if a child did catch the virus it tended not to spread to classmates. However, the situation looks quite different when these measures are relaxed while the virus is spreading, as has been the case in much of the country.
With appropriate precautions in the classroom and high levels of community vaccination, the beginning of the new term need not have been so scary. Our findings add to the growing consensus that in-person schooling doesnt have to be accompanied by growing covid-19 cases. But while some states continue to put politics before public safety, it probably will.
Dig deeper
All our stories relating to the pandemic and the vaccines can be found on our coronavirus hub. You can also find trackers showing the global roll-out of vaccines, excess deaths by country and the viruss spread across Europe.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Safety in numbers"
Austin, TexasAs the 2021-2022 Influenza season begins,Austin Public Health(APH)is callingforeveryone to get vaccinated for bothInfluenza(Flu)and COVID-19 to avoidfurther straininga health care systemalreadypushed beyond capacityby caring for patients withCOVIDinaddition tothosewithother illness and injuries.
Flu vaccinations are offered in many locations, including doctors offices, clinics, retail stores, pharmacies, health centers, and through many employers and schools. To find a location near you to get your Flu or COVID-19 vaccine, visitVaccineFinder.org.
Both vaccines for the Flu and COVID-19 can be administered at the same time. Currently, there is no combined vaccine.
You have two arms, get two shotsone for flu,and if you arent fully vaccinatedor need a third dose because youreimmunocompromised, one for COVID, said InterimAPHDirector AdrienneSturrup. If youre waiting forCOVIDboosters to be approved, itsstilla good time to get your flu vaccinationand help protect our community from another outbreak.
With very few exceptions, everyone aged six months and olderis recommended to getan annual fluvaccinationbefore the end ofOctoberbefore cases increase, but can still get the vaccine almost year-round.High-risk individualsare recommended to get the Flu vaccine as soon as possible. High-riskcategoriesinclude:
We cannot afford simultaneous outbreaks of Flu and COVID,said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr.DesmarWalkes.Do not riskbecoming severely illand needing hospitalization. Get vaccinated, wear a mask and stay healthy.
Similar toCOVID-19, theFlu is a respiratory virusthatspreads through tiny aerosol droplets when people sneeze, cough, or talk. The same simple steps that offer protection from COVID-19 guard against contracting and spreading theFlu:
Wear a mask orcoughand sneeze into your elbow ortissue
Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth
Avoid others who are sick
Stay home if you are sick
Clean and disinfecthigh touchsurfaces and objects
WhileFluactivity is currentlylow,many children and young peopleare back inschoolandvulnerable to contracting thevirus. Symptoms include:
Headache
Severe fatigue
If you or a loved one hastrouble breathing, has bluish skin color, is not waking up or interacting,hassudden dizziness,hasconfusion, is severely or persistently vomiting, or improves but then gets worse, seek immediate medical attention to get a diagnosis.
Flu shots arealsoavailable atShots for Tots/Big Shots clinicsfor children who are uninsured or Medicaid recipients and for uninsured adults. The flu vaccine costs $25 for adults, $10 for children, and is free for children with Medicaid.No one will be denied services if they are unable to pay.Please call(512) 972-5520to make an appointment.
For more informationon theFlu and surveillance information, visitAustinTexas.gov/Flu.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccinations, visitAustinTexas.gov/covid19-vaccinesor call 3-1-1 or(512) 974-2000to schedule an appointment.
