wuhan - coronavirus

[Wishes]

Has this been posted about lung scarring?

 

Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers' lungs, surgeon says
Texas trauma surgeon Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall says that means even survivors could have long-term post-COVID problems.

Read in CBS News: https://apple.news/AdOTVenalQGKl-IlE4Y4ETQ

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by Wishes

[Starr]

On 1/13/2021 at 2:23 PM, lewelma said:

US just announced yesterday that all international travelers will have to have a covid test within 72 hours of arrival. I can't find any exemptions. So even though my son is coming from NZ where we have had no covid since May 11 (except 183 cases in August in Auckland), I will have to pay $160 for the doctor's appointment, covid test, and documentation to prove he doesn't have it. Sigh. 

Do you need a doctors visit? Kids I know from that area have gotten tests for local travel without a doctors appt.

[Laura Corin]

London hospitals overwhelmed

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/14/struggling-london-hospitals-sending-covid-patients-to-newcastle

[lewelma]

4 hours ago, Starr said:

Do you need a doctors visit? Kids I know from that area have gotten tests for local travel without a doctors appt.

yes. Doctor's visit required. People here are not getting tested much because we don't have covid, and haven't since May 11th. So we don't have drive through clinics or anything like that. After the doc appointment, the nurses have to get all suited up just for the one test, and then they have to print and certify the documentation.  Because New Zealanders are not travelling overseas as they are not likely to be able to get back in because quarantine is full, this means that this is an unusual ask. To get an "I'm negative" certificate is expensive because it is a one off and not set up for bulk processing. I was told $160 for evidence that my ds is negative. The USA is not giving an exemption for people travelling from NZ. 

Edited January 15, 2021 by lewelma

[Ausmumof3]

Worldwide passed 2 million deaths today on worldometer 

 

[Starr]

6 hours ago, lewelma said:

yes. Doctor's visit required. People here are not getting tested much because we don't have covid, and haven't since May 11th. So we don't have drive through clinics or anything like that. After the doc appointment, the nurses have to get all suited up just for the one test, and then they have to print and certify the documentation.  Because New Zealanders are not travelling overseas as they are not likely to be able to get back in because quarantine is full, this means that this is an unusual ask. To get an "I'm negative" certificate is expensive because it is a one off and not set up for bulk processing. I was told $160 for evidence that my ds is negative. The USA is not giving an exemption for people travelling from NZ. 

I understand now . I thought he needed to test when he arrived. 

[kbutton]

19 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

There is also possibly a new variant in Ohio although it’s not known how significant it is.

Dr Norman Swann mentioned this morning that Novovax are looking at doing a trial of a combined COVID/flu vaccine. 

Ohio variant(s): https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/new-sars-cov2-variant

Quote

Scientists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have discovered a new variant of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The new variant carries a mutation identical to the U.K. strain, but it likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States. The researchers also report the evolution of another U.S. strain that acquired three other gene mutations not previously seen together in SARS-CoV2.
 
These findings are published in BioRxiv as a pre-print.
 
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has been sequencing the genome of SARS-Cov-2 viruses in patients with COVID-19 since March 2020 in order to monitor the evolution of the virus. The new variant was discovered in one patient from Ohio, so researchers do not yet know the prevalence of the strain in the population.
 
In contrast, the evolving strain with the three new mutations has become the dominant virus in Columbus during a three week period in late December 2020 and January.

and 

Quote

The scientists said that discovery of the Columbus variant, COH.20G/501Y, suggests that the same mutation may be occurring independently in multiple parts of the world during the past few months.

The idea of a flu shot/Covid shot is appealing to me if it works well. I would be likely to get both on an ongoing basis. If they find that allergy issues or other issues would make people unable to get it because of a combo, I hope they do offer them separately as well, but one shot is for sure more convenient.

[Corraleno]

11 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Worldwide passed 2 million deaths today on worldometer 

And the US passed 400,000 deaths. 😥 

[Corraleno]

Our current 7-day average is 3400 deaths per day. 

That works out to 100,000 deaths per month.

At that pace, we will hit half a million next month. Even if we were miraculously able to cut the death rate in half starting today, we would still hit 500K sometime in March. Who knows where we'll be by next summer.

Remember when the Hoover Institute "calculated" that covid wouldn't kill more than 500 Americans, which they then revised to 5000? Remember when predictions of 200,000 deaths were dismissed as outrageous fear-mongering? There are still people claiming it is less dangerous than the flu, yet in the first 2 weeks of January, nearly 44,000 Americans died of covid — 10,000 more than died of flu in the entire 2018-2019 flu season.  

 

[Ausmumof3]

4 hours ago, kbutton said:

Ohio variant(s): https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/new-sars-cov2-variant

and 

The idea of a flu shot/Covid shot is appealing to me if it works well. I would be likely to get both on an ongoing basis. If they find that allergy issues or other issues would make people unable to get it because of a combo, I hope they do offer them separately as well, but one shot is for sure more convenient.

It also makes me think they are expecting this to be a yearly shot like flu.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/new-coronavirus-variants-could-cause-more-reinfections-require-updated-vaccines
 

“When the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise again in Manaus, Brazil, in December 2020, Nuno Faria was stunned. The virologist at Imperial College London and associate professor at the University of Oxford had just co-authored a paper in Science estimating that three-quarters of the city’s inhabitants had already been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic coronavirus—more than enough, it seemed, for herd immunity to develop. The virus should be done with Manaus. Yet hospitals were filling up again. “It was hard to reconcile these two things,” Faria says. He started to hunt for samples he could sequence to find out whether changes in the virus could explain the resurgence.

On 12 January, Faria and his colleagues posted their initial conclusions on the website virological.org. Thirteen of 31 samples collected in mid-December in Manaus turned out to be part of a new viral lineage they called P.1. Much more research is needed, but they say one possibility is that in some people, P.1 eludes the human immune response triggered by the lineage that ravaged the city earlier in 2020.”

 

The UK and US decisions to block travel without a negative Covid test haven’t seems logical given the already widespread outbreaks.  It makes me wonder if this is potentially more significant than previously thought.

[The Governess]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/new-coronavirus-variants-could-cause-more-reinfections-require-updated-vaccines
 

“When the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise again in Manaus, Brazil, in December 2020, Nuno Faria was stunned. The virologist at Imperial College London and associate professor at the University of Oxford had just co-authored a paper in Science estimating that three-quarters of the city’s inhabitants had already been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic coronavirus—more than enough, it seemed, for herd immunity to develop. The virus should be done with Manaus. Yet hospitals were filling up again. “It was hard to reconcile these two things,” Faria says. He started to hunt for samples he could sequence to find out whether changes in the virus could explain the resurgence.

On 12 January, Faria and his colleagues posted their initial conclusions on the website virological.org. Thirteen of 31 samples collected in mid-December in Manaus turned out to be part of a new viral lineage they called P.1. Much more research is needed, but they say one possibility is that in some people, P.1 eludes the human immune response triggered by the lineage that ravaged the city earlier in 2020.”

 

The UK and US decisions to block travel without a negative Covid test haven’t seems logical given the already widespread outbreaks.  It makes me wonder if this is potentially more significant than previously thought.

This really has me worried. 😞

[popmom]

On 1/14/2021 at 9:06 PM, Wishes said:

Has this been posted about lung scarring?

 

Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers' lungs, surgeon says
Texas trauma surgeon Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall says that means even survivors could have long-term post-COVID problems.

Read in CBS News: https://apple.news/AdOTVenalQGKl-IlE4Y4ETQ

 

I have mixed about articles like this. This is anecdotal, and it’s speculation. I want statistics. Age groups? I have so many questions and where is there any research that would support this doctor’s observations? Otherwise, I feel like it’s fear mongering. 

Dr. Amesh Adalja, questioned later in the article seems to downplay the surgeon’s observations if you read it carefully. Seems like the journalist was cherry picking the most sensational pieces of each interview. I mean journalists want those hits kwim. 

The people who are very COVID cautious—like me—this just spikes my anxiety unnecessarily. Those who think COVID is just like the flu aren’t going to change their behavior anyway—not from this kind of report.

i don’t know. I do appreciate hearing from actual doctors on the frontlines...it’s interesting. I’m taking it w a grain of salt.

Edited January 16, 2021 by popmom

[Ausmumof3]

The Australian open seems to be turning into a bit of a debacle down here.  Two of the chartered flights with cases have had positive cases on board meaning everyone has to stay strictly in their rooms only.  Meaning prep/practice for players etc is challenging.  

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.12.21249603v1
 

pre print only - viable virus survival of 2 hours in air in a vehicle (just in case anyone was thinking of taking an Uber).  I guess this would be similar for public transport though maybe more diluted.

[Ausmumof3]

6 new local cases for NSW today 😞 

[bookbard]

4 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

6 new local cases for NSW today 😞 

Yes, this will run rampant through western sydney unless they start taking it seriously. People just aren't getting tested, and the crowds this weekend were insane. 

I wish they'd done a short sharp lockdown back in December. They need to set up some testing stations and just say 'we want X thousand tested, or we'll be locked down'. 

[lewelma]

I thought you guys might enjoy this image. The main online newspaper here is trying to get New Zealanders to be better about scanning the QR codes as a way of protecting the country from the new more contagious strain. The image made me smile -- the kiwi is a weird-looking bird!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/123966930/stop-scanner-time-on-the-push-to-get-every-kiwi-scanning-every-time

Edited January 17, 2021 by lewelma

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-portugal-idUSKBN29M0L3?taid=6004b9401a90330001f1b71b&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
 

The health system, which prior to the pandemic had the lowest number of critical care beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe, can accommodate a maximum of 672 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, or ICUs, according to health ministry data

The number of people in ICUs with COVID-19 reached 647 on Sunday, according to health authority DGS. The Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators said the number of coronavirus patients needing hospitalisation was likely to dramatically increase over the next week.

 

[Melissa in Australia]

It is now up to 9 people associated with the Australian open Tennis that have tested positive. Every single person on those flights is now in strict quarantine. Some of the tennis players are making a big fuss. Even though they were told what would happen if they were on flights with positive cases they thought rules wouldn't apply to them. They thought they were some sort if special snowflakes or demigods or something. 

Lots of the tennis players are apparently keeping up their practice by hitting the ball against the walls in their hotel room. I can only imagine the state the walls will be in after 2 weeks. 

 

Lots of people here were not really impressed with them coming. There are still heaps of Aussie citizens still trying to come back to Australia and reduced  flights, strict 14 day quarantine with a cap on arrivals per week and a hard border shut down gave made it a long and slow process

Edited January 18, 2021 by Melissa in Australia
My phone keeps changing random words

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

It is now up to 9 people associated with the Australian open Tennis that have tested positive. Every single person on those flights is now in strict quarantine. Some of the tennis players are making a big fuss. Even though they were told what would happen if they were on flights with positive cases they thought rules wouldn't apply to them. They thought they were some sort if special snowflakes or demigods or something. 

Lots of the tennis players are apparently keeping up their practice by hitting the ball against the walls in their hotel room. I can only imagine the state the walls will be in after 2 weeks. 

 

Lots of people here were not really impressed with them coming. There are still heaps of Aussie citizens still trying to come back to Australia and rescued flights, strict 14 day quarinteen with a cap on arrivals per week and a hard border shut down gave made it a long and slow procrss

Yeah it’s turning into a nightmare hey!  At least one tennis player has apologised for her comments.  I think they probably just didn’t pay that much attention to the briefings etc so didn’t realise what they were in for.   I really hope health authorities don’t bend the rules though.  I used to be quite a fan of Novak Djokovic and I’m feeling seriously disappointed now.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Ausmumof3

[Melissa Louise]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

It is now up to 9 people associated with the Australian open Tennis that have tested positive. Every single person on those flights is now in strict quarantine. Some of the tennis players are making a big fuss. Even though they were told what would happen if they were on flights with positive cases they thought rules wouldn't apply to them. They thought they were some sort if special snowflakes or demigods or something. 

Lots of the tennis players are apparently keeping up their practice by hitting the ball against the walls in their hotel room. I can only imagine the state the walls will be in after 2 weeks. 

 

Lots of people here were not really impressed with them coming. There are still heaps of Aussie citizens still trying to come back to Australia and rescued flights, strict 14 day quarinteen with a cap on arrivals per week and a hard border shut down gave made it a long and slow procrss

I'm pretty annoyed the Open can roll into town, along with active Covid cases, but I still can't get down to Melbourne to see dd. My LGA still a red zone. 

[Melissa in Australia]

1 hour ago, Melissa Louise said:

I'm pretty annoyed the Open can roll into town, along with active Covid cases, but I still can't get down to Melbourne to see dd. My LGA still a red zone. 

 

Sorry you still cannot get to Melbourne 😞 

I think most people are annoyed about the Open  tennis bring people in

[bookbard]

Sadly seems that the UK had the world highest death toll last week, and that the new variant is spreading far and wide, which is scary - I can remember early on the Czech republic was doing quite well but now it is just behind UK in deaths/million, and they've stated the number of cases with the new variant is about 10% already. 

[Corraleno]

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-17/covid-19-coronavirus-vaccine-update-pandemic

There's a lot of bad news in that article (including a new variant that seems to be dominant in the hardest-hit areas of CA), but this part really got to me. 😥

"So many people have died in Los Angeles County that officials have temporarily suspended air-quality regulations that limit the number of cremations. Health officials and the L.A. County coroner requested the change because the current death rate is “more than double that of pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes and crematoriums exceeding capacity, without the ability to process the backlog,” the South Coast Air Quality Management District said Sunday." 

 

 

[Corraleno]

New study from the UK found that 30% of covid patients who were discharged alive from the hospital ended up being rehospitalized and 12% ultimately died of covid-related complications. They specifically focused on respiratory disease, diabetes, heart problems, and liver/kidney issues — many of which were new diagnoses in patients who did not have prior history of those issues. From the Discussion section of the paper:

"In the largest study to-date to examine PCS in individuals hospitalised with COVID-19, comprising 47,780 COVID-19 cases with matched controls, we describe three major findings. Firstly, COVID-19 hospitalisation was associated with increased risk of readmission and death following discharge, relative to that in individuals of similar demographic and clinical profiles over the same period; nearly a third of people post COVID-19 hospital discharge were re-admitted and more than 1 in 10 died.

Secondly, rates of post-discharge multi-organ dysfunction were elevated in individuals with COVID-19 compared with those in the matched control group, suggesting extrapulmonary pathophysiology. Diabetes and MACE were particularly common, both when considering all post-discharge events (which may reflect a combination of new-onset cases and exasperation of pre-existing conditions) and only incident cases.

Finally, the absolute risk of post-discharge adverse events was greater for individuals aged ≥70 years than <70 years, and for individuals of White ethnic background than in the Non-White group. However, when contrasted against the background rates of adverse events that might be expected to occur in these groups in the general population, younger and ethnic minority individuals faced greater relative risks than those aged ≥70 years and those in the White group, respectively."

Preprint here: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.15.21249885v1.full.pdf

[Ausmumof3]

uk new cases look like they have possibly started to drop.  US both cases and deaths seem to be flattening off so really hopeful that things might be improving.  Israel appear to have seen very quick results from their vaccination so hopefully other countries see similar results as they catch up.  

[Ausmumof3]

48 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

New study from the UK found that 30% of covid patients who were discharged alive from the hospital ended up being rehospitalized and 12% ultimately died of covid-related complications. They specifically focused on respiratory disease, diabetes, heart problems, and liver/kidney issues — many of which were new diagnoses in patients who did not have prior history of those issues. From the Discussion section of the paper:

"In the largest study to-date to examine PCS in individuals hospitalised with COVID-19, comprising 47,780 COVID-19 cases with matched controls, we describe three major findings. Firstly, COVID-19 hospitalisation was associated with increased risk of readmission and death following discharge, relative to that in individuals of similar demographic and clinical profiles over the same period; nearly a third of people post COVID-19 hospital discharge were re-admitted and more than 1 in 10 died.

Secondly, rates of post-discharge multi-organ dysfunction were elevated in individuals with COVID-19 compared with those in the matched control group, suggesting extrapulmonary pathophysiology. Diabetes and MACE were particularly common, both when considering all post-discharge events (which may reflect a combination of new-onset cases and exasperation of pre-existing conditions) and only incident cases.

Finally, the absolute risk of post-discharge adverse events was greater for individuals aged ≥70 years than <70 years, and for individuals of White ethnic background than in the Non-White group. However, when contrasted against the background rates of adverse events that might be expected to occur in these groups in the general population, younger and ethnic minority individuals faced greater relative risks than those aged ≥70 years and those in the White group, respectively."

Preprint here: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.15.21249885v1.full.pdf

Here they are counted as COVID deaths even if they happen some time later if they are due to Covid related stuff.  Whereas uk has a four week after positive test cut off meaning none of those deaths would count in the official toll.

[ktgrok]

Neighbor works in the local hospital and they are at capacity, and several times a week having to refer elsewhere. Supposedly we are only at 13% positivity - but Desantis couldn't tell the truth to save his life so I don't believe it. (and the person running the alternative dashboard was arrested to shut her up)

[Laura Corin]

@Ausmumof3

The most reliable statistics come from death certificates, which include everyone:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Ausmumof3]

Bno:

UK reports record 1,610 new coronavirus deaths, decline in new cases continues

- New cases: 33,355
- In hospital: 38,777 (-213)
- In ICU: 3,972 (+54)
- New deaths: 1,610

Vaccinated:
- 1st dose: 4.3M (+204,076)
- 2nd dose: 457K (+4,565)

[Ausmumof3]

https://apple.news/A5lWhZCRoRwCJkpIGYtCHGw
 

medication shortages in Australia due to COVID 19

 

[RootAnn]

Just reporting from my little rural area in mid-America. Our local testing has been running 30-50% positive the last month or so. It is very much life-as-usual in our little community.

My family's overall exposure is pretty high (DH & DD#2 working, DD#2 in-person college classes) right now, I accessed in person testing today. Testing is relatively easy to get as long as you can drive & you have access to email/tech. It is stay-in-your-car & quick. I was swabbed at 10:08 this morning & received an email that my results were at the lab a couple hours later. Less than 12 hours later, I had my negative results. They have really sped up processing here! It used to be around 24 hours. (Dd's college entrance testing took 2-3 days for results to come back last week but that was through a different group/lab.)

Just wanted to report on the current conditions here. The local college had a 3% positive rate on their entrance screening but now have more in quarantine because results took awhile to come back (after at least two days of classes). Anyone with significant exposure to those positive cases after testing & before results came back is quarantining.

[Laura Corin]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/talking-can-spread-covid-as-much-as-coughing-says-research?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Infectiousness in different circumstances.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Laura Corin

[bookbard]

I saw that, and it makes sense. I wish we'd understood it a year ago!

Looks like they are considering modifying the Oxford vaccine to combat new strains, not just the UK one but also the Brazil one. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/20/oxford-scientists-preparing-new-vaccine-versions-combat-emerging/

I wonder if it'll be like the flu shot where they change it up every year depending on the variants. 

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-21/tutors-start-of-the-school-year-in-victoria/13075100
 

the Victorian government is spending $250m to recruit 4100 tutors to assist students who fell behind due to Covid last year 

 

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, bookbard said:

I saw that, and it makes sense. I wish we'd understood it a year ago!

Looks like they are considering modifying the Oxford vaccine to combat new strains, not just the UK one but also the Brazil one. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/20/oxford-scientists-preparing-new-vaccine-versions-combat-emerging/

I wonder if it'll be like the flu shot where they change it up every year depending on the variants. 

I also wonder what will happen with repeat vaccinations.  The side effects have been worse with the second shot.  Will the time gap be enough to reset that or will the side effects get worse every time?

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.jwatch.org/na53065/2021/01/20/long-term-health-effects-after-hospitalization-covid-19
 

long term impacts on those hospitalised 

Seventy six percent of patients reported at least one symptom at follow-up, more commonly among women and patients with more-severe disease. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue or muscle weakness (63%) and sleep difficulties (26%). Participants who had required a high-flow nasal cannula, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were more likely to have persistent symptoms and to have lung diffusion impairment; almost one third of these failed to meet the lower limit of normal in the 6-minute walk. Anxiety or depression were experienced by 23% of patients.

[Melissa Louise]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-21/tutors-start-of-the-school-year-in-victoria/13075100
 

the Victorian government is spending $250m to recruit 4100 tutors to assist students who fell behind due to Covid last year 

 

I just hope the tutors (teachers) are using evidence based tutoring strategies. Our Ed Dept used a non-evidenced based literacy intervention that didn't work for a decade plus. 

It's running here also, in another bit of non-evidence. Our lockdown was so short that the effects of any learning gap were mitigated by the end of Term 4. 

[TCB]

There is no way to actually gain any control over this virus when it’s difficult to find free testing, results can take days, and so many people don’t get any sort of sick pay while they are quarantining. The only way out is vaccination, and oh yeah, people are suspicious of it and won’t get it! Honestly it seems like our society just sucks! 

[Laura Corin]

According to the Covid Zoe app survey, vaccine hesitancy in the UK is greatest amongst younger people, those in London and surrounding area, women, and ethnic minorities.  Let's hope that confidence will build over the coming months.

[Laura Corin]

Risk of hospitalisation.  Higher than I thought at my age

https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-hospitalisation-risk?utm_source=App

Edited January 21, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Melissa Louise]

https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/61923-neu-comment-as-covid-rates-of-infection-1-9-times-higher-amongst-teachers-and-school-staff-than-for-the-general-public?fbclid=IwAR29tYI3ndumLmVCes75AS05JaoSuxsA6XHzEH8Lh4qDFES3TSWz4T7qQSY

Out of the UK. Haven't properly looked at the data. Special ed and teaching support most risky of all. 

[AmandaVT]

1 hour ago, Melissa Louise said:

https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/61923-neu-comment-as-covid-rates-of-infection-1-9-times-higher-amongst-teachers-and-school-staff-than-for-the-general-public?fbclid=IwAR29tYI3ndumLmVCes75AS05JaoSuxsA6XHzEH8Lh4qDFES3TSWz4T7qQSY

Out of the UK. Haven't properly looked at the data. Special ed and teaching support most risky of all. 

That makes sense and we were talking about that at my school recently. Special Ed (me), paras, behavior clinicians and the principal are in every classroom each day and see kids from all classes, teachers rotate between 2 classes, so their exposure is half of ours. I try to minimize in classroom services and stick with pull out whenever possible and I run my air purifier all day. 

[Melissa Louise]

1 minute ago, AmandaVT said:

That makes sense and we were talking about that at my school recently. Special Ed (me), paras, behavior clinicians and the principal are in every classroom each day and see kids from all classes, teachers rotate between 2 classes, so their exposure is half of ours. I try to minimize in classroom services and stick with pull out whenever possible and I run my air purifier all day. 

I hope this type of info is used to help work out who to vaccinate when. 

[AmandaVT]

1 hour ago, Melissa Louise said:

I hope this type of info is used to help work out who to vaccinate when. 

I hope so too. In my state, they're going w/ an age band system after front line (and not so front line) health care workers. 75+, 70-75, etc. 

[Melissa Louise]

48 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I hope so too. In my state, they're going w/ an age band system after front line (and not so front line) health care workers. 75+, 70-75, etc. 

I'd hope special ed teachers are in with the over 50's, at the very least, regardless of age. 

 

[Melissa in Australia]

On 1/21/2021 at 11:56 AM, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-21/tutors-start-of-the-school-year-in-victoria/13075100
 

the Victorian government is spending $250m to recruit 4100 tutors to assist students who fell behind due to Covid last year 

 

thank you for this link. I have put in my application

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

thank you for this link. I have put in my application

Oh good luck!  Hope you get in!

[Lecka]

My husband is working in a school right now.  If they get a vaccine clinic at the school (which is very possible) then the principal can have riskier positions go in the front.  For example — if they gave 3 dates, and at the first date do a certain number of first doses, and the second date do some second doses and some first doses, and on the third date finish the second doses.  Older teachers can go through the state portal if they can get in faster that way.  We don’t actually know if schools will get vaccine clinics for staff, but it’s possible.  

I’m mainly here with good news!!!!!!!  All Oklahoma’s numbers are down!!!!!!!!!!  The State Health Department even though it might be a glitch and checked — and numbers are really down.  A doctor on Facebook verifies they are seeing numbers down in Metro area hospitals.  
 

I listen to Dr. Michael Osterholm’s podcast on Wednesdays — I think he is a nice person.  He is concerned that the more-transmissible strains could make spread go up again.  But — at least it’s better right now, and vaccines are available.

 

I also listen to In the Bubble sometimes.  

Edit:  the podcast is called the Osterholm Update.  Of people I have seen on tv — I think he is the nicest but also someone who makes dire predictions.  So it’s like — I can hear some dire predictions but from a really nice person.  And I don’t think he is dire just to create drama!  Not that he is a dire person, but he doesn’t only say rosy things.  

Edited January 22, 2021 by Lecka