SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How not reopening K-12 will have serious public health consequences? I can see how reopening K-12 will have a big public health problem...

EDIT: OK, I looked it up. I now see the points he is making. But, honestly, I have lost trust in the national CDC ability to conduct unbiased scientific research and give recommendation on public health issues.

CDC warns Congress of "significant public health consequences" if schools don't reopen in the fall

Key Points

• Millions of children get nutritional and mental health services at schools, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told a House Select Subcommittee hearing on containing the coronavirus outbreak.
• “It’s important to realize that it’s in the public health’s best interest for K-12 students to get back into face-to-face learning,” he said.
• Redfield said he wants school reopenings to be done “smartly.”

CDC warns of ‘significant public health consequences’ if schools don’t reopen in the fall
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Congress on Friday of “significant public health consequences” if schools don’t reopen in the fall.

Millions of children get nutritional and mental health services at schools, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told a House Select Subcommittee hearing on containing the coronavirus outbreak. He said school reopenings to be done “smartly.”

“It’s important to realize that it’s in the public health’s best interest for K-12 students to get back into face-to-face learning,” Redfield testified. “There’s really very significant public health consequences of the school closure.”

About “7.1 million kids get their mental health service at schools,” he added. “They get their nutritional support from their schools. We’re seeing an increase in drug use disorder as well as suicide in adolescent individuals. I do think that it’s really important to realize it’s not public health versus the economy about school reopening.”

The matter of whether and how to reopen schools in the U.S. this fall has become a hotbed issue in recent weeks. The U.S. has the worst outbreak in the world with more than 4 million cases and at least 152,075 deaths as of Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Researchers say the role kids play in spreading the disease is still unclear.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump continued his push for schools to reopen as fall approaches regardless of the state of the outbreak, adding that keeping schools closed “is causing death also.”

Trump called on Democrats to work with Republicans to pass the latest coronavirus relief bill, which includes $105 billion to help schools reopen for in-person learning in the fall. Democratic leaders have criticized the bill for leaving out key aid measures that was included in the $3 trillion relief package they passed in May.

“The lower they are in age, the lower the risk,” Trump said Thursday at a news briefing in the White House. “We have to remember that there’s another side to this. Keeping them out of school and keeping work closed is causing death also. Economic harm, but it’s causing death for different reasons, but death. Probably more death.”

Redfield, who said he has a grandchild with cystic fibrosis, said school reopenings can be done with care.

“We think that if you do five things, we can accomplish as much as we did as shutting down this nation,” he said. “The face mask, the social distancing, the hand hygiene, staying smart about gatherings and staying out of crowded bars and crowded restaurants. If we did those five things, we’ve done modeling data, we get the same bang for the buck as if we just shut the entire economy down.”

-CNBC’s Will Feuer contributed to this report.

 

Yes the nutritional issue is apparently nationwide. Our area actually has to have summer programs that keeps children fed during the school summer vacation when school isn't in session.

Why in the world would you have children if you weren't going to care for them. I would hesitate to guess the number of jobs in our neck of the woods that are going unfilled. Almost every place of business and many factories are crying for people to fill jobs. Anyone who wants to work has a wealth of opportunities.

I feel sorry for these children and realize they need help - as for their parents it is probably best to not voice my opinions.

I have heard that some of these children programs and actually some after school programs are designed to keep these poor children away from their dysfunctional homes as much as possible.

Our newspaper ran a story last year that some kids who where getting in trouble at school and were threatened with juvenile detention centers were opting for going to the juvenile detention centers rather than their own homes. A heartbreaking story!

 

Yes . . . . much more diplomatic than i . . . . must bite tongue again . . .
.

 

it seems to me that the cdc's point all along has been to keep the surge down.

i don't think they feel there is anything else that can be done. people are going to get sick, some will die, some will have long term health issues, some will fully recover (maybe)

there just doesn't seem to be any alternative

 

i think dr. fauci agrees. but again, just to free up hospital beds

 

For our good friend in China @tochatihu, I saw a lay report about China having success in vaccine development. Are there any local reports?

Bob Wilson

 

moderna is in stage 3. they're already being criticized for asking $60. for two shots. our shingles shots were well over a hundred, don't remember what the flu shot cost.

 

bloomberg: 'japan facing covid resurge'

if a country used to wearing masks is struggling, what chance do we have?

 

yeah, bloomberg probably just wants the economy open

 

Masks are not the only difference. The Japanese use often crowded public transportation and have a relatively aging population.

Bob Wilson

 

critics say it's about the economy. sounds familiar

 

'bill gates suggests calling out non mask wearers'

perhaps he hasn't seen the acts of violence against some people who do that