The number of California children diagnosed with COVID-19 during the omicron variant surge has skyrocketed, challenging earlier notions that the coronavirus largely bypassed children. Child vaccination rates are relatively low, and children who contract COVID-19 could be at increased risk for rare conditions and type 1, type 2, and other types of diabetes.
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Starting in January, the White House will be sending 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests to schools each month. These tests are in addition to existing federal funding allocated for school-based testing.
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With the Omicron variant spreading across the country, at least nine states have reported record numbers of COVID-related pediatric hospitalizations. These numbers are driven by the sharp increase in COVID-19 infections among children. During the week of December 23, 2021, more than 325,000 pediatric infections were reported, a 64% increased compared to the week before.
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Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests through this website. The website also includes information on other testing resources and when to take an at-home test.
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Although the rate of pediatric hospitalizations in California increased by more than 35% in the final weeks of December, vaccination rates among children ages 5-11 remain low. In some counties, the youth vaccination rate is below 5%. This is particularly the case in rural areas, where there is a shortage in vaccine providers. Experts say school-based vaccination sites would be a good way to get more children inoculated.
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Beginning January 15, private health insurers will be required to cover up to 8 home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration is incentivizing insurers to cover the tests up-front and will also launch a website later in January to begin making 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests available via mail.
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As of January 3, there were more than 2,750 school closures across the country, and many school systems went virtual or closed altogether. Some districts and states have addressed these challenges by emphasizing testing. In Washington, DC, all staff and 51,000 public school students were required to upload a negative test result to the district's website before returning to class. In Boston, the school system distributed 55,000 tests to students before the winter break.
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This press release describes how new state funding for in-person instruction and expanded learning will be distributed. It also includes a resource showing how much funding is available to each district.
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This article describes how an increasing number of districts across the country are no longer quarantining all close contacts of an infected individual but instead allowing them to remain in school, as long as they continue to test negative. This approach is called "test to stay" or "modified quarantine."
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This blog post describes how federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act will be distributed to schools and how they can be used. It includes an interactive tool that shows funding allocations by state.
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Researchers studying the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in England found that people who are vaccinated and received a booster shot are much more likely to be protected from symptomatic infections than those who did not get a booster. The scientists also said that reintroducing safety restrictions could save thousands of lives and spare tens of thousands of people from hospital stays.
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This press release explains that pending full FDA approval for their age group, all California public schoolchildren will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as July 1, 2022, making California the first state with a mandate for students.
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This press release from California Governor Gavin Newsom's office details how the state is allocating funding for on-site rapid COVID-19 testing to those districts that have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
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This press release explains the new California public health order for all k-12 public school staff, who must either provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing.
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California announces it has 4,000 locations ready to vaccinate children ages 5-11, including 3,100 school-located clinics covering more than 2 million students.
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California is imposing a statewide mask mandate in all indoor public spaces from December 15 until at least January 15. The mandate is being implemented in response to a 47% surge in cases during Thanksgiving and increasing concerns about the Omicron variant.
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This approval makes another 28 million children eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, which has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing illness and preventing the spread of the virus in children and adults ages 5 and up.
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This article describes how, in response to parent concerns, Chicago Public Schools are now offering weekly COVID-19 testing for students who opt in, a key mitigation strategy to prevent transmission and track the spread.
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This press release describes initial findings from a rapid on-site COVID-19 testing pilot program. Out of 3,256 tests conducted across 8 districts, only 7 tests (0.21%) came back positive.
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This article from LPI's President and CEO shares data, the latest science, and examples of how to protect students, educators, and others in schools to ensure a safe return to in-person learning—a critical goal after the disruption to learning since the pandemic hit the United States.
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This article details how schools in England no longer require masks and have subsequently seen a rise in pediatric COVID-19 infections, with about 1% of all students aged 10 to 19 being infected each week.
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With no dissenting votes, an FDA advisory panel provided emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The vaccine has been shown to be more than 90% effective at preventing infections in this age group.
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This press release explains that after following 12,000 recipients for 6 months to observe long-term safety outcomes, the FDA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in individuals age 16 and older. The vaccine had previously received only emergency use authorization (EUA) for this population. The EUA still applies for individuals age 12 through 15.
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This press release explains the science behind the agency's decision to authorize COVID-19 vaccines in youth aged 12 and older after examining the effectiveness of a randomized-control trial of more than 2,000 participants.
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Individuals 16 and older who have been fully vaccinated with any FDA-authorized or -approved COVID-19 vaccine for at least 6 months can now get a Pfizer booster shot.
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Governor Newsom Announces New $2.7 Billion COVID-19 Emergency Response Package | State of California
California’s $2.7 billion COVID-19 Emergency Response Package aims to bolster testing capacity, accelerate vaccination and booster efforts, support frontline healthcare workers, strengthen the health care system, expand contact tracing, and provide accurate information.
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This press release describes new state investments to support a return to in-person instruction and expanded learning, as well as vaccination priorities for teaching staff, data reporting requirements, and establishment of a State Safe Schools team to monitor outbreaks.
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To address the national surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order allowing temporary certificates to be issued to substitute teachers who do not have credentials. The order, which is in effect until March 31, also extends the length of time substitute teachers can be assigned to a class and allows more flexibility for retired teachers to work as substitutes.
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In areas with high infection rates in the UK, students are being sent home to study remotely because many teachers are unavailable to work for COVID-related reasons. School principals are calling on the UK government to introduce more protective measures, such as masking in classrooms.
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This article highlights how California's aggressive COVID-19 policies, including requiring universal masking in schools and vaccinations for all students and staff, have enabled more schools to stay open. It emphasizes that the most effective way to keep young children safe is for more adults and older siblings and classmates to get vaccinated and reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread among their communities.
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This article describes how one county became the first to schedule large-scale weekend vaccination events in October and November 2021 in anticipation of emergency use authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by the FDA in children ages 5–11.
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This article summarizes recent findings that it is safe to mix and match COVID-19 vaccine types (Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna). It clarifies when and who should receive booster vaccinations based on which vaccine they originally received and on their personal risk factors. It also explains the potential benefits of getting a booster that is different from the original vaccine received.
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This news article summarizes two September 2021 CDC reports and emphasizes that pediatric hospitalizations were more than three times higher in less vaccinated states, underscoring the importance of widespread vaccination among eligible adults and children. The studies find that the Delta variant does not appear to cause more severe illness in children but is much more transmissible.
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This news article describes how more than 18,000 New York City public school teachers elected to receive their first shot the week before an October 4 deadline, mirroring the rush to vaccinate after the city issued a similar mandate for health care workers.
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This virtual summit convened district leaders, educators, and students, who shared best practices and lessons learned for reopening schools safely, with a focus on meeting students' social, emotional, and academic needs.
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This landing page links to the latest news on school reopening not only in New York City but around the globe, including media coverage of ongoing reopening debates as well as scientific evidence.
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As more cases of the coronavirus Omicron variant are detected in the United States, this news article summarizes what we know about the variant, why scientists are concerned, and why it is important to get vaccinated and boosted.
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This California Department of Public Health press release reaffirms California's approach to COVID-19 mitigation in k-12 schools through universal indoor masking. The department will monitor conditions through the winter.
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This news article reveals that in districts where masks were optional, schools have had to close because of large COVID-19 outbreaks.
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This article explains that several studies agree that most COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalization. The Pfizer vaccine remained 88% effective against the Delta virus variant in the UK and 87% effective in Canada.
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This news article describes the perspective of many California students on masking as the school year starts up.
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This article discourages schools from using plexiglass dividers and plastic shields in classrooms, as they do not reduce COVID-19 transmission and may actually trap aerosol particles.
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On January 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15. The FDA also authorized a third shot for children ages 5 to 11 who are immunocompromised.
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The Workgroup reviewed safety data for the vaccine and finds expanding COVID-19 vaccination to those 5 years and older will protect them against the virus and its variants.
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This article, also playable as a podcast, describes the obstacles Rhode Island faced when operating in-person instruction during the pandemic. The state department of health determined that cases within a school were usually linked to out-of-school gatherings.
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This article, also available as a 4-minute listen, explains that hot spots are now occurring where there are very low rates of vaccination, especially rural areas and small towns.
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This news article explains that 65 million pediatric doses have already been purchased to administer to children once FDA approval arrives, which is expected by early November for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
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