CDC says school kids can get closer
With masks and other precautions, three feet of separation is sufficient for schools to operate safely, the agency says
The U.S. is approaching 540,000 COVID-19 deaths, and 118 million vaccine doses have been administered so far.
The CDC updated its guidelines for schools based on new studies showing that schools can operate during the pandemic safely with students only three feet apart instead of six, provided that there are multiple layers of precautions in place, including masks and frequent testing and tracing. The updated guideline goes through the data and rationale behind the recommendation, including the five key prevention strategies - masks, distancing, ventilation, handwashing and contact tracing. The risks are lowest for children 12 and under.
A small lab study at Emory University finds evidence that the existing COVID-19 vaccines appear to be effective against the B.1.1.7 (aka “British”) variant, which is expected to become the dominant strain of the virus in the next several weeks.
An outbreak of COVID-19 is underway at a nursing home in British Columbia, where 23 new cases have been recorded including in eight people who had received at least one vaccination dose. However, the new cases of COVID-19 have been less severe, and there have been no deaths, indicating that the vaccinations appear to be protective even of the breakthrough infections.
Leaders of Gibraltar say that every adult resident in the tiny European country have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Gibraltar has a population of 33,701.
A prominent HIV/AIDS researcher, Demetre Daskalakis, is expected to be named the CDC’s “Senior Vaccine Equity Lead,” according to the Washington Post.
Have a good, safe weekend. Please encourage everyone to keep wearing their facial fashion statements - they prevent infections, too.