Out: Listening to the scientists.
In: Listening to the science teachers.
Or, as Forbes put it, Scientists Accuse CDC Of Misinterpreting Their Research For ‘Harmful' School Reopening Guidelines.
Maybe the scientists are just speaking in their personal capacity.
Back to the USA Today piece from the researchers:
Keeping schools closed or even partially closed, based on what we know now, is harming children.
Science comes at you fast.
Like in so many states, California and Illinois schools are being hamstrung by the CDC guidance. The guidance does not take into account the data we have regarding little disease transmission in schools. Nor, although the guidance cites the work performed across Wisconsin districts performed by our group and published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, does it take that data and new analyses from that data set into account.
Biden said they'd "follow the data."
He never said which data.
Speaking of which, here's some interesting data.
Teachers unions have steadily amped up their political involvement: From 2004 to 2016, their donations grew from $4.3 million to more than $32 million -- an all-time high. Even more than most labor unions, they have little use for Republicans, giving Democrats at least 94 percent of the funds they contributed to candidates and parties since as far back as 1990, where our data begins.
Back to the scientists.
Keeping schools closed or even partially closed, based on what we know now is unwarranted, is harming children, and has become a human rights issue.
Nothing to see here, move along.
First, children are not at significant risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 288 children have died from the disease in the United States, compared with more than 500,000 adults. While the death of any child is devastating, this is similar to the number who dies from influenza each year.
But if it can save just one life...
And COVID-19 deaths in children and adolescents are magnitudes smaller than deaths from suicide, some now driven by school closure.
But if it can save just one life, specifically from Covid...
Second, viral spread is minimal in schools with appropriate safety precautions, even in communities with a high disease prevalence (significantly higher than the CDC red zone that the CDC suggests middle and high schools be all virtual and elementary schools hybrid).
But what about the science!
Wait, this is the science.
CDC: Center for Data Control.
Dr. Hoeg led a study of 4,876 grade K-12 students and 654 staff members in Wisconsin school districts last fall. COVID-19 test positivity rates reached 41.6% in the community during the study. Notably, despite the majority of ventilation systems not being replaced, with 92% of students wearing masks (no mask wearing during recess), and with variable distancing, there were only seven students (five children grades K-six, and two in grades seven-12) and zero staff who contracted the virus in school.
Similar experiences are published from North Carolina, South Carolina, Chicago and other cities and countries.
Fair enough, but they are not taking into account the fact that if we open the schools, teachers will have to leave their cats unattended for several hours a day.
Third, no science supports mandating 6 feet of distance with children wearing masks. A 6-foot distance between students creates space constraints for schools to open in entirety. There is data supporting at least 3-foot distancing.
On the other hand, if we wait just a little longer, we might not need all that extra room after all!
