UofSC backed off from its mask mandate after the state’s AG issued a legal opinon “stating that the legislature intended to prevent public institutions from mandating mask-wearing in their buildings.”
https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/live-coronavirus-updates/after-political-opposition-u-of-south-carolina-backs-off-mask-requirement?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_2678818_nl_Academe-Today_date_20210804&cid=at&source=&sourceId=&cid2=gen_login_refresh
Mask wearing shouldn’t be a political issue, but…
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Me, neither. Lambda is already waiting in the wings.
I saw an MD in an article use the phrase “younger, sicker, quicker” about what he and colleagues were seeing in hospitals, presuming the cases were from Delta. Plenty of younger patients, more need ICU, and quicker deterioration. Now while younger can be explained away somewhat by saying more younger people unvaxxed and perhaps also the ICU aspect unless ICU usage as a percentage is compared to younger people’s percentage needing ICU care w/earlier strains), I don’t see how quicker deterioration is affected by that. There is quicker deterioration than with the earlier strains. And we have more treatment options now.
Those young people in the hospital with Covid are almost definitely unvaccinated. The percentage of 18-24 year olds is low.
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Not everyone is privy to information - albeit unofficial and unverifiable at this point - from a well-connected FDA acquaintance! While it’s helpful to read these updates on CC, they don’t substitute for an actual announcement from the FDA with the published data to back it up. Most who are genuinely waiting on full approval are reasonable to do so, IMO. That’s been standard practice with other vaccines.
The real mover might be the state health departments because once the vaccine is approved it will have received the status of other vaccines that we are all used to.
An airline vax passport isn’t clear at all, at least to me. But we’ll see. ETA: more likely masks will continue to be mandated for all federally-regulated transportation. Vaccine mandates generally fall under state, not federal, law.
TX and FL made up a huge percentage of cases last summer as well. They are very large-population states and running the A/C at full blast right now. Even with 80+% vaccinated in each state, TX and FL would continue to make up a large percentage of Covid cases in the summer simply due to season and population. We are also seeing large upswings in other hot, humid states: LA, AL, NC, SC, and GA. In contrast, SD, ND, and UT are examples of states with similar vax rates (18+) but w/o the surge we are seeing in the south. The concerning thing is that if the pattern from 2020 happens to repeat (and with Delta and waning immunity from vaccination it might well despite higher vax rates) then we’ll see large upswings in the northern states come fall. As the university epidemiologist at my kids’ school explained last year, water-logged viral particles fall to the ground; dry particles float around a lot longer before settling down so are more likely to be inhaled or otherwise find their way into our systems.
No, not really. First of all, how would one know if was a false positive as opposed to an asymptomatic current infection? And secondly…what’s the worst that is going to happen - they will be required to isolate for a 7-10 days? My kid is pretty resilient. She wouldn’t be happy but in the scheme of things (and entire semester on campus), I don’t think it would have a significant impact on her experience.
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I think missing classes for 7-10 days will be detrimental to many kids’ grades (especially those on quarter systems)…lots of schools don’t have remote option for students in quarantine or isolation.
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Yes, probably, though in reality, a 10 day quarantine wouldn’t actually result in missing 10 days of classes (unless students are taking classes every day of the week, including weekends?)…more like 1, 2, or possibly 3 for any given individual class, right? I would think individual instructors at my D20’s small, private school would probably be as flexible as they can be to help her succeed (I see the hoops many of the faculty I work with jump through to provide lots of chances for students). Barring that…I don’t know…my D20 is a fantastic, diligent student. Though the above scenario might result in her not doing as well as she would have liked in some classes, I just don’t see it tanking her semester. Speaking just for my kid and my attitude about it all and answering the question as to whether I am worried…YMMV!
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The British refer to studying their particular subject concentration at university as “ reading “ it. For example a student might say that they are reading Law at Cambridge. As in self studying is a major expectation.
Self studying can be achieved during isolation. Intelligent adults should be able to do that for 10 days without it affecting their grades.
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I’m aware I’m walking onto dangerous CC territory here, but since I’m almost certainly going to be having this convo with students, let me clarify things for you, because in this case no, it is not reasonable.
In general, I wait till “Phase IV” has had a ten-year run with new drugs and vaccines. Full approval isn’t the same as seeing how a pharmaceutical product plays out in millions, rather than tens of thousands, of human bodies over a period of some years – not that it takes that much time for most adverse effects to show up, but reporting is slow, in part because patients are not themselves an institution.
In this case, I was standing in line the second I was eligible to do so. The trials were more than acceptable in showing that the odds of a serious adverse reaction were incredibly small and the effectiveness shockingly good. For a vaccine, it was actually showing up as a triumph that early. I’d have gone and rolled up my sleeve for a much less effective vax.
Why? Because I started reading autopsy-driven medical reports, papers, and preprints back in April of 2020, and this is a horrific virus. Horrific and weird. What it can do to your internal organs on a cellular level you do not want. There’s a reason why so many people have died, and why so many have been sick for so long. To say “it doesn’t matter so much for kids” is wrong; there is plenty of well-vetted evidence showing that in about 20% of young people who get this, it’s not a joke and it drags on for a long time, even if it doesn’t kill them.
The upside to vax is very large. The downside is – even more clearly, now – very small. Get the vax.
To say “wait and see” about the vax is just a demonstration of lack of understanding of medical risk management married to a lack of understanding of what viruses are. That’s not unusual: risk is hard and people are generally bad at it, which is why there are still parents installing swimming pools and deciding that the city bus is too dangerous but driving at 15 is fine; throw in “how medicine works” and it’s a mess. And few people know anything about viruses except that you catch them and usually antibiotics don’t work on them. There are a lot of science communicators and docs more than happy to explain without trying to make people feel stupid. But the takehome is that no, waiting on the vax is not reasonable if what you’re trying to do is guard your health. It’s a form of Russian roulette.
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Of course, if you are unlucky enough to be forced into isolation that covers the day of an important exam or something in a course, that may be more of an issue.
Also, for some courses, attendance may be important for progression in the course and/or graded (e.g. beginner to intermediate foreign language courses where speaking and listening skills are practiced).
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Totally depends on the subject, pace and the way that the class has been structured. All courses should require self study - that should be a given. But for some specialized topics courses, or courses that run at a fast pace (including schools on the quarter system as mentioned already), or a seminar style class where the material is dissected and discussed at every session: those students will be left behind and compromised when it comes essay or midterm time. Isolation for a week or longer also means no lab, no tutorial, no TA session, no office hours, and no study group. For those students who are in college for their academic and intellectual development and who receive value-added from attending class, being forced to skip a week or longer can have serious consequences.
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All of those could be accessed by zoom. Study groups in particular is perfect over zoom.
A couple of things:
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There has been some talk about exemptions on this thread. I heard today that UConn received 826 exemption requests. Of those, 55 were medical. Of the nonmedical, 504 have been granted and 267 are in review. None have been rejected.
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Re: missing classes and schools not offering zoom or recorded lectures. When I was touring schools with my kids so many showed off the fact that they had the ability to record in case kids were sick (this was preCovid). Most schools that offer accommodations offer recorded classes for kids who are eligible. So I don’t get why now they’re saying this won’t be offered if kids test positive and need to quarantine.
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@DeeCee36 a professor at my son’s university, when a question was asked about quarantine/missing class, said that the school kept all the Zoom technology in all the classrooms for “backup.” He said it was only to be used if for some reason “in person” instruction could not occur. He said worst case scenario was that if a student has to quarantine, students could request their professors use the technology still in place to record the lectures but otherwise, content will not be available online like much of it was last year.
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Well I do not want to add up what I would be paying for those classes they can’t go to.
And S19 does problem sets for math and physics with his classmates. They all do. I guess that’s where zoom would come in.
Not being there for discussions in his non-stem classes would also be detrimental.
I’ve learned that Colgate only had one percent of students ask for any type of exemption. Everyone else will be vaccinated. Those are some good percentages. Faculty and staff at 97 percent.
EUA actually means that the aggregate benefits outweigh the aggregate risks. It does not mean the same necessarily for me or thee. Full approval is much more along that latter standard - it’s a significantly higher degree of confidence in safety. So there is that aspect.
The virus hits people in a disparate fashion - for every bad outcome there are thousands of mild cases of Covid or no symptoms at all. Not everyone has equivalent degrees of alarm or levels of risk aversion. Some have even been exposed countless numbers of times w/o consequence. The virus can be nasty but it’s also a bit of a mystery. That might well explain caution about vaccination because some see this vaccine push as an unprecedented response to something that doesn’t adversely impact the large majority of people. Whether that’s right or wrong - it’s also reality.
Full approval here will indeed be accompanied by millions of human bodies and the equivalent of years of data. Adverse results are being clocked by the CDC, FDA CC, public press, etc. And we know some of those weren’t picked up in the clinical trials. Nor were the experiences of those receiving chemo or who are pregnant or breastfeeding - to name just a few conditions that weren’t included in clinical trials. Obviously, one’s health provider can (and will) make a sound recommendation even w/o data - but data is key and can make all the difference in terms of patient confidence and sense of safety. There has not been a vaccine in recent years with such attention and interest on the part of experts and the general public, nor has there been as overwhelming a response to other vaccines as this one. The data is certainly there and just needs to be examined thoroughly and published in aggregate to help instill confidence, as well as allow some state health departments to step up and responsibly mandate the vaccine. THAT will mainstream it faster than what the top 50 colleges and universities, Google or Facebook are doing.
These reasons may not work for all which is why many took advantage of the EUA status to get vaccinated. That many institutions jumped the gun and started mandating presupposes something that is not yet there - full approval. Let’s hope it comes quickly and relied on the tried and true attention to detail that has characterized other vaccine and drug approvals.
It will depend on what the school is encouraging this coming academic year. I personally know a few students who will not be zooming anymore . . .
Amherst College Fall Expectations Announcement (Email):
“ Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
We are excited about your return to campus and hope you are having a good summer in the meantime. I am sure you have all been following the news about the Delta variant of COVID-19 and know that we will have to use greater caution this fall than we had hoped. I am writing now to provide early thoughts about the precautions we are taking and what we will ask of you as you return.
The State of the Pandemic
Ongoing study confirms that the Delta variant is more transmissible and virulent than the original strain. As you probably know, it is spreading rapidly across parts of the country, with serious disease and death for far too many people. Those who are battling serious illness, are hospitalized, or have succumbed to the virus have been overwhelmingly unvaccinated individuals. However, there is increasing evidence that vaccinated individuals can and do transmit the Delta variant as easily as those who have not been vaccinated. Unfortunately, we are seeing the impact in Massachusetts as a growing number of counties now fall under The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated mask guidance, including counties near Amherst.
We are closely monitoring these developments, including current public health data for our area, the country and the world, as well as state and federal guidelines. We also continue to confer with experts who have been invaluable sources of information and advice over the past 18 months. Based on the current information, we will have to prepare for breakthrough cases this fall, even as we take precautionary steps to avoid them.
Vaccine Requirement
I know you are all aware that students, staff, and faculty must be fully vaccinated in order to return to campus. The only exceptions are those granted on medical or religious grounds.
I urge faculty and staff to verify your vaccination with the College if you have not already completed that process. Students who have not yet verified their vaccination should submit documentation through our patient portal by logging in and clicking on the “Upload” tab and selecting “COVID vaccine documentation” to upload the paperwork immediately. Students without confirmed vaccination documentation, an approved exemption, or permission from health services to arrive on campus to receive the vaccine will not be able to return to campus. Please reach out to Health Services at healthservice@amherst.edu if you have questions.
Testing
The College will continue to partner with the Broad Institute, a research collaborative between Harvard University and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to administer testing to the campus community with costs covered by the College. For those who did not participate last year, we will make information about the testing program available on our website very soon.
Pre-arrival testing: We strongly encourage those students who are able to do so to obtain a pre-arrival test 48-72 hours prior to their planned arrival on campus so you have a negative result before you begin your travel. We understand that this option is not available to all students, and it is not required for that reason, but it is highly recommended. You will receive more information soon from the Office of Student Affairs.
Arrival testing: All students will receive two tests—one PCR and one rapid antigen test—upon arrival on campus. The logistical details of that process will be communicated soon by OSA.
Weekly surveillance testing: At this point, all vaccinated students, faculty, and staff will be tested once a week; any exempted community members will be tested two times per week. Please be advised that the frequency of testing could increase should developments warrant that change.
Isolation, Quarantine, and Contact Tracing
Per CDC guidance, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to isolate for 10 days. The College has set aside rooms for this purpose for students; staff and faculty would isolate at home. Class deans will work with students in isolation to assist them in communicating with their faculty members and to make a plan for missed coursework. We will conduct contact tracing again this year because it is a critical factor in reducing community spread. Based on current medical and public health guidance, vaccinated individuals who are identified as close contacts will not need to quarantine, but will undergo more frequent testing and be asked to avoid contact with others to the fullest extent possible.
Masks
Unfortunately, the transmissibility of the Delta variant will require that masks must be worn in all indoor locations, with the exception of private offices and residence hall rooms, at least initially. Masks will not be required outdoors when individuals are able to maintain a distance of six feet.
We continue to hope for a less restrictive fall semester, but we will start with the measures that will ensure the campus is as safe as possible under the circumstances that exist when we return. We will make decisions that have the best chance of ensuring health and safety while also ensuring access to the resources and conditions you need for your education, your work, and your overall well-being. Depending on the course of the virus, we may need to impose additional restrictions and/or requirements, including limits on the size of gatherings, closing in-person dining, limiting student travel off campus, and/or restricting access to campus by visitors. We certainly hope to avoid these steps, if at all possible. For now, the summer protocols we announced several months ago remain in place, which include the full vaccination of students, faculty and staff; the wearing of masks indoors except when alone in a private office and outdoors only when it is not possible to maintain six feet of distance from one another; and at least weekly testing for everyone in the community.
Of course, we will inform you immediately of any changes in policy or protocol and will provide additional detail about the measures outlined above.
In the meantime, please enjoy the remainder of your summer. I look forward eagerly to seeing you on campus later this month.
Sincerely,
Biddy”
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Last summer/fall, D20’s college was on CBS and CNN touting the cameras they were installing so that lectures could be done on Zoom. It was “state of the art” and would “revolutionize” instruction during the pandemic. What actually happened? D had 2 professors out of 8 last year actually do Zoom lectures. The rest did all prerecorded junk - not live, no interaction, and almost always over the scheduled length of the class period, some by as much as 20-30 minutes 2-3X a week. It was horrible!
She just can’t do more of the same this year. She needs the personal interaction and contact with her classmates. If that means she needs to be masked in order to receive in person, live, interactive instruction, she is 100% in and I don’t blame her.
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