@vpa2019 I agree. My daughter went to bed very sad last night. She is most likely going back to school to take her classes in person because she dislikes online learning that much, not because she’s excited to go back. She worries about how lonely it will be or about how many people will break the rules anyway- or both. She worries about how it if she’ll be allowed to get to her off-campus doctor or pharmacy. She worries that the school lumped varsity and club sports together but then only spoke to varsity, meaning they’re not actually thinking about club athletes. There was also no financial aid info in the extensive plan, leaving her still worried about summer contribution and ability to get a work study job. Her job of last year is a non-start now, since it involved campus parties.
@melvin123 aren’t the Duke kids supposed to still wear masks in the groups of ten? That was the deal when states went from gatherings of ten to gatherings of 50. This still included masks.
^Masks reduce transmissions, but the simple masks most of us use are far from 100% effective, especially in situations where there could be prolonged exposure.
@1NJParent yeah. But I’m still sure the Duke 10-person rule is with masks. I don’t know enough about each mask to know how reliable they are. Doesn’t seem like any school is saying what kind of masks kids need.
We watched a Vanderbilt live stream yesterday about Greek life and they also said groups of ten are allowed to mingle.
NESCAC folks, this may be of use for you.
“NESCAC Fall Plans Comparison”
https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/2966649/
“Below is our list of colleges that have either disclosed their plans or set a deadline for deciding. New additions include Bethany College, Saint Anselm College, and Western Kentucky University. Among colleges with status updates are Augusta University, Skidmore College, the University of Southern California, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State University.”
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Here-s-a-List-of-Colleges-/248626
I agree this is true about colleges. But its true about other things as well. Many “back to the office” plans are so unappealing that no one wants to go back to the office. No in-person meeting/discussions. Areas meant for meeting/gatherings (such as lunch tables) closed. Wear masks everyone other than inside a private office with the door closed. Much of the reason for going back to the office are severely limited. Not a lot of good options here.
@saillakeerie you’re right about that…a friend of mine stopped going into her office because she was zooming with people right down the hall since they couldn’t all be together in the conference room. Can see the same thing happening at schools. Crazy times…just hoping those science wizards work their magic with a good vaccine soon!
Might be helpful in choosing what types of masks go to school with your children.
@homerdog I thought Duke’s plan only required people to wear face masks in “public places”, so that if the party is in a kid’s room, no one would have to wear a mask. Is this right @socaldad2002 ?
I believe the case count focus that is now the daily pattern is the wrong way to look at this for colleges.
It’s becoming more contagious according to Dr Fauci. But seemingly less virulent.
It’s always about the level of extreme illness that’s the concern for me. If that trends lower and case counts increase, thats a good thing imho.
It will be important to watch hospitalization and severe illness data.
It’s exploding in cases but outside of Houston I haven’t seen the hospital and illness increases one would expect in California Washington and Florida.
I’m hoping this is the break we could use.
If my child is invited to campus (TBD) I will be sending them with a pulse oximeter. I wouldn’t expect them to check their O2 sat daily like they will with a thermometer. Rather, it’s to have on hand in case they become infected with Covid.
Everything I’m reading says with this disease, O2 sats drop BEFORE a person subjectively feels short of breath, and I want my kid to know when to seek medical intervention vs. toughing it out alone in quarantine.
Have your child check their O2 sat a few times when you first buy the pulse oximeter, so they know what their normal is on that specific device (since the amazon ones likely aren’t calibrated to the same degree as those used by medical professionals.
According to the latest update we received on Wednesday, students must:
“Wear approved face coverings in all campus spaces (outside your room), at all times.
“Maintain six feet of social distance from others—your classmates, faculty, and staff—in all spaces outside your room.”
So it would seem that if you are at a gathering of say 10 people you would still be required to wear a mask and social distance 6 feet.
The situation is very fluid and they will start off the semester with very strict rules and can modify them at any time if conditions get better.
Might be tough to enforce but I think the goal is to limit the spread as best they can knowing that some students will break the rules and some will become infected but will be controlled with frequent testing, contact tracing, monitoring, and quarantining/isolating as necessary.
Anyone else out there getting tired of this CV-19 nightmare?
Yes!
Yes!
Also I think the schools are going to try to be tough on their rules the first few weeks of class and then by sometime in Sept one of two things will happen. Either it will be too hard to do, and though kids can remain on campus , everything will go to online, or over time things will “lax”. There is no way to tell which way things will go.
I need to look at the meat processing plants now, and see since the initial outbreaks how things are going now. Is this something like prisons, meat plants, and other close indoor quarters, where it first spreads like crazy, but eventually dies down (not quite herd immunity but there is not as much kindling).
Also read today that Melatonin is given to patients as it can help with inflammation. Wonder why more has not been said about this. sending my kids with a few bottles each. My oldest already takes.
2nd paragraph. Mass testing. So maybe hope for colleges if they follow through with testing.
More recent coronavirus clusters at meat processing plants in South Dakota haven’t been as severe as the first one that appeared in the state at Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls. Federal guidelines for limiting the spread at those facilities didn’t exist when the Smithfield cluster began compared to now when there’s specific guidance, state epidemiologist Josh Clayton said.
The state also offers on-site assessments, discussions to limit risk of transmission and mass testing events at the facilities, he said.
“We know that the situation on the ground for those meat processing facilities is different, that they have better guidance,” he said.
Malsam-Rysdon added that the state has seen “tremendous leadership” at the plants, which is making a difference.
At DemKota Ranch Beef in Aberdeen, 158 of 165 cases have recovered. Seventy-eight of the 114 cases at Jack Link’s in Alpena and 30 of the 63 cases at Dakota Provisions in Huron have recovered. Of the 853 cases that occurred among Smithfield Foods employees before it temporarily shutdown in April, 849 employees have recovered, according to Clayton.
Schools maybe releasing their plans inviting students back to campus, but apparently a sizeable number of professors aren’t too keen on going back in person and some schools (like USC) have also already changed their plans after announcing their initial opening plans.
@privatebanker - what I read said that although the virus has mutated to become more infectious, it has not changed in virulence (neither worse nor better). That worries me because there are still those possible severe after-effects including in children.
@fretfulmother oh yeah. You are totally correct. I was only referencing his quote related to transmission.
The second piece is my thoughts spliced in other from reports and the basic numbers re virulence. There’s been some research suggesting that perhaps is the case and it’s consistent with what occurred with sars Mers and other ards.
Some overseas commentary out of Italy saying the same thing but met with some pushback.
I’m only seeing some of the numbers in the states re: hospitalization and ifr rates.
But he didn’t say both. That’s my interpretation and actually it’s more of a Hope than anything else.
@privatebanker - thanks! I agree with a universal hope/wish that this thing will end with much less suffering/death!!