Subscribe!
Your Coronavirus Update – Today, Aug. 26th, 2020
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Lufthansa Airline to allow passengers to travel mask-free on flights
Biogen medical conference now said to have spread coronavirus to over 20,000 Massachusetts residents
The Miami Dolphins will admit 13,000 fans, masks required, at their opening game.
British drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had started early testing of an antibody-based treatment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
The number of new cases in the US are decreasing, attributable mostly to mask wearing.
American Airlines to lay off 19,000 employees.
Spain is facing a 2nd wave of infection and is now using soldiers for contact tracing.
JFK and LaGuardia will get testing sites.
Boston libraries are boosting their wi-fi signals outside of their libraries, allowing people to access it who may not have signals in their homes. Many are also setting up public access computers inside.
Tufts Dental has laid off 20% of its staff, faces $22M in losses.
The Connecticut Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers of Connecticut said there are classrooms without windows or proper ventilation, and are balking at going back to school in-person.
As parents look for alternatives to in-school learning, private groups are sprouting up for parents to send their children for virtual learning. Everything from dance studios and karate programs are opening their doors for supervised “at-home” learning so parents can go to work.
Contact tracing under way on Nantucket after beach party
Massachusetts unemployment collectors who were getting $600 extra are now getting the $300 boost in payments.
Marist College has suspended 15 students who attended an off-campus party last week and did not follow coronavirus precautions
Maine is giving students a back-to-school toolkit to help schools navigate reopening, including videos, posters and resources about coronavirus.
Principals of high schools in the Northeast Athletic Conference voted this week to postpone all fall sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic until 2021.
MIT and Univ. of Oxford research calls the 6 feet of social distancing “outdated” and the zone of spread could be as much as 26 feet.
Children make up 10% of cases in the US now.
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
RI Data:
Deaths: 4
Superintendents from eight Rhode Island school districts have written to Governor Gina Raimondo and Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, saying they will open the school year with distance learning if their concerns about the safety of buildings aren’t addressed. The letter was signed by the school superintendents in Coventry, Cranston, Johnston, Lincoln, Pawtucket, West Warwick, Warwick, and Woonsocket, as well as nine local union presidents. (https://bit.ly/32mVMss)
RI School Commissioner has said that the state is “looking into” the possibility of students going to other districts. Transportation, funding following students, etc. are concerns.
The Fall River public schools are planning a hybrid reopening, but not all teachers are in favor of returning to the classroom this fall. And now a grassroots effort to reverse that decision has started with Fall River for Full Remote, a Facebook group for teachers and community members to voice their concerns. The group had a virtual rally via Zoom and it has organized a letter campaign through The Action Network.
Providence-based EpiVax licensed its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, EPV-CoV-19, to EpiVax Therapeutics, a New York-based company previously called EpiVax Oncology.
RI College is expected to decrease adjunct staff by 50%.
Cape Cod officials said that the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial disruption it’s caused for many have shined a spotlight on connections between housing, health care and the economy. Truro Sen. Julian Cyr said he’s worried that trends in the housing market linked to COVID-19 “will only exacerbate how Cape Cod is so profoundly unaffordable.”
Massachusetts guests at a RI wedding shower test positive – all but one guest tested positive – 17 or 18 of 19 – the venue was not identified.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced a $2 million ad campaign on Tuesday that will run through the end of the year, encouraging residents to shop, dine out and travel at local stores and destinations in Massachusetts.
Pawtucket residents can pick up a free reusable shopping bag inside Pawtucket City Hall. 2,000 were donated by Mega Disposal, with a grant from Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation
Gov’s Press Release: Only 75% of kids entering Kindergarten this year have all their necessary immunizations, and it’s even lower — about 50% — for kids entering 7th grade. As we make plans to get our kids back to school safely this fall, please make sure that your child has the immunizations they need. If they don’t, please pick up the phone right now and call your pediatrician. If you or your child are currently uninsured, you can reach out to our health insurance exchange at 1-855-840-4774 to learn more about coverage. While we’re facing a virus for which we don’t yet have a vaccine, we can’t take our eye off the ball and allow other childhood illnesses to resurge. Our pediatricians are taking extreme caution – keeping waiting rooms clear, using PPE, conducting infection control, and requiring health screenings. These protections are designed to mitigate risk of exposure to the virus. The biggest concern at this point is not vaccinating your child.