New Strains and Schools
All News
· The world surpasses two million deaths.
New Strain – B.1.1.7
· The UK strain is dominating conversation. The strain is in 13 states with 72 cases reported. Less than 1% of specimens nationally are genotyped, so prevalence is likely much higher.
· The strain is expected to surge in March.
· According to a study released TODAY from the US, the B.1.1.7 variant does not disproportionately affect children. The attack rate among children was still half that of adults, which is the same as the current US strains. Regardless of age, the strain is 30-50% more transmissible than strains currently in the US.
· No cases of the South African variant have been detected in the US yet.
Health
· According to a warning from the FDA, the B.1.1.7 variant could result in false negative for certain diagnostic tests.
Schools
· According to a study from the University of Minnesota, hospitalizations among children increased from 2 to 17.6 per 100,000 on average in 22 state from May 15 to November 15, 2020.
Iowa
· After a rapid post-holiday surge, cases are stagnant at a high level throughout the state. Statewide hospitalizations leveled around 500 and 110 in the metro.
· Vaccine is still focused on healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents in Iowa; however, the next phase will include those 75 and older, those with certain chronic diseases, and people who cannot socially distance at work. Approximately 41% of Iowa’s 200k+ vaccine doses have been administered.
Links
https://www.cnn.com/.../two-million.../index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/.../transmission/variant-cases.html
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/.../Variant_of...
https://www.fda.gov/.../genetic-variants-sars-cov-2-may...
https://jamanetwork.com/.../jamapedia.../fullarticle/2775008