“We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.” — Kilgore Trout, in Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt VonnegutKimora “Kimmie” Lynum died on July 18 in Putnam County, according to Florida Department of Health records. It confirmed her identity and said she’s the state’s youngest coronavirus fatality.
She had no pre-existing health issues and her mother took her to the hospital due to a high fever, said family spokesman Dejeon Cain. The hospital sent her home and she collapsed a short time later, Cain said.
Florida is deemed too dangerous to host the Republican National Convention.
“It’s just not the right time,” said President Donald Trump.
Yet he also is very actively promoting re-opening public schools. Something seems off here. To open schools safely would take a great deal of effort and money. According to Laurie Garrett, author of Ebola, and a leading authority on epidemics and pandemics, there is no safe way to open schools until we make significant headway against COVID-19.
We are not doing that. There is no federal leadership in that direction. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has threatened schools with losing federal monies if they don’t open the way she and President Trump would like. She, and he, have instituted nothing to make that safe for the children, or for the adults who are part of the schools.
Vice President Mike Pence said he would have no problem sending his grandchildren, or your grandchildren, to school this fall.
Schools are important. But so are children and school staff. This is bigger than a campaign issue. The family of Kimmie Lynum might say it’s a matter of life and death.
Short and sweet, right on the money. Thanks.
Basura
Yes, it’s a problem….but what is the correct answer.
No school till a vaccine…we already have a problem when parents are called back to work and no one to watch the children…. just like other businesses, companies, that are opening what percentage of teachers will not return..
The list could go on forever…
There at this point in time is no solution….one either perishes financially or dies…
My opinion is we can only neglect our young peoples education so long…before we have some real problems. If one thinks things are bad today…just wait for the future if education is not restored.
Harry – you’d be hard pressed to find an a stronger education advocate than I. I have voted in every millage election since I became a voter. And I always voted yes. I was a volunteer Kindergarten RoundUp teacher. I coached soccer and baseball for four years (I was at my desk at 7am and took a half hour lunch so I could leave the office at 3:30pm for practices) . I was a volunteer leader for Olympics of the Mind. Until Covid-19, I served as a mentor at an inner city school. I know you weren’t attacking me; I just wanted to list a few bona fides. But yet, as important as I believe education to be, I think that placing it above health and safety of the children is a mistake.
A South Korean by the South Korean CDC and US CDC study that will be published in Emerging Infectious Diseases in October had findings of 60,000 people who had contact with 5706 people who were infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19). 12% of patients were infected by household members while 2% were infected by non-household members. In households with corona virus patients nearly 19% were between the ages of 10-19 tested positive while children under 10 had the lowest 5.6%.
(Google South Korean COVID study Teens and tweens spread Covid and multiple reports come up from WebMD to Japan Times)
The idea that in the US children 10-19 (some 3rd graders, all of 4th grad thru grade 12) that this study showed as the largest carrier segment of carriers blows the idea that children are safe to attend school out of the water. They aren’t safe. They can become infected, and can be asymptomatic. While a majority of the 10-19 group survive with symptoms that don’t require hospitalization, they are in contact with teachers, school administrators, paraprofessionals, custodial staff. Plus bus drivers if their parents utilize school provided transportation.
Recently we saw a spike in Michigan new COVID-19 cases that coincided with the July 4th holiday that for all intents and purposes began Thursday July 2 and ended the 5th of July. Just as predicted by public health professionals we saw COVID-19 numbers begin climb around July 16 and thru the week of July 20.
I suspect there will be private and charter schools that will choose to open. The schools will be populated by students who are 10-19 years old. As we now know those children can also infect all the adults at school with whom they will interact, they can take the virus home and expose family, friends and neighbors who have managed to stay safe from March to now.
Somehow in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, “common sense governance” has morphed into handwringing about businesses and the economy rather than the health and welfare of the general population in some circles. Now all those folks who’ve been preaching “small government” and “state’s rights” want to push Federal control tying Federal monies to with whims of the Federal Department of Education and the current administration.
Hopefully we see effective vaccines by Spring 2021. Until then limited classroom sizes, modified attendance, combinations of online and classroom attendance is a prudent course of action. Have not nor ever will be a fan of playing the statistical numbers game with our county’s children’s mortality.