COVID-19 Vaccine Update, The End of Snow Days?

Dec 18, 2020, 5:03 PM

(From Lockton) Following the FDA’s decision to issue an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has shipped estimated 2.9 million vaccine doses for delivery to the first distribution sites around the U.S. The federal government is allocating doses to the states based on each state’s adult population, and each state decides how to distribute its allocations. The CDC has recommended states offer their initial doses to healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna moved closer to authorization this week, a significant step that would expand the reach of the nation’s vaccination campaign to rural areas and many more hospitals. The federal government announced on Dec. 11, 2020, it had ordered another 100 million doses from Moderna. This brings the government’s total purchase of the Moderna vaccine to 200 million doses, in addition to the 100 million doses purchased from Pfizer, and could help meet a federal goal of getting a vaccine to anyone who wants one by the spring or summer of 2021.

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(From The Wall Street Journal) In response to a large storm that hit the East Coast this week, school districts across the country continued with virtual instruction instead of canceling classes. The change could become permanent, as school leaders across the country say students need to be in class to make up for losing so much academic time during the pandemic. Proponents of keeping snow days argue families and teachers need the spontaneous thrill of an unexpected day off, especially now. The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, for example, decided to allow the snow day, despite public schools remaining open, after fifth-graders wrote to the head school to plead their case.

“So many revered traditions and experiences have been taken away from children,” said the school’s head, Marsha Nelson. “To have a traditional snow day where they can go outside and play in the fresh air, and just be unencumbered by any of the heaviness of this year, will be a delight.”