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>>> WE’RE GETTING A GLIMPSE AT
WHAT THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR
COULD LOOK LIKE COURTESY OF A
FEW DISTRICTS THAT HAVE ALREADY
STARTED THEIR FALL TERMS.
AMONG THEM, THAT HIGH SCHOOL IN
GEORGIA THAT EARNED NATIONAL
SCRUTINY FOR VIRAL IMAGES POSTED
BY A STUDENT SHOWING CROWDED
HALLWAYS AND VERY FEW MASKS.
AS IT HAPPENS, YESTERDAY THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF THAT DISTRICT
CONTACTED PARENTS BECAUSE AT
LEAST NINE PEOPLE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS.
SO THOSE STUDENTS ARE BACK AT
HOME TODAY AND TOMORROW DOING
ONLINE CLASSES ONLY WHILE
ADMINISTRATORS DO WHAT THEY CALL
A DEEP CLEAN.
PARENTS WON’T KNOW IF THEIR KIDS
WILL BE GOING TO SCHOOL ON
WEDNESDAY UNTIL TUESDAY NIGHT.
THAT AS A NEW REPORT FROM THE
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
AND THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
ASSOCIATION FINDS THAT AT LEAST
97,000 CHILDREN IN THE UNITED
STATES TESTED POSITIVE IN JUST
THE FINAL TWO WEEKS OF JULY.
THAT’S A 40% INCREASE FROM THE
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES BEFORE
THAT PERIOD.
THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER UP
TO AN ESTIMATED 338,000 CASES
REPORTED AMONG CHILDREN SINCE
THE PANDEMIC BEGAN.
JOINING US NOW IS DR. VIN GUPTA,
A GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY EXPERT
AND MSNBC MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR.
LET ME START WITH THAT LAST
STATISTIC ABOUT 97,000 IN JUST
THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS OF
JULY.
WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING HERE?
IS IT MORE TESTING?
IS IT BECAUSE IT’S SUMMER AND
KIDS ARE OUT RUNNING AROUND?
WHAT DO YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THOSE
NUMBERS?
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, CHRIS.
THE BIG TAKEHOME HERE AND IT’S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE
THIS, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE NEW
CASES ARE IN SOUTHERN AND
WESTERN STATES LED BY ARIZONA.
THAT’S IMPORTANT, CHRIS,
BECAUSE, YES, TESTING HAS
INCREASED IN STATES THAT ARE
KNOWN HOT ZONES BUT WHAT WAS
LESS CLEAR BECAUSE OF POOR
MESSAGING FROM THE TOP, FROM THE
PRESIDENT, WAS ARE CHILDREN
IMMUNE?
THIS DATA, IN ADDITION TO A REAM
OF OTHER DATA PRIOR TO IT,
SHOULD PUT THAT TO REST.
EVERY PARENT IN EVERY SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN EVERY PART OF THE
COUNTRY SHOULD BE VERY CLEAR,
YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT IMMUNE.
TEACHERS THAT GO INTO THESE
SCHOOLS THAT ARE STILL OPENING,
YOU’RE STILL AT RISK, AS ARE
CHILDREN.
THAT, NUMBER ONE, IS REALLY
IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE, CHRIS,
THAT PLACES THAT ARE SEEING
OUTBREAKS, HIGH SPIKES LIKE
ARIZONA, COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
IS HAPPENING.
SCHOOLS ARE NOT BEING SPARED,
CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING SPARED,
SO THAT’S THE MAIN REASON WHY
YOU’RE SEEING WHAT YOU’RE
SEEING.
>> ONE OF THE EXAMPLES TODAY,
FOR EXAMPLE, THE GOVERNOR OF
GEORGIA RULED OUT ORDERING MASKS
BEING MANDATORY IN PUBLIC SCHOOL
SYSTEMS.
HE SAID YOU KNOW WHAT, LET’S
LEAVE THAT UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL
SCHOOL SYSTEM.
DOES IT STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT
OF A FEEL THAT WE’RE MAKING THIS
UP AS WE GO ALONG WITH, FRANKLY,
KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES’ LIVES
AT STAKE HERE?
>> IT ABSOLUTELY DOES.
YOU KNOW, GOVERNOR KEMP HAS BEEN
A FREQUENT FOIL HERE FOR ANY
SCIENTISTS OR PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICIAL.
WHEN WE GET ASKED WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM HERE, WHY ARE WE STILL
BATTLING THIS WHEN OTHER
COUNTRIES HAVE SOMEHOW FIGURED
THIS OUT, I LOOK TO GOVERNOR
KEMP’S EXAMPLE OF POOR
LEADERSHIP.
I DON’T KNOW WHY HE’S DOING WHAT
HE’S DOING, BUT TO SAY THAT
MASKS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED IF
NOT MANDATED IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS
ACROSS HIS STATE IS FOOLISH AND
IS PUBLIC HEALTH MALPRACTICE.
TO YOUR POINT, CHRIS, NO SCHOOL
DISTRICT IS FULLY READY, EVEN
NEW YORK CITY, ACROSS NEW YORK
STATE.
THEY’RE IN A BETTER POSITION TO
RE-OPEN BECAUSE INFECTION RATES
ARE LOWER, TRENDING DOWN.
BUT DO THEY HAVE RAPID TESTING
ON SITE FOR TEACHERS AND TUNTS
STUDENTS, NO.
SERIES AFTER SERIES OF
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SUGGESTED
THAT THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP
SCHOOLS OPEN IS TO HAVE RAPID
POINT OF CARE TESTING EMBEDDED
IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, YES.
A GREAT STUDY THAT WAS PUBLISHED
LAST WEEK IN JAMA.
CHRIS, HERE’S THE ISSUE HERE,
YOU’RE GOING TO NOW SEE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND
UNIVERSITIES THAT ARE HAVES AND
THOSE THAT ARE HAVE NOTS.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN AFFLUENT
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT CAN AFFORD
THESE RAPID POINT OF CARE
MACHINES, ELITE UNIVERSITIES
THAT CAN AFFORD THEM AND PUBLIC
UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC SCHOOL
DISTRICTS IN INNER URBAN CITY
AREAS THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
AFFORD THIS.
THAT IS GOING TO BE THE REALITY
HERE.
WE NEED TO FACE THAT.
OUR ELECTED LEADERS NEED TO
DETER AGAINST THAT THROUGH
INCREASED FEDERAL SUBSIDIES TO
MAKE SURE EVERYBODY’S SAFE.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT SCHOOL
IN GEORGIA BECAUSE THEY SENT
HOME A NOTE AND TWO THINGS
STRUCK ME IMMEDIATELY.
ONE WAS THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO
MENTION OF CONTACT TRACING AND
IN THE "ATLANTA
JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION"
JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION", TWO KIDS
WHO TESTED POSITIVE SAID THEY
HAVE NO IDEA BHO THEYWHO THEY WE
CONTACT WITH.
IT’S THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL,
YOU’RE WALKING AROUND IN
CLASSES, GOING DOWN THE HALL.
THE SECOND THING WAS NO MENTION
OF TESTING.
LET ME READ FROM THE LETTER THAT
WAS SEPTEMBER HOME TO PARENTS.
IF YOUR CHILD EXHIBITS ANY OF
THESE COVID-19 SYMPTOMS, THE CDC
AND DPH RECOMMEND YOUR CHILD BE
TESTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
IN ADDITION, PLEASE NOTIFY THE
SCHOOL FRONT OFFICE AS IT IS
IMPERATIVE THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE
SHOWING SYMPTOMS STAY HOME AND
QUARANTINE.
SO NOT WE’RE TESTING.
PARENTS, IT’S ON YOU.
>> I THINK THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL
DISTRACTION AND UNFORTUNATELY
JUST NOT THE RIGHT MESSAGING
FROM THE DPH IN GEORGIA.
WE KNOW SYSTEM-BASED SCREENING
IS NOT ENOUGH THE YOUNGER THE
INDIVIDUAL IS.
IN THIS CASE, SCHOOL-AGED
CHILDREN, WHETHER THEY’RE 18 OR
8, IF THEY’RE POSITIVE AND
TRANSMITTING THE VIRUS, THEY’RE
LIKELY ASYMPTOMATIC.
SO SEARCHING AND SCREENING FOR
SOMETHING LIKE A FEVER WHEN
YOU’RE LIKELY NOT TO HAVE IT IF
YOU’RE YOUNG IS POINTLESS.
IT SHOULD NOT BE THE BACKBONE OF
A RETURN TO SCHOOL STRATEGY.
TESTING, DISTANCING,
VENTILATION -- VENTILATION IS
KEY.
CHRIS, NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
VENTILATION IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS,
ESPECIALLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
INNER URBAN CITY AREAS BECAUSE
THEY CAN’T ENSURE ADEQUATE
VENTILATION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTED
LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY DON’T
TALK ABOUT THINGS THEY CANNOT
INTERVENE UPON, ONE OF WHICH IS
RAPID TESTING WHICH IS FAIRLY
AVAILABLE, AND NUMBER TWO,
VENTILATION WHICH IS HARD TO
ENSURE ROBUST PRESENTATION OF
VENTILATION WHEN OFTEN YOU HAVE
CLASSES IN BASEMENTS, OFTEN YOU
JUST DON’T HAVE A GREAT ABILITY