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Numerical data and research can be found in this article.

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Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science

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Looking at the microbial communities that grow on students' desks, a team of Yale researchers found that the bacteria and fungi overwhelmingly came from the children sitting at the desks. They also found that, even after a desk cleaning, the microbes were back in full force within a few days.

The results, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, suggest that in times of outbreaks or for children sensitive to allergens, school officials should consider more rigorous desk-cleaning practices.

The research team in the lab of Jordan Peccia, the Thomas E. Golden, Jr. Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, analyzed samples from the surfaces of classroom desks from three Connecticut schools, grades 7 to 12, in one school district. Each desk was tested before cleaning and then tested five times over a period of 21 days during the school year.

Analyses of samples taken 30 minutes after the desks were cleaned found that only about half of the bacteria and fungi were cleared. Within two to three days, the microbial communities were as plentiful as before the cleaning. Also, their makeup was close to what was found in the initial sample. Between 70 to 80 percent of the microbes were of human origin - specifically, from the skin, mouth, and gut.

Sarah E. Kwan, a Ph.D. candidate in Peccia's lab and lead author of the study, said they were surprised to find that there was almost no change in the microbial makeup over all of the samples.

"That means the bacteria and fungi are coming from one dominant source - humans," she said. "It's not coming down from the air, not from environmental factors - the kids at the desks are depositing the microbes on the desk."

The desks, used by multiple students each day, are normally washed once per semester.

"That means these desks are a tremendous vehicle for the exposure of one person's microbiome to another," Kwan said. "That might not mean anything if the students are healthy and have a good immune system, but it could have a profound effect on the health of children with compromised immune systems, or if there is some kind of outbreak in the school."

The good news is that, under normal circumstances, parents of children in schools shouldn't worry too much - exposure to microbes can even be beneficial. However, other studies have shown a correlation between the cleanliness of classrooms and how frequently students are out of school due to illness. Kwan said, schools experiencing a viral outbreak or that have students with certain health conditions should consider more frequent desk cleanings.

To test the samples, the researchers used a process known as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to determine the total number of bacteria, fungi, and human cells in each sample. Then, with next-generation DNA sequencers, they determined the specific types of bacteria and fungi. It's a powerful analytical tool, but not an easy one to use. The Peccia lab is currently working on a cost-effective and convenient way to test on site the cleanliness of desks.

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Looking at the microbial communities that grow on students' desks, a team of Yale researchers found that the bacteria and fungi overwhelmingly came from the children sitting at the desks. They also found that, even after a desk cleaning, the microbes were back in full force within a few days.

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Germs in Schools: What You Need to Know...

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Germs in Schools: What You Need to Know...

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Numerical data can be found for the number of germs students come into contact with at school in this article.

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Your children's classroom is their home away from home. It's where they learn, play, and grow. And although the classroom is a very special place for students, it's not a perfect place - schools are almost always hotbeds for germs. With a large number of children in a relatively small space, there is an extremely high number of germs in schools. Unfortunately these germs get your children sick and in turn your entire family sick when they return home. Here's what you need to know about the germs in your children's classroom - as well as how to reduce them and prevent illnesses.

Germs in Schools: What You Need to Know

Fast Facts About Germs in Schools

According to WebMD, cold season hits right during the school year - September to March/April.

Younger students are more susceptible to viruses than older ones: WebMD notes that kindergarteners experience about 12 colds in a year, while adolescents have only two to four in the same time span.

On average, students come in contact with about 152,300 germs while they're at school. The culprit with the most germs? No, it's not the bathroom - it's actually students' plastic cafeteria trays.

Reducing the Number of Germs in Classrooms

To reduce the number of germs in schools and keep young scholars happy and healthy, implement the following five tips:

1. Encourage frequent and thorough hand-washing.

Parents, ask your children to wash their hands often throughout the day and to use hand sanitizer periodically. They should be scrubbing their whole hands and wrists for a full 30 seconds with hot water and soap. Encourage this habit at home so it carries over into their routine at school. During the school day, teachers and other staff members should ask students to scrub their hands before lunch/snack time, after using the restroom, and after recess. If you're concerned about this, check to see if your child's school has a hand-washing policy.

2. Don't send sick kids to school.

If you have a sick child, sending them to school won't do anyone any favors. Your child likely won't be able to focus as well, so he or she is only spreading germs to classmates and school staff. Keep sick children at home until they're feeling better so their germs don't affect the whole class, teachers, or possibly create an epidemic throughout the entire school.

3. Keep children vaccinated.

One of the best ways to reduce the number of germs in schools is to prevent them right from the start. By keeping your children up to date with their cold and flu vaccines, you can prevent them from getting sick in the first place. Many local clinics (and even some schools) offer and promote these shots before cold and flu season hits.

4. Donate disinfecting products to your children's classroom.

Whether or not they will admit it, many teachers purchase extra classroom supplies with their own paychecks. You can do them a favor and help reduce the number of germs in the classroom by purchasing and donating disinfecting products. Wipes, sprays, hand sanitizers, and disinfectant germ foggers all make for great classroom donations.

5. Keep disinfecting products handy in the classroom.

Finally, if you're a teacher, be sure to keep disinfecting products, like hand sanitizers and wipes, handy in the classroom. Teach your students about the importance of washing their hands regularly, and encourage them to do so throughout the day. In addition, consider using a disinfecting fogger regularly in the classroom and school facilities. After your normal cleaning routine, when the classroom is empty, or at the end of the week, simply activate the fogger, wait 1-2 hours and return to a fresh smelling space that contains 99% less germs.

Germs in schools are an unfortunate truth: There's never going to be a germ-free classroom. But by understanding how to reduce germs in the classroom and protecting students from them, you can create safer and healthier schools.
Are you seeking a cleaner lifestyle with fewer germs - especially in your child's school? Take a look at what Copyright SafeSpace Company 2017 SafeSpace Company has to offer. Our innovative , like non-alcohol hand sanitizers and home and auto disinfecting and deodorizing mists, make life a little healthier and safer for people wherever they go. Visit us , or give us a call at 1-800-735-2506 for more information. We look forward to helping you improve your health and home!

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Germs in Schools: What You Need to Know - SafeSpace

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Your children's classroom is their home away from home. It's where they learn, play, and grow. And although the classroom is a very special place for students, it's not a perfect place - schools are almost always hotbeds for germs. With a large number of children in a relatively small space, there is an extremely high number of germs in schools.

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Kids less likely to die from coronavirus, but schools could become hot spots for spread

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Kids less likely to die from coronavirus, but schools could become hot spots for spread

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Find statistics for how COVID has spread in places with lots of kids.

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As many school districts across the USA prepare to reopen campuses, some fear classrooms will become the next incubators for large coronavirus outbreaks.

Advocates for resuming school in person, including President Donald Trump, have repeatedly claimed that children pose less of a risk of spreading COVID-19 and that the benefits of returning them to the classroom outweigh the risks of keeping them home.

Such statements have been used by conservatives, as well as many parents, to argue for a prompt reopening of classrooms.

"We know that children get the virus at a far lower rate than any other part of the population," U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said during a CNN interview in July. "There's nothing in the data that suggests that kids being back in school is dangerous to them."

The evidence suggests otherwise.

About 245,000 youth from birth to 17 have tested positive, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hundreds have transmitted the virus at summer camps and youth programs that have welcomed kids, often with the kinds of hygiene, masking and physical distancing rules proposed by many schools.

More than 300 cases have been linked to state child care facilities in California, 62 in Pennsylvania and 54 in North Carolina, according to data published by those states.

In Georgia, at least 260 people became infected in June at an overnight youth camp where the median age of campers was 12 and staff members 17, according to a CDC report. The first person - a teenage staffer - became sick two days after the first weeklong camp session. Officials started sending campers home the next day and closed the camp by the end of the week.

Test results were available for 344 camp attendees, the CDC reported. Among them, 76% tested positive.

"These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently in a youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups, despite efforts by camp officials to implement most recommended strategies to prevent transmission," the CDC report said.

Bright spots could be misleading

Although children account for 22% of the population, their share of coronavirus cases is just a fraction of that ratio - 7%.

Even fewer kids get seriously ill. About 6 out of 100,000 school-age kids are hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with the overall rate of 130 people per 100,000, according to the latest data from the CDC. Most children who are infectious never experience the symptoms commonly seen in adults, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Some scientists worry that because kids are less likely to show symptoms, they are less likely to be tested and that the real rate of infection among youth could be much higher. Also, it's unknown how effectively children might spread the virus to both kids and adults.

Elizabeth Pathak, an epidemiologist and director of the Coronavirus in Kids Tracking and Education Project, said the limited data available to researchers and parents is likely a drastic undercount.

"We know that the majority of kids who are infected have no symptoms whatsoever," she said. That means most children who are contagious never will be tested and might spread the virus to a vulnerable peer or adult.

"Unless you have a program where you are routinely and comprehensively testing people with no symptoms, you're going to miss the majority of cases of COVID-19 in kids," Pathak said.

Most states do not report how many schools, child care facilities or youth programs have been linked to outbreaks.

Several people who returned to school in the past week tested positive, including at least nine in Tennessee, six in Indiana, five in Mississippi and two in Kentucky, according to those school districts and health officials.

Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, said poor data collection and transparency mean he often can't even answer simple questions about how coronavirus spread among kids.

"We knew the discussion to open schools was going to come," he said, "and we need comprehensive and consistent data across states to make those decisions."

School closings spared lives

A study published last month by JAMA estimated that closing schools in March reduced the rate of new COVID-19 cases by 66%.

That meant about 1.4 million fewer people becoming ill and about 40,600 fewer people dying over the 26- and 16-day periods studied. The mathematical model weighted its results based on community demographics and other shutdown orders.

"Policymakers were hopeful that closing schools would curb the coronavirus epidemic, but that wasn't known," said lead study author Dr. Katherine Auger, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. "We show that it actually did make a difference in cases and in deaths. That was a very important thing society did."

Auger said the research, which has limitations as a modeling study, should not be misconstrued as proof that schools should never return to in-person instruction. Schools reopening would probably follow precautions that were not in place in the spring.

"It's not just about education. It's about other services schools offer," Auger said. "We support families through our school system in this country. That is critically important infrastructure."

The cost to childhood development and to working families who rely on schools as affordable child care is worth the risk of reopening classrooms in places with low levels of community spread, some experts said.

"This is going to be a local decision that needs to be made. And it might have to be made over and over again as changes occur in infection rates," said Enriqueta Bond, who leads an advisory committee on reopening schools at the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

States have disagreed on whether to track outbreaks among kids as diligently as for other hot spots, such as nursing homes. Few state health departments share what they know about such cases with the public.

"Local health departments may identify outbreaks in these types of facilities during their investigations, but we are not tracking them at the state level or posting them to our website," Michigan Department of Health and Human Services public information officer Lynn Sutfin said in an email to USA TODAY. "If there was an outbreak and public notification needed to occur, that would happen at the local level."

In Arkansas, health officials said they are discussing how best to share outbreak information this fall.

"We track outbreaks in all settings, but school has not started," public information officer Danyelle McNeill wrote. "We are working to determine how we will present this information once schools are back in session."

The Arkansas Department of Human Services has tracked outbreaks in day care centers but has not shared that information with the public because "no one has previously asked us for that data," spokesperson Amy Webb said.

Alabama officials said it is against their policy to publicly identify the particular settings of any outbreak.

In contrast, Colorado reports the location of all outbreaks, including those at schools and child-centric facilities. Although the data does not separate cases into age groups, state officials report the number of "attendees" versus "staff" who contracted the virus.

"Our primary goal is to be as transparent as possible with our data while ensuring we're reporting accurate information to the public," the state Health Department wrote in an emailed response to questions.

Children will be at risk

Without better information about cases in kids, Pathak, the epidemiologist tracking cases nationwide, said it will be difficult to prevent large outbreaks that, inevitably, will result in severe complications or deaths for some children.

For every 2,381 kids who are infected, one will become sick enough to need intensive care, based on a study by Pathak and others that was published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

"Even though it's a low rate, if you talk about millions of kids getting infected, you're still going to have thousands of kids needing to go into the ICU," she said.

Those risks are even higher for adults, especially those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma or high blood pressure.

These are the risks that haunt Petal Cates, 16, of Charlotte, North Carolina, a high school student on the autism spectrum.

Cates said she has mixed feelings about her mom signing her up for remote digital school this fall.

On one hand, Cates misses her friends and wishes she could take driver's ed. She said face-to-face experience is the best way for her to learn about managing her anxiety and responding to certain social cues.

On the other hand, Cates worries about her mom, Rose, a widow who uses a wheelchair and is at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. She doesn't want to bring the virus home from school and get her sick.

"Until we have a vaccine, I won't go. I don't want to put my mom in danger," she said. "There's a lot of germs around school, and janitors hardly clean the bathroom."

Rose Toth-Cates worries about her daughter's quality of education in online classes and the social development provided by in-person schooling.

She said she would encourage Petal to return to the classroom on three conditions: if the rate of community transmission was much lower than it is today, if the school reduced class sizes and if masks were mandated.

"I would risk it," she said. "I feel like this is stealing her high school experience."

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Kids less likely to die from coronavirus, but schools could become hot spots for spread

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As many school districts across the USA prepare to reopen campuses, some fear classrooms will become the next incubators for large coronavirus outbreaks. Advocates for resuming school in person, including President Donald Trump, have repeatedly claimed that children pose less of a risk of spreading COVID-19 and that the benefits of returning them to the classroom outweigh the risks of keeping them home.

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UPDATE - (1 p.m.) - The Hawaiʻi Department of Health reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 statewide as of noon on Wednesday. Three (3) new deaths with COVID-19 were also reported.

On the health department's zip code area map showing reported COVID-19 cases with onset dates in the past 28 days, the number of cases in the 96720 zip code area of Hilo now matches the number of cases in the 96740 zip code area of Kona with 107. The following Hawaiʻi island locations have totals of over 10 cases:

In another DOH graph illustrating the State's latest COVID-19 data, it can be seen how Hawaiʻi County has surpassed Honolulu in its current 7-day average of daily new cases per 100,000 population (8.6 compared to 7.5). This is the first time another county has had a higher 7-day average of daily new cases per 100,000 population than Honolulu since the surge of new cases began in July.

UPDATE - (10:32 a.m.) - The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense issued the following radio message on Wednesday morning:

https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020-10-07-Coronavirus-Update.mp3

On today's update of COVID-19, the number of new active cases, on Hawaii Island, reported and monitored by the Department of Health is eighteen (18). At this date, for Hawaii Island, fourteen (14) are hospitalized. A total of thirty-three (33) deaths have been reported on Hawaii Island. Our condolences to their families and friends.

For your information, an Ohana Food Service is scheduled today in Puna at the Keaau High School. Distribution begins at 10 in the morning. Two drive-up test sites are scheduled today. The First, in North Kona at the Keauhou Shopping Center from 9 in this morning 'til noon. The Second, in Hilo at the Afook-Chinen Auditorium from 3 'til 6 this afternoon. Please enter the site through the Kuawa St. entrance.

A Big Mahalo to all those that continue to support operations at the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home where the Hilo Medical Center reports that there are no COVID-positive residents and all staff have recovered from COVID.

Know that the preventive policies of face coverings, distancing, and gatherings are mandated to help prevent the spread of the virus. Please accept this kuleana to make Hawaii Safe.

Thank you for listening and have a safe day.

NOTE: This story will be updated with today's COVID-19 numbers when they are made available.
(BIVN) - Free COVID-19 testing will be provided today (Wednesday, October 7) at the following location:

KONA: Keauhou Shopping Center, 9 a.m. to noon

HILO: Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Please enter from Kuawa Street entrance.

"No insurance is necessary to be tested, but please bring your insurance card if you have one," the County of Hawaiʻi says. "No co-pay for individuals being tested. Please be sure to wear a face covering at all times, and observe social distancing."
The University of the Nations Kona outbreak
From the UofN Kona:

Four additional people from UofN Kona, already identified through contact tracing and in quarantine, have today tested positive for COVID-19. Before testing positive, this group had already been in isolation for more than five days. All continue to be isolated, monitored, and are reporting only minor symptoms. There were no new cases reported on Sunday or Monday, October 4-5. UofN Kona continues to cooperate with government agencies in the process of testing all of our staff and students.

Today, 492 tests were completed. More testing will take place this week that includes off-campus personnel. We appreciate the outpouring of support from the community. The UofN Kona has lived and served in the community of Kona since 1978 and we continue to work together with authorities to ensure the public safety and well-being of the greater Kona community. UofN Kona provides free of charge, over 30,000 hours of Kona based community service a year which includes providing food, shelter, education and counseling services to the vulnerable population of Kona. UofN Kona also operates internationally through it's compassionate Christian service all over the world.

Life Care Center of Hilo outbreak
The Life Care Center of Hilo says eight (8) more residents tested positive Monday, bringing the total number of active resident cases to 31. There are twenty-four (24) active resident cases at the facility, with four (4) receiving proactive treatment at Hilo Medical Center. There have been two (2) resident deaths at facility. One (1) resident is receiving care at another facility.

Seven (7) associate cases have been reported. There are three (3) active associate cases, and four (4) associates have fully recovered.

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Hawaiʻi Island COVID-19 Wednesday Update

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UPDATE - (1 p.m.) - The Hawaiʻi Department of Health reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 statewide as of noon on Wednesday. Three (3) new deaths with COVID-19 were also reported.

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Impact of Online Learning on Social Emotional...

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Impact of Online Learning on Social Emotional...

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Learn how kids can adapt quickly to socialize during distance learning.

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"Kids, particularly teens, have been using technology to communicate with their friends for quite some time. I think it's the younger kids, particularly preschool, early elementary grades where they are so much more interpersonal and in fact physical in many ways in the way that they interact with each other," she said. "This distance is putting a damper on those learning opportunities."

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coronavirus education teachers students peers online learning social emotional health adapt to changes cbs19 news teens zoom call regulating nelson bradshaw albemarle county public schools acps

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Impact of online learning on social and emotional health of children

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"Kids, particularly teens, have been using technology to communicate with their friends for quite some time. I think it's the younger kids, particularly preschool, early elementary grades where they are so much more interpersonal and in fact physical in many ways in the way that they interact with each other," she said.

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How Do Students Make Friends and Socialize in Online and Homeschool Settings?

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How Do Students Make Friends and Socialize in Online and Homeschool Settings?

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Learn about social benefits of distance learning in this article.

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Between flexible schedules, one-to-one instruction and the freedom to explore a customized curriculum, there are endless benefits to online and homeschooling for the right student. At the same time, how do students develop social skills without a community of peers by their side? Logically, it's easy to assume that homeschooled students don't have the same social opportunities compared to kids in a brick-and-mortar school setting. Surprisingly enough, reality often proves otherwise.

In fact, in some cases, families pursue virtual and/or home-based school to specifically expand their student's social skills. A flexible schedule provides greater opportunity to delve into a city's community events, volunteer opportunities, and local arts and sports programs. In other cases, a student may develop a healthier social sense of self outside the pressures of a traditional group setting. Though the arrangement is not right for every student, we've explored some of the top ways home and online school students maintain their social and emotional well-being during grade and high school.

Socializing and Making Friends in Online School

It's important to note that homeschooling and online schools are not the same. Online schools are run by private or public institutions with virtual teachers organizing curriculum, activities and online group discussions. Homeschooling, on the other hand, is managed almost entirely by a parent or in-home teacher.

In either case, students are not physically present with each other on a daily basis. However, virtual classrooms aim to reflect a traditional balance between group discussion and self-driven study. Additionally, an online school's structure purposely incorporates field trips, social meetups, physical education, and even science labs into their schedules to balance remote work with group activities, so socialization among students is still a priority for these institutions both in and out of the classroom.

Furthermore, less physical togetherness can actually foster a more positive social structure. A lack of social hierarchies and traditional school pressures could encourage greater classroom participation, according to Laura J. Lee from the University of Memphis. Students in her study reported feeling less affected by bullying and the peer pressure of the microcosm of traditional school settings, allowing students to chime in with greater confidence during school discussions.

A proactive approach - such as by speaking with educational specialists, consulting forums and local communities, and connecting with your child's passions - can be the key to ensuring a full socialized student learning from home.

Social Opportunities for Homeschooled Students

Homeschooling, ideal for students seeking curricular and schedule-based flexibility, also provides the time for greater self-structured community involvement. Sports, artistic, and charity-focused outings that wouldn't fit into a traditional school setting are more easily worked into kids' daily lives - especially for those kids who live in or near large cities.

Additionally, homeschool groups and co-ops exist all over the country that bring local homeschooling families together both for academic and social purposes. Outings and activities can be sought out via these groups, giving your homeschooled child a chance to interact with a cohort of their peers. Homeschool co-ops can usually be found simply by searching online, and/or by networking with other homeschool families in your area.

The most popular non-school-sponsored activities are often found at a local YMCA, church group, local theatre companies, homeschool-specific sports associations and the Girl or Boy Scouts. These hands-on opportunities give kids experience working with both adults and children on a regular basis, providing real-world experience long before they reach high school age.

Traditional vs. Homeschool or Online Socializing: Is There a Difference?

In a comparative study published by the National Home Education Research Institute, no significant or detectable differences existed between the social and emotional health of homeschooled and traditionally schooled children. As with all the curricular differences in less-traditional schools, the social outlets adjust and compensate for a lack of daily student interaction. Home and virtual schooling provide different tools for building a student's community outside the conventional classroom.

Most importantly, families embarking on home or online schooling steer the individual direction of their student's social lives. A proactive approach - such as by speaking with educational specialists, consulting forums and local communities, and connecting with your child's passions - can be the key to ensuring a full socialized student learning from home.

Author: Ginny Bartolone

Ginny is a freelance writer and actress based in Montclair, NJ. She regularly contributes to a range of wedding, lifestyle and spirituality websites, as well as in her own blog, MaybeThereWillBeCupcakes.com. She is also currently completing a book about her two hikes across Spain.

View all posts by Ginny Bartolone

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How Do Students Make Friends and Socialize in Online and Homeschool Settings?

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Between flexible schedules, one-to-one instruction and the freedom to explore a customized curriculum, there are endless benefits to online and homeschooling for the right student. At the same time, how do students develop social skills without a community of peers by their side?

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School Reopening Policy Must Consider...

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School Reopening Policy Must Consider...

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Learn how reopening of schools impacts elderly in our community.

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Fall is quickly approaching, meaning more and more schools and parents must decide whether to resume in-person classes amid the continued COVID-19 public health emergency. Importantly, because these choices will have implications for students, school employees, families, and communities, they will require a careful balancing of factors.

Among them, that re-opening schools could further spread the virus in ways that put people with Medicare at greater risk. The underlying concern is that students who become infected at school could bring the virus home, possibly infecting others. This could be especially dangerous for the millions of adults over age 65 who, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), live in a household with school-age children.

The KFF data show that over three million older adults, around 6% of people over 65 in the United States, live with over four million school-age children. The prevalence is higher among older adults of color, with nearly one in five older adults who are Asian and Pacific Islander or Latino living with at least one school-age child. Hawaii (15%), California (11%), and Texas (9%) show the highest percentage of older adults sharing a home with school-age children.

While some evidence shows that younger children may be less likely to become infected with COVID-19 and less likely to become severely ill if infected, the same is not true of their older relations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies older adults as especially at risk from severe illness from COVID-19. People with certain disabilities and chronic conditions are also at elevated risk.

Preliminary studies from South Korea also show that compared to adults, children younger than 10 are less likely to spread the virus responsible for COVID-19, but young people between ages 10 and 19 are more likely to do so. This means that older adults in households with tweens and teens may be at extreme risk if their young family members attend school in person.

In addition, school administrators, teachers, and other employees may face risks as schools reopen. Previous work from KFF shows that nearly one in four teachers are in a higher risk category for severe COVID-19 illness, including being over age 65. As states, localities, schools, and families contemplate a return to in-person classrooms, we encourage decision-makers to ensure that the health and well-being of people with Medicare are seriously considered in all discussions. The safety of millions of older adults, people with disabilities, and people with chronic conditions must not be taken for granted.

Read the KFF issue brief on older adults living with school-age children.

Read more about teachers at risk for severe COVID-19 illness.

Read more about the South Korean study on coronavirus transmission.

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School Reopening Policy Must Consider Risks to Older Adults

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Fall is quickly approaching, meaning more and more schools and parents must decide whether to resume in-person classes amid the continued COVID-19 public health emergency. Importantly, because these choices will have implications for students, school employees, families, and communities, they will require a careful balancing of factors.

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Mandatory Masks Add to Challenging Year...

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Mandatory Masks Add to Challenging Year...

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Hear what students say about difficulties with wearing masks at school.

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Ethan Mackay isn't looking forward to wearing a mask all day, every day.

Starting Thursday, all secondary school students and staff will have to wear masks at all times on school grounds in the province's red zones, where the pandemic surge is at its worst.

Mackay, who is in Grade 11 at James Lyng High School in red-zoned Montreal, has ADHD and says wearing a mask gets in the way of his learning.

"It's going to be very distracting for me, especially in math class," he said.

Under the new restrictions, students in Grade 10 and 11 will also pivot to a hybrid form of schooling, where they will be physically in school only one day out of two in order to reduce class sizes.

While many parents and experts back the decision to require masks in the classroom, high school students in red zones are in a precarious situation, as a faraway government creates rules that have an impact on everyday life.

"The problem is, some of us take off our masks because it's hard to breathe in them," said Nathan Nyandoro, a Grade 10 student at Westmount High School.

Students are supposed to stay within their class bubbles, but Mackay says several students at his school ignore the rules at lunch, taking off their masks and mingling with students from other classes.

Westmount High's Kaeli Waugh says she's relieved students will have to wear masks since some students don't follow the rules in the hallways at her school, too, getting close to students who aren't in their class bubble.

Raina Cyrus, a Grade 9 student at Vincent Massey Collegiate, says people from around the school neighbourhood have approached her and her friends - some even taking photos - when they are walking in a group together.

"It kind of makes us feel nervous, because we were eating lunch and we were wearing a mask," Cyrus said.

Although requiring masks in the classroom is viewed as a positive step in containing the spread of the virus, the rules also present new challenges in what is already a difficult time - potentially aggravating learning disabilities, as well as feelings of isolation and anxiety.
WATCH | Dr. Donald Vinh explains why masks are needed:

At what cost?

According to the president of Quebec's pediatricians association, studies show that class participation will decrease if all students are wearing masks.

"Kids with hearing problems, or those with ADHD, they will certainly have much more problems with the mask in school," said Dr. Marc Lebel.

The association released a statement Monday, saying restrictive sanitary measures are creating serious problems for an entire generation of teenagers.

"The reality is they are not doing well and we don't hear enough about that," said Dr. Marie-Claude Roy, a pediatrician at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie and a member of the board of directors of the pediatricians association.

"There are epidemics of drug use, cyber addiction, anxiety disorders, eating disorders. We work very, very hard in the clinic every day with these teenagers who are not doing well."

"There are hardly any teenagers who have been hurt by the disease [COVID-19] itself, but there are hundreds if not thousands of adolescents who are suffering because of the public health measures that have been in place for six months," Dr. Roy said.

The association says schools are not responsible for the second wave of COVID-19, but rather community transmission.

And Dr. Roy says taking away socialization and sports has left many young people demotivated.

Masks for elementary school too?

Still, many people are happy that the wearing of masks will be enforced in high schools.

Heidi Yetman, president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, wishes it had been done sooner.

With cases up over 1,000 per day in the province, she said, it appears as though the government is reacting to the situation rather than trying to prevent it from happening in the first place.

"I think that teachers are scratching their heads right now wondering, 'Why is it just high school?' We know through research that children are big carriers of COVID-19," Yetman said.

"Why aren't we being proactive and making sure that all students in high schools across this province are wearing masks in classes for, I would even say, yellow zones and orange zones?"

Many teachers have been calling for masks to be mandatory since the start of the year.

Goal is to keep schools open, premier says

Quebec Premier François Legault said Monday the province is working to keep schools open in red zones while protecting the health-care network.

As of Oct. 6, there were 1,664 active COVID-19 cases in Quebec schools, across the province's network of 2,997 public and private schools.

The situation could get a lot worse if the province doesn't keep tightening health restrictions, he said.

Some experts, however, believe the province should be applying stricter measures to people of all ages to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"I actually do believe that medical masks should be worn in schools," said Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Centre.

Children and youths up to age 19 make up about 10 per cent of cases. About half of those are aged zero to nine, he said, and even if they don't get very sick, they are passing it on to others - mainly their families.

"I think it would be most prudent, particularly because we are seeing this increase in the second wave, to have masks worn indoors at all times and schools are no exception."

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Mandatory masks add to challenging year for Quebec high school students | CBC News

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Although masks in the classroom are viewed as a positive step in containing the spread of the virus, the rules also present new challenges in what is already a difficult time - potentially exacerbating learning disabilities, as well as feelings of isolation and anxiety.

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Information about asymptomatic spread to elders.

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HONOLULU (KHON20 - The Hawaii State Department of Health said 18 children were included in Friday's 123 COVID-19 cases count, a local doctor who has been testing thousands of people each week said the spike within children is likely linked to family spread.

Dr. Scott Miscovich, president and founder of Premier Medical Group said a one-year-old toddler recently tested positive for the disease while testing a family cluster.

"What that's saying from my perspective is that it's in the families," Dr. Miscovich said. "It's also for me a broad reflection of what I have been saying-what we have been saying. We are not paying enough attention to asymptomatic positives."

The DOH's count shows 170 people below the age of 19 have tested positive for coronavirus, almost a quarter of those cases were found this week.

Miscovich said the spread is likely happening within family members who do not feel sick but are unknowingly spreading the virus.

He said there is also growing evidence that children can spread the virus.

Miscovich said, "Fortunately, they are not dying from it. They are not having serious complications-that is black and white, but they are part of spreading it to families and in Hawaii. What about our kupuna?"

Miscovich said the virus is widespread on Oahu and he agrees with growing concerns from the mayors of Maui and Kauai counties who are considering to reinstate a 14-day quarantine for inter-island travel.

Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami said he is talking with county officials about this possibility.

"We have also heard pleas from our Kauai citizens to reinstate the inter-island travel quarantine," Mayor Kawakami said. "Our emergency operations team will be discussing that option. We will update the public as soon as we have an update on that decision."

Miscovich said a wider closure may be needed in order to flatten the curve.

"I think we need to close down for one month. Two 14-day cycles of the virus, stay at home, work from home," Miscovich said. "We already closed the bars here, and then we will get our island back, and then the number will just drop right down."

Hawaii Governor David Ige has not yet weighed-in on possibly reinstating the two-week quarantine for travel within the state.

Latest Stories on KHON2

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Children are part of the rise in Hawaii's COVID-19 cases

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HONOLULU (KHON20 - The Hawaii State Department of Health said 18 children were included in Friday's 123 COVID-19 cases count, a local doctor who has been testing thousands of people each week said the spike within children is likely linked to family spread.

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Learn about challenges that teachers face wearing masks while teaching.

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When Meghan Ewing travels abroad, she focuses on peoples' faces to decipher what they're saying in languages she doesn't understand.

Studying facial expressions is a common practice among anyone dealing with a linguistic barrier, says Ewing, an ESL teacher in Guelph, Ont.

And children do it all the time.

With face coverings mandated for Ontario teachers in classroom settings as a safety precaution amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ewing worries students learning English for the first time will miss out on an important visual component.

"Your face expresses so much of your message," Ewing said. "And whether the (student) is older or younger, if they're learning the language for the first time, they're coming from that same starting point and they need to have those non-verbal cues to understand the message."

Face coverings, mandatory in most indoor public places across the province, can help limit the spread of COVID-19 by slowing down respiratory droplets that spew out from the wearer's mouth when they cough, talk or breathe.

N.S. teachers say getting students to wear a face covering will be difficult

Ontario students from grades 4 to 12 will be wearing them in the classroom when school begins next month, and educators, regardless of what grade they're teaching, will need to wear them, too.

Masking mandates vary across the country.

B.C. teachers, staff and students are not required to wear face coverings in classrooms, but they are recommended for adults and older students when they are unable to physically distance. Alberta, meanwhile, says masks will be mandatory in "some school settings" and Quebec's teachers, staff and students are required to wear them in common areas of school buildings, such as hallways, but not classrooms.

While most Ontario teachers would agree that safety is the priority, some are concerned about how face coverings will impact the learning environment. And they worry about students who are already facing language barriers being disproportionately affected.

Ewing says her ESL students watch her "like a hawk," observing how her mouth moves when making certain sounds.

"You need to be able to see what the lips are doing," she said. "That's just the way languages work."

Rachel Heydon, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Western University, says any young student in the language development phase of life will miss out on that non-verbal communication when teachers wear face masks.

But those who are "culturally and linguistically diverse" will have extra challenges.

"There are vulnerabilities there," Heydon said. "Just like young children who are developing speech, they are also learning how to make new sounds and you need that modeling, you need that demonstration of how you do that.

"And without that visual feedback, that will be very challenging."

Students with hearing impairments will face disadvantages in not being able to read lips or see facial expression, says Dr. Todd Cunningham, a child psychology expert at the University of Toronto.

And that can be further exacerbated if a teacher's voice is distorted through the fabric.

Alberta students in Grades 4-12, all teachers required to wear masks come fall

"Those children often look to the mouth to be able to acquire more information about what is coming out," Cunningham said. "And what's not known is will the cloth masks impact the acoustic code? Will it dampen the sound or muffle some of the sounds within our language?"

Face masks can make it difficult for teachers to provide positive or negative feedback, either with a smile or a frown, Cunningham said, and tone can be misunderstood if facial expressions are removed.

Heydon also worries that masks can make it harder for younger children, who are learning to read emotions, to form connections to their teachers.

"That has a huge bearing on children's engagement, their motivation, their willingness to learn and what they will take on," she said. "Children learn from the people who they trust ... and (wearing a mask) makes it that much more difficult to form those kinds of relationships."

Cunningham doesn't think masks will have too great an impact on students' ability to form emotional connections with their teachers, however, saying educators will find ways to build trust with students.

Other forms of body language become more important, he says, and teachers will be creative in making up for the non-verbal communication they're losing when wearing face masks.

"Are we going to have a whole bunch of kids who have language impairments or comprehension impairments? No, I don't think so," Cunningham said. "Teachers are still going to be engaging in all kinds of ways using visuals and language.

"The fact that the mouth is not present is not going to have a devastating effect across all students, but it'll definitely have an impact for certain populations who look to the mouth region for information."

Ewing expects to introduce more video learning to her ESL students this year, and Heydon says taking lessons outdoors when possible can give kids a mask-free learning alternative, at least some of the time.

While some forms of personal protective equipment - including masks with clear vinyl inserts across the mouth - may be more conducive for language learning, Ewing worries teachers will be bound by the PPE provided to them by their own school boards.

Non-mask learning might be found outside the school environment for kids in the language development stage, Heydon said, and can include having parents and siblings devote extra attention to talking, singing and reading to kids to give them the face-to-face interaction.

That can be tricky though, since not all students will have those resources to draw from.

"It's about trying to create as many opportunities as possible to really target children who might be disproportionately impacted," Heydon said. "We need to find ways, whether it's outside in small groups, or online if possible, to do some of the language work without masks."

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Coronavirus: Face masks for teachers may impact child's ability to learn, experts warn

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When Meghan Ewing travels abroad, she focuses on peoples' faces to decipher what they're saying in languages she doesn't understand. Studying facial expressions is a common practice among anyone dealing with a linguistic barrier, says Ewing, an ESL teacher in Guelph, Ont. And children do it all the time.

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Learn about why face masks make learning in person difficult for students.

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack.

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7 Ways To Help Your Kids Practice Social Skills...

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7 Ways To Help Your Kids Practice Social Skills...

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Learn what parents can do to make sure their children continue to develop socially during distance learning.

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As school districts begin to announce their reopening plans for fall sessions, it looks like millions of American kids won't be returning to the classroom any time soon.

Eleven of the nation's 15 largest school districts will be starting the academic year with online-only instruction, according to a July 29 update by Education Week magazine.

Remote learning has some parents worried not only about their children being stymied from hitting certain academic benchmarks, but also about how the kids will develop social and emotional skills if they're not getting face-to-face interactions with their peers during class time, at lunch and on the playground

Through in-person encounters, kids "practice reading social cues and learn constructive social responses - including the give-and-take of conversation - how to self-regulate when they get annoyed at another person, and how to ask for what they need in a socially acceptable way," clinical psychologist Laura Markham - founder of the site Aha! Parenting - told HuffPost.

If you're one of the parents concerned about the lack of socialization in quarantine, don't despair, said educational psychologist Michele Borba.

"If we realize that our kids are missing out on opportunities to practice social skills, there are ways to compensate," said Borba, author of "UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World."

"If we realize that our kids are missing out on opportunities to practice social skills, there are ways to compensate."

It may comfort parents to know that children tend to be quite adaptable and resilient, even in challenging circumstances.

"Even though this is unusual, most kids will come out of this fine because we're biologically wired to adapt," Dr. Jack Shonkoff - a pediatrician who is also an early childhood development expert at Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child - told The New York Times in June.

Below, experts share ways you can help your child hone these skills at home until it's safe for them to return to school and other social activities.

1. Schedule play dates - even if they're online.

"Relationships enhance kids' mental health," Borba said. "So use the virtual world to help children maintain positive peer connections."

One-on-one virtual playdates will probably be more enjoyable and enriching than trying to get a larger group of kids together on Zoom.

FluxFactory via Getty Images

Help your child find a hobby that appeals to them and one of their friends - maybe knitting, baking, painting, writing or dancing.

Parents "can provide materials like knitting needles and yarn or find a YouTube link that teaches the skill," Borba suggested. "Or parents can take turns serving as the online teacher for daily or weekly project time."

2. Be intentional about the conversations you have.

Pandemic life has left many parents anxious, exhausted and, in some cases, numb. When you're frazzled, it's easy to go through the day without having a meaningful conversation with anyone - much less your kids. But carving out time to have a thoughtful dialogue is important, marriage and family therapist LeNaya Smith Crawford said.

"Ask your child open-ended questions, allow the conversation to flow into different topics and be intentional about emphasizing body language," said Smith Crawford, owner of Kaleidoscope Family Therapy. "Children's social life as they know it is gone. It's important for them to still be able to learn and have the ins and outs of communication and conversation modeled."

Use this time to practice skills like eye contact, listening, good manners and respectful disagreement.

"Just be more intentional about weaving social skills into daily life like at dinner conversations, family meetings and everyday moments," Borba said.

3. Use video calls with loved ones to practice picking up on social cues.

FaceTimes are great for staying in touch with family and friends during social distancing, but they can also be a good opportunity for your kiddo to work on recognizing and responding to the emotions of others. Granted, it may be more challenging for some children to pick up on nuances in facial expressions or tone of voice through a screen - but it's doable.

"You can prime your child ahead of the call," Borba said. For example, "Watch Grandma's face for signs that she might be tired so you'll know if you should say good-bye," or "Tune in a bit closer to your friend to see if he agrees with you. ″

4. Connect them with a virtual study buddy.

Some parents are already forming "pandemic pods" or "learning pods" for the fall - in which several students will gather at someone's home or yard for in-person lessons from a tutor or teacher that the parents have pooled their money to hire. While this arrangement could enhance learning and social skills, it's cost-prohibitive for many families - and experts say these pods may worsen existing racial disparities in education. Plus, these gatherings could present potential health risks - even if masks are worn, physical distancing is encouraged and other precautions are taken.

Another idea? "Find a parent with a child in your kid's class to become his or her learning partner," Borba said. "At a set time each day, the two kids practice spelling, math facts or vocab words through Skype or FaceTime."

5. Host family game nights.

With youth sports on hold in many places for the foreseeable future, basketball or Wiffle ball games with the family or board games like Monopoly can help foster good sportsmanship at home.

Nitat Termmee via Getty Images

"Model the rules of good sports as you play together: Stick to the rules, no excuses or criticizing, play to the end, congratulate the winner," Borba said. "And deliberately allow yourself to lose sometimes so you can show how to lose gracefully."

6. Encourage teamwork.

Look for opportunities to work together on different household tasks and projects, Borba said, in order to practice collaboration, cooperation and supporting others.

"Plan home projects that encourage teamwork like cleaning a closet, planning a menu together, learning a family hobby, filling a box of gently used toys to give to needy kids or a shelter, or just playing a game," she said. "But make sure you model and encourage those timeless teamwork comments, like 'Good job!', 'We did it,' 'High five!'"

7. Give feedback in the moment.

If, for example, your child keeps interrupting when you're mid-conversation with your partner, take a minute to explain why it's respectful to wait your turn to speak. Then come up with other strategies for ways they can politely get your attention.

"Being able to pause a social interaction, give some feedback and then redo the interaction allows the child to become aware of blind spots and also allows them to begin again and have a better framework socially, the next time a similar situation arises," Smith Crawford said.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus

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7 Ways To Help Your Kids Practice Social Skills In Distance Learning

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As school districts begin to announce their reopening plans for fall sessions, it looks like millions of American kids won't be returning to the classroom any time soon. Eleven of the nation's 15 largest school districts will be starting the academic year with online-only instruction, according to a July 29 update by Education Week magazine.

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Find examples of tools teachers use to make online learning social.

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Education today is not just about the transfer of knowledge. The social process that allows students to learn from their teachers and peers-to develop their social skills, mindsets, and capabilities-is just as critical. Students need a supportive community and a safe learning environment in which they can socialize emotions such as fear, anxiety, and frustration, and where they can cope with and recover from a crisis like COVID-19.

As schools move their classes online, they must realize that properly supporting learners and teachers during this challenging time involves addressing these social aspects. While virtual learning communities can certainly be as strong and solid as face-to-face environments, migrating to an online education model involves more than simply replicating face-to-face activities in front of a webcam or recording a short lecture and publishing it on an educational platform. We must account for the differences between in-person and virtual learning.

To help, we offer the following 10 suggestions for building and strengthening these digital learning communities-all based on our many years of first-hand experience teaching online. For example, one of us (Professor Venuti) quickly reorganized his courses and trained colleagues during the spread of COVID-19 across Italy in late February.

1. Plan and Establish Community Norms

As time permits (and we realize that many of you are moving exceptionally quickly), avoid simply transferring online the same activities, methods, materials, and approaches that you employed in face-to-face learning. What could work for in-person programs may be ineffective in a digital community of learning.

If you can, try to design a community from the outset by re-engineering, re-thinking, and re-programming as much of your course as you can. The first step is to prepare a new schedule; split the sessions into shorter ones (online teaching is both more tiring and more difficult on students' concentration) and give additional pre-readings and assignments for each session. Consider providing links to some tutorials, too.

Additionally, set clear, precise, and defined rules of behavior. Like any community, a good digital community of learning should have a set of rules. Make sure that everyone knows, understands, and respects these rules. For example, set expectations around when and how people can talk or ask questions. Declare that when a student is speaking, everyone else should keep their microphones off to avoid background noise. Have students use the hand raising function available on most online platforms, which allows the moderator to "call on" a participant to speak. If you are delivering a lecture, you can also ask students to post their questions in the chat instead of raising their hands. Then, at the end of the lecture, you can go through the questions and answer them, ask students to comment on the questions, or have students ask the questions others have previously posted (this is particularly effective for large classes).

Other rules can define the following: preferred times and methods of interaction, such as online forums, chats, video or telephone conversations, or emails; and the appropriate use of polls and emoticons.

2. Provide Extra Emotional Support

At a time of extreme uncertainty, emotional reactions may affect the well-being of the communities where people live and study. Educational institutions should provide students and educators with emotional support to help them manage emotions such as fear, anxiety, and grief. This support is especially critical for students who are afflicted with COVID-19 or who have close family members or friends who are sick or who have passed away.

There are different tools available to provide this type of support. Taking the example of Employee Assistance Programs, which some employers use regularly to support their employees through crises, there may be emotional assistance guidance through helplines and support groups. These mechanisms can be enabled virtually with the involvement of psychologists, counselors, mentors, teachers, or coaches who have been trained in providing emotional support. In some countries, governmental entities also provide mental support services; you can provide students with links to these services in your online learning platform.

3. Allocate a Space for Informal Interaction

On Moodle, for example, some universities have created a "Students' Cafe" section for informal interactions beyond the content of their academic courses. Other platforms allow you to break participants into smaller subgroups to promote both formal and informal discussions, fostering the relationships between participants. In other situations, a specific discussion forum or a private chat uniquely dedicated to the members of the community (your students) can be created for informal interaction.

As you develop your online courses, think about where you can promote a more relaxed environment and plan some lighter activities for students to enjoy.

4. Employ the Right Tools to Organize Team Activities

Online team-building activities can help your students come together. There are many tools available-such as Google Docs, WhatsApp group chats, Instagram stories, Canvas, and Slack-that help students contribute in online environments in real time. One example is to simply share a Google Doc word file and ask each student to add one sentence that summarizes the lecture and the major ideas conveyed in class. Each participant contributes one short sentence and, together, they prepare a summary of the lecture that anybody can then use for studying and revision.

Another example is using stories on social media to prepare students for a case study. You can post pictures with questions, data, and information about the case you are going to discuss in the following class.

Using these tools also helps create communities that strengthen the group's shared purpose, vision, and goals. Such activities are important because it can be harder for digital communities to perceive common goals than it is for physical groups.

5. Take Advantage of Gamification and Nudges

Recent psychological insights emphasize the value of catching participants' attention and gently pushing-or "nudging" -them toward realizing community objectives. Video games, which enhance the potential for students to interact and play in a virtual space, are a good way to strengthen the bonds between peers and teach a variety of content.

For instance, a simple Kahoot! may promote fun competition and facilitate knowledge transfer. Still other online platforms promote and include the use of games, contests, and trivia questions to keep students engaged.

6. Stimulate the Senses

Learning experiences can target all five senses. Although stimulating all of the senses at once may be difficult in a digital community, using podcasts, video, and digital reading can increase students' engagement.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)-while not likely feasible as a short-term option or in locations where internet capacity is currently an issue-can also allow your students to get much more involved in the learning process. VR, for instance, enables participants to perceive when other community members are present. This technology is almost ready for mainstream use and will likely become widely available at affordable prices (or perhaps even for free) soon.

There are tools that allow you to not only virtually see other participants, but also see yourself in specific settings. With AR, for example, you can actually explore places like a factory. Last September, Professor Venuti and his master's students virtually visited the production plant of a food company located 500 kilometers away from campus. They were able to practice using the plant's machinery and equipment-all through AR and VR technology.

Migrating to an online education model involves more than simply replicating face-to-face activities in front of a webcam or recording a short lecture and publishing it on an educational platform.

7. Consider the Crowd

Technology has expanded the potential for crowd-sourced learning. For instance, the World Health Organization has compiled scholarly publications that address the global COVID-19 crisis. On a smaller scale, schools and universities can post challenges that learning communities can use to address and promote discussion about the complex problems currently affecting them.

Some universities around the world have organized virtual hackathons to address COVID-19 challenges. As another example of the use of massive open online courses (MOOCs), edX launched a Remote Access Program in response to the crisis. This initiative was designed to help the learning community address the challenges they are facing by providing their students with free access to courses and programs not just from their own universities, but also from edX partners participating in the initiative.

8. Promote Peer Learning

Peer learning offers more democratic ways to process information and share knowledge than do hierarchical models of knowledge, in which you control access to information and choose which knowledge to disseminate to students.

For example, many online platforms allow the moderator to split the participants into virtual groups where they can interact together (to work on a case or to discuss a topic or problem presented by the instructor). In many types of classes, particularly those using the case method, it is very useful to split students into subgroups to let them debate. The instructor can join the groups to see how the discussion is progressing and eventually (if necessary) drive the discussion or stimulate it. After the subgroup discussions, you can have one representative from each group share in a plenary session the major points/conclusions reached in the group.

Those who teach intercultural skills, for example, use peer learning to promote soft skills like open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance of others, and diversity management, among others.

9. Use Humor to Reduce Tension

Humor and laughter can ease tensions, promote health, and strengthen human connections during periods of uncertainty. As you develop your online courses, think about where you can promote a more relaxed environment and plan some lighter activities for students to enjoy. Consider using memes to help infuse some humor into class, for example; they can communicate concepts and ideas to students in a humorous way. It is, however, important to respect cultural differences; these may be more difficult to perceive in digital environments.

10. Embrace Art as a Way of Learning

Using of art in pedagogy can be helpful in uncertain environments. For instance, the Canadian scholar Catherine Etmanski explained the use of art in community-based research and how it generates a collective consciousness and communication beyond words: "Symbolism can go straight to the heart; arts-based methods are powerful in revealing our shared humanity and therefore helpful in building understanding, empathy, and trust among research participants." Music, poetry, painting, and film can be good resources to consider in digital learning.

Above all, take time to reflect with your students and fellow faculty on what is happening with COVID-19. Listen and learn from what they share. We all need to do our part in developing resilient and sustainable communities, now more than ever. The best way to do that is to join together to prepare for, respond to, learn from, and recover from this unexpected situation.

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Education today is not just about the transfer of knowledge. The social process that allows students to learn from their teachers and peers-to develop their social skills, mindsets, and capabilities-is just as critical.

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COVIED-19 Cases Rising Among US children...

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COVIED-19 Cases Rising Among US children...

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Children are taking fewer precautions during playdates, sleep overs and sports. This brings a risk of infection into schools.

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After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears fueled by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities.

Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms.

About two times more teens were infected than younger children, the CDC report said. Most infected children have mild cases; hospitalizations and death rates are much lower than in adults.

Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the rising numbers are a big concern and underscore the importance of masks, hand-washing, social distancing and other precautions.

"While children generally don't get as sick with the coronavirus as adults, they are not immune and there is much to learn about how easily they can transmit it to others," she said in a statement.

The CDC report did not indicate where or how the children became infected.

Public health experts say the uptick probably reflects increasing spread of the virus in the larger community. While many districts require masks and other precautions, some spread in schools is thought to be occurring, too. But experts also say many school-age children who are getting sick may not be getting infected in classrooms.

Just as cases in college students have been linked to partying and bars, school children may be contracting the virus at playdates, sleepovers, sports and other activities where precautions aren't being taken, said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health specialist at George Washington University.

"Understandably, there is quarantine fatigue," Wen said. Many people have a sense that if schools are reopening, then other activities can resume too, "but actually the opposite is true."

Global school studies suggest in-person learning can be safe when transmission rates in the larger community are low, the CDC report said.

Mississippi is among states where several outbreaks among students and teachers have been reported since in-person classes resumed in July and August.

Kathy Willard said she had mixed feelings when her grandson's fourth grade class in Oxford was sent home for two weeks after several teachers and one student tested positive for the virus. The family doesn't have internet access at home, making remote learning a challenge.

"It was a hardship. There's always a worry about him falling behind or not getting access to what he needs for school," Willard said. "But at the same time, I'm glad the school is doing what they can to protect our kids."

Students in her district are required to wear masks and receive temperature checks, and students and teachers who come into contact with the virus are quarantined.

In Alcorn County, Mississippi, where hundreds of community cases have been reported, including dozens among teachers, staff and students, parent Kimberly Kilpatrick-Kelley is keeping her 15- and 17-olds home for virtual learning.

The Corinth mother said the family always wears masks when they leave home and practice social distancing, and she worries about her kids getting sick and infecting her parents.

"I personally don't want to take the risk" she said.

Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' infectious-diseases committee, said the big question is what will happen as schools that have started out with online learning go back to in-person classes.

"It really will depend on how well can you mask and distance in a school setting," she said.

New York City, the nation's largest school district, with over 1 million students, resumed classroom learning Tuesday for elementary school children. Higher grades will resume on Thursday.

The CDC report said more than 277,000 children ages 5 to 17 were confirmed infected between March and Sept. 19, with an increase in September after a peak and a decline over the summer.

The agency acknowledged that may be an underestimate, in part because testing is most often done on people with symptoms, and children with the coronavirus often have none.

The CDC reported 51 deaths in school-age kids, most in them ages 12 to 17. Less than 2% of infected children were hospitalized, and youngsters who are Black, Hispanic or have underlying conditions fared worse than white children.

The findings add to other data showing the pandemic is increasingly affecting younger age groups after initially hitting older Americans hard.

In a separate report Tuesday, the CDC said weekly COVID-19 cases among people ages 18 to 22 increased 55% nationally. The increases were greatest in the Northeast and Midwest and were not solely attributable to increased testing, the CDC said. About one-third of U.S. cases are in adults 50 and older, while one-quarter are in 18-to-29-year-olds.

The AAP research is based on reports from public health departments in 49 states, New York City, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. New York state doesn't provide data by age. Most states count children's cases up to age 19, though a few use different age ranges.

As of Sept. 24, the AAP counted nearly 625,000 youth cases, up to age 20, a 14% increase over the previous two weeks. Deaths totaled 109, well under 1% of all COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S.

As of Monday, the CDC counted over 435,000 cases in children from age zero through 17 and 93 deaths. The groups' totals differ because they include different ages and time periods.

Overall, 7 million Americans have been confirmed infected and 205,000 have died.

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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner.

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AP reporter Leah Willingham contributed from Jackson, Mississippi.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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COVID-19 cases rising among US children as schools reopen

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After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears fueled by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday.

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Percentages and numbers of infected individuals for all islands can be found here. Scroll down to look at a map of our island and hot spots.

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There have been 12,116 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaii. Of those cases, 7% have required hospitalization, and 11,337 (94%) were residents.
September 27, 2020 (Updated daily by 12:00 noon) Click here to view the full-size dashboard September 17, 2020 (Updated bi-weekly on Fridays by 12:00 noon) (better viewing experience)
The below table represents the metrics for schools based on the cases per population per island following the Hawaii Department of Health's Guidance for Schools (PDF)
September 25, 2020 (Updated weekly on Fridays by 12:00 noon)
Period: September 1 to September 14 (14 days)
September 25, 2020 (Updated weekly on Fridays by 12:00 noon)
Probable cases are individuals who have a positive antigen test result, or are symptomatic and are epidemiologically-linked to a confirmed case of COVID-19 but have not had confirmatory testing performed. Probable cases are not included in counts of confirmed cases. These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Cases reported to the Hawaii Department of Health within the last 28 days and identified as having exposed staff and/or residents in the facility. Updated 9/24/2020. Due to differences in methodology, validation, and reporting time periods, these data may vary from data reported by National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

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School Reopening Metrics | Probable Cases | Long Term Care Facilities | Epidemic Curve | County Curve | Lab Testing| Age Trends| Outcomes | Race There have been 12,116 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaii. Of those cases, 7% have required hospitalization, and 11,337 (94%) were residents.

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Coronavirus Surging Among the Young, Endangering the Elderly

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Coronavirus Surging Among the Young, Endangering the Elderly

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The reopening of places has caused young people to be more social. This has caused an uptick in cases. Young people then interact with grandparents and elderly.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. >> Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened - a disturbing generational shift that not only puts them in greater peril than many realize but poses an even bigger danger to older people who cross their paths.

In Oxford, Mississippi, summer fraternity parties sparked outbreaks. In Oklahoma City, church activities, fitness classes, weddings and funerals seeded infections among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. In Iowa college towns, surges followed the reopening of bars. A cluster of hangouts near Louisiana State University led to at least 100 customers and employees testing positive. In East Lansing, Michigan, an outbreak tied to a brewpub spread to 25 people ages 18 to 23.

There and in states like Florida, Texas and Arizona, young people have started going out again, many without masks, in what health experts see as irresponsible behavior.

"The virus hasn't changed. We have changed our behaviors," said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Younger people are more likely to be out and taking a risk."

In Florida, young people ages 15 to 34 now make up 31% of all cases, up from 25% in early June. Last week, more than 8,000 new cases were reported in that age group, compared with about 2,000 among people 55 to 64 years old. And experts say the phenomenon cannot be explained away as simply the result of more testing.

Elected officials such as Florida's governor have argued against reimposing restrictions, saying many of the newly infected are young and otherwise healthy. But younger people, too, face the possibility of severe infection and death. In the past week, two 17-year-olds in Florida died of the virus.

And authorities worry that older, more vulnerable people are next.

"People between the ages 18 and 50 don't live in some sort of a bubble," said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. "They are the children and grandchildren of vulnerable people. They may be standing next to you at a wedding. They might be serving you a meal in a restaurant."

The virus has taken a frightful toll on the elderly in the U.S., which leads the world in total deaths, at over 120,000, and confirmed infections, at more than 2.3 million. Eight out of 10 deaths in the U.S. have been in people 65 and older. In contrast, confirmed coronavirus deaths among 18-to-34-year-olds number in the hundreds, though disease trackers are clamoring for more accurate data.

For months, elderly people were more likely to be diagnosed with the virus, too. But figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that almost as soon as states began reopening, the picture flipped, with people 18 to 49 years old quickly becoming the age bracket most likely to be diagnosed with new cases.

And although every age group saw an increase in cases during the first week in June, the numbers shot up fastest among 18-to-49-year-olds. For the week ending June 7, there were 43 new cases per 100,000 people in that age bracket, compared with 28 cases per 100,000 people over 65.

With the shift toward younger people, some hospitals are seeing a smaller share of their COVID-19 patients needing intensive care treatment such as breathing machines.

"They are sick enough to be hospitalized, but they're not quite as sick," said Dr. Rob Phillips, chief physician executive of Houston Methodist Hospital. He said he still finds the trend disturbing because young people "definitely interact with their parents and grandparents," who could be next.

In one Florida hospital system, nearly half the COVID-19 patients were on ventilators during April compared with less than 3 percent now, said Dr. Sunil Desai, president of the Orlando Health hospital system.

Some of the young people who have fallen ill describe stretches of extreme pain and fatigue.

"My chest and my body hurt. Almost like I'd gotten in a car accident," said Emily Ellington, 25, of suburban Austin, Texas, who tested positive about six weeks after the state began reopening.

In Florida, where many restaurants and bars reopened in early May, 32-year-old Kristen Kowall of Clearwater dined out with her fiancé in early June. Like others in the restaurant, she didn't wear a mask. She tested positive over the weekend.

"I just feel really groggy and tired. It hurts to walk. Especially my ankles and knees, it feels like my bones are going to fall apart," she said. "I definitely would advise people from going out. It's not worth it."

The increase among young adults may not all be due to reopenings and could also reflect wider testing that has reached younger, less sick people. Yet since May, younger adults have had a higher share of tests come back positive than their older counterparts.

In late March and April, that wasn't the case - the highest positive rates were in people over 65. For the past month, roughly 7 percent of tests done on 18-to-49-year-olds nationwide have come back positive. That is about 2 percentage points above older groups of adults.

Amid the surge, some Florida cities and counties are requiring people to wear masks before entering businesses. An Orlando bar popular with University of Central Florida students had its liquor license suspended after more than 40 people who went there upon its reopening tested positive.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned other bars they could lose their licenses if they don't follow social distancing guidelines.

"If you go in, and it's Dance Party USA, dancing up to the rafters ... there's no tolerance for that," he said.

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Coronavirus cases surging among the young, endangering the elderly

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. >> Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened - a disturbing generational shift that not only puts them in greater peril than many realize but poses an even bigger danger to older people who cross their paths.