VOL 1, ISSUE 2
28 JUNE 2021The latest updates on COVID-19, testing, and vaccines curated for L2R school districts.
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Resources, including testing and vaccine FAQs
Did you know?
L2R districts are
hosting school-based vaccination events!
COVID-19 vaccines are essential to getting back to school this fall with confidence and getting past the pandemic for good.
Ages 12 and older are now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, offering protection for a large portion of K-12 students in Washington.
L2R districts can take the lead in supporting vaccine uptake in communities by hosting school-based vaccination pop-up events this summer and into the next school year.
What does a school-based vaccination event look like?
Key players
Key players
- School district
- Local health jurisdiction
- Vaccine administrators (Local EMS agency or health care provider)
Participant experience
Participant experience
- Arrive (pre- or onsite registration)
- Get the poke and the vax card
- Relax for 15 minutes (observation from onsite providers)
L2R Program Managers help you connect the dots, mobilize stakeholders, and host a successful vaccination event for your school community.
DOH CARE CONNECT
Care Connect Washington provides support services to members of your community during periods of quarantine and isolation.
The Washington State Department of Health, working with local health jurisdictions and their partners, is introducing Care Connect Washington on a region-by-region basis. Services for eligible participants include:
Medication delivery
Assistance with applications for local housing agencies, food banks, childcare providers, and unemployment
Delivery of personal care kits, nonperishable food kits, and fresh food orders
Learn more about this program by visiting the Care Connect Washington website or reaching out to your L2R Program Manager.
NEWS REVIEW
Cliff’s Notes for COVID-19 news
Kids, covid and delta
New York Times, 18 June 2021
Evidence consistently suggests that serious cases of COVID-19 are extremely rare in children, but families are understandably anxious about the emergence of variants. Research indicated that the available vaccines are effective against all variants and early concerns about the severity of variant symptoms have not been borne out. “I haven’t seen data to make me particularly worried about Delta in kids,” says Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins epidemiologist.
Mental health problems loom for the COVID generation. Here's what schools can do.
Ed Week, 24 March 2021
The number of young children and adolescents going to the emergency room because of a mental health crisis has spiked over the course of the pandemic, according to the CDC. More students are asking for services through their schools, and 21% of high schoolers indicated that for the first time – during the pandemic – they felt they would benefit from school-based mental health services. With the infusion of federal COVID-19 relief money, there are several potential interventions to support students and staff members, including hiring more school psychologists and counselors, partnering with local mental health organizations, introducing tele-health resources, and integrating a social-emotional learning curriculum.
As COVID recedes, colds and common viruses are back, especially among children
Seattle Times, 16 June 2021
As vaccination levels across the US increase and COVID-19 cases decline, some areas are starting to rollback COVID-19 health safety measures such as wearing masks and social distancing. More people are now being exposed to common illnesses that had been suppressed during much of the pandemic.
The CDC recently issued an advisory warning that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been detected with increasing frequency since March in ten Southern states plus Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. RSV is the most common cause of bronchial infections and pneumonia in children under one; the season typically runs from November to early spring.
Should my child get a coronavirus vaccine? Here's what you should know.
Washington Post, 11 June 2021
While COVID-19 does not typically result in serious illness in children, they are still at risk. Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend vaccinating children who are eligible, currently ages 12 and older.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said it is likely that researchers will have enough health and safety data to start vaccinating children “of any age” by early next year.
By the numbers
A summary of top testing vendor data between March 1 and June 1, 2021.
School districts engaged with L2R
School-based testing kick-off meetings held
Testing programs launched