npr--2020-08-19--Move In, Move Out: For In-Person College, Everything Rests On The First Few Weeks

Move In , Move Out : For In-Person College , Everything Rests On The First Few Weeks The excitement in the air at the University of Georgia is palpable , with move-in days for the fall semester finally here .
There are packed cars , overstuffed suitcases , a white shag rug , an old grey futon and a potted succulent named Susie .
But nestled between the familiar college accessories were stark reminders of the coronavirus pandemic : Boxes of cleaning supplies .
Masks .
Hand sanitizer .
Across the country , hundreds of thousands of college students are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fall semester .
At the University of Georgia in Athens about 8,000 students are moving into the dorms this week , beginning an unusual on-campus experience , with a global pandemic as the backdrop .
The state of Georgia has one of the highest rates of coronavirus per capita in the U.S. and unlike other colleges that have transitioned to virtual learning , this flagship university is determined to host students on campus and have many of its classes in person .
Nationwide , about 20 % of four-year schools are offering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with another 15 % doing a hybrid approach , according to data from the College Crisis Initiative .
Those numbers , gathered Wednesday , are continuing to change , as many institutions reverse course .
`` I 'm just glad to be here , '' one UGA student said to a new friend on her way up to their dorms .
`` We 've been waiting all summer , '' said a mom holding a body pillow in the parking lot .
`` It 's going to be an interesting year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the university 's mass COVID-19 testing site .
All these interactions were a bit muffled because of the school 's mandatory mask policy : Unless you 're eating or in your dorm , you must wear one .
Walking around campus , it 's rare to see someone without one — even if at times it 's simply hanging from one ear or around the chin .
Off campus , late at night it 's a different story : In downtown Athens , swarms of students lingered outside bars , most not wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tension lies : All of the campus precautions depend on student behavior .
Because of COVID-19 , move-in runs a bit differently .
Students had to sign up for time slots — an attempt at social distancing — and when they check in , they get wristbands for just two helpers to go up with them to the dorms .
Kelsey Lawrence , an incoming freshman from Atlanta , makes her way up the hill to Russell Hall , a mostly freshman dorm that can house about 1,000 students .
She 's pushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shoes .
`` I probably wo n't have enough space for all of it , '' she says , `` but I 'm going to try . ''
She elects to have her father and sister go inside with her , which leaves her mother , Vanessa Lawrence , outside .
Mom is feeling good about the reopening ; she packed up medicine and snacks , in case Kelsey gets sick .
Having her daughter away at college gives Vanessa comfort , she says .
Kelsey will get better access to testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , plus there 's less risk for the rest of the family if she decides to be social and gets exposed .
And Vanessa is pretty sure many of the college students streaming by her are n't going to follow the social distancing rules .
`` Am I going to be up all night tonight ?
Yeah I 'm going to be honest about that , '' she says .
But then again , she thinks she probably wo n't sleep well again until Kelsey graduates .
Down in the parking lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting with her extended family — grandmothers , twin brothers , parents – all here to move Ebony 's daughter Kyndal , a freshman , into her dorm .
`` Everybody helped her get to this day , '' says Coleman .
The University of Georgia has always been Kyndal 's dream since she was little , Ebony tells us .
`` I 'm feeling emotional , '' she says , `` I have n't cried yet , but I probably will . ''
Is Ebony afraid of moving her daughter in during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nervous .
She even packed Kyndal a quarantine go-bag .
`` Like a first-aid kit , '' with non-perishable food items like chicken broth .
She read about the idea on a mom Facebook group .
But despite the fears , today is a big moment for the family : Her baby girl is going to college .
Across campus , associate professor Jon Swindler walks through the art building — the hallways and rooms here would normally be bustling this time of year , but today they 're are empty .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first day of in-person in-person classes on Thursday .
Faculty and staff have been working for months to come up with creative solutions for how teaching studio art with masks and social distancing .
`` We looked at a lot of different options , '' Swindler says , `` You know , we even were looking into the possibility of holding class in a parking garage . ''
They decided against that idea , but they have set up a painting class with easels outside , near a green area behind the building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studio that usually fits 18 students ; today it 's been set up with just six stations .
Faculty recorded demonstrations on video this summer to cut down on in-person demos when students return to campus .
Even with all this prep , Swindler is apprehensive about the fall semester : `` There 's just so much unknown still . ''
He stresses the value of learning in-person when it comes to art .
`` That moment when a student thinks that they 've made a mistake or they think that something went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'Hey , stop , let 's look at this , ' `` he says .
Those moments are where the real learning happens — `` really important moments in the studio that make being in-person in art school really important . ''
The plan to reopen the University of Georgia and hold in-person classes has been met with serious dissent from faculty .
In early August , students and staff held a `` die-in '' to protest the reopening .
A major critique has been how the university plans to use coronavirus testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site on a field on campus that anticipates running about 300 tests a day , all voluntary .
According to Dr. Shelley Nuss , who is helping to implement campus reopening , there is a plan to make the operation more randomized to better screen the campus for COVID-19 , but that plan is still in the works .
`` Both self-selected and randomly selected individuals will have access to free testing , '' according to a spokesperson from the university .
`` Testing will always be voluntary . ''
Financial pressures are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia , where room and board bring in necessary revenue .
`` If we were to move fully online , there is no question that there would have to be layoffs , '' Jere Morehead , the university 's president is quoted as saying in the student paper , The Red & Black .
UGA is not the first large public university that 's been down this road .
On Monday , the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reversed its plan to hold in-person classes after multiple coronavirus clusters surfaced on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the move-out process , just two weeks after they moved in .
And the University of Notre Dame also halted in-person classes after a steady rise of positive cases , many linked to off-campus gatherings where students were n't wearing masks or social distancing .
The University of Georgia has n't released a threshold for when it would shut down and transition online .
`` Of course it 's been discussed , '' Dr. Nuss told NPR , `` but it 's very complicated . ''
Some questions that might factor into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our own isolation beds ?
How many pockets are in dorms , versus not ?
There 's probably 20 or 30 different things . ''
All of the efforts on campus may be for naught , though , when night falls and students head off campus to party .
On Monday night at around 11 p.m. , the bar strip in downtown Athens was overflowing with students , most not wearing masks .
In an effort to control the number of people packed inside , bars were enforcing capacity limits .
That meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with students reuniting after months away .
There were hugs and students talking together closely , certainly not social distancing .
Ultimately , it seems the success of the college 's reopening plan will be decided on a packed sidewalk , a dark bar or an off-campus party .
Vanessa Lawrence , who dropped her daughter Kelsey off at Russell Hall , is well aware of how things might play out .
When she and her husband left , she told her daughter to be prepared for campus to shut down .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , `` if it happens , we 'll be here to pick you up . ''

Move In, Move Out: For In-Person College, Everything Rests On The First Few Weeks
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
The excitement in the air at the University of Georgia is palpable, with move-in days for the fall semester finally here. There are packed cars, overstuffed suitcases, a white shag rug, an old grey futon and a potted succulent named Susie.
But nestled between the familiar college accessories were stark reminders of the coronavirus pandemic: Boxes of cleaning supplies. Masks. Hand sanitizer.
Across the country, hundreds of thousands of college students are making their way to campus to begin the fall semester. At the University of Georgia in Athens about 8,000 students are moving into the dorms this week, beginning an unusual on-campus experience, with a global pandemic as the backdrop.
The state of Georgia has one of the highest rates of coronavirus per capita in the U.S. and unlike other colleges that have transitioned to virtual learning, this flagship university is determined to host students on campus and have many of its classes in person. Nationwide, about 20% of four-year schools are offering classes either partially or fully in person, with another 15% doing a hybrid approach, according to data from the College Crisis Initiative. Those numbers, gathered Wednesday, are continuing to change, as many institutions reverse course.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
"I'm just glad to be here," one UGA student said to a new friend on her way up to their dorms.
"We've been waiting all summer," said a mom holding a body pillow in the parking lot.
"It's going to be an interesting year," said another student as he passed the university's mass COVID-19 testing site.
All these interactions were a bit muffled because of the school's mandatory mask policy: Unless you're eating or in your dorm, you must wear one. Walking around campus, it's rare to see someone without one — even if at times it's simply hanging from one ear or around the chin. Off campus, late at night it's a different story: In downtown Athens, swarms of students lingered outside bars, most not wearing masks. And this is where the tension lies: All of the campus precautions depend on student behavior.
A new beginning
Because of COVID-19, move-in runs a bit differently. Students had to sign up for time slots — an attempt at social distancing — and when they check in, they get wristbands for just two helpers to go up with them to the dorms.
Education What It's Like To Move Into Dorms Amid The Pandemic What It's Like To Move Into Dorms Amid The Pandemic Listen · 4:08 4:08
Kelsey Lawrence, an incoming freshman from Atlanta, makes her way up the hill to Russell Hall, a mostly freshman dorm that can house about 1,000 students. She's pushing a luggage cart piled high with clothes and shoes. "I probably won't have enough space for all of it," she says, "but I'm going to try."
She elects to have her father and sister go inside with her, which leaves her mother, Vanessa Lawrence, outside. Mom is feeling good about the reopening; she packed up medicine and snacks, in case Kelsey gets sick. Having her daughter away at college gives Vanessa comfort, she says. Kelsey will get better access to testing and health care on campus than back home, plus there's less risk for the rest of the family if she decides to be social and gets exposed.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
And Vanessa is pretty sure many of the college students streaming by her aren't going to follow the social distancing rules. "Am I going to be up all night tonight? Yeah I'm going to be honest about that," she says. But then again, she thinks she probably won't sleep well again until Kelsey graduates.
Down in the parking lot across from Russell, Ebony Coleman is waiting with her extended family — grandmothers, twin brothers, parents – all here to move Ebony's daughter Kyndal, a freshman, into her dorm. "Everybody helped her get to this day," says Coleman.
The University of Georgia has always been Kyndal's dream since she was little, Ebony tells us. "I'm feeling emotional," she says, "I haven't cried yet, but I probably will."
Is Ebony afraid of moving her daughter in during a pandemic? Sure, she's nervous. She even packed Kyndal a quarantine go-bag. "Like a first-aid kit," with non-perishable food items like chicken broth. She read about the idea on a mom Facebook group. But despite the fears, today is a big moment for the family: Her baby girl is going to college.
Classes start Thursday
Across campus, associate professor Jon Swindler walks through the art building — the hallways and rooms here would normally be bustling this time of year, but today they're are empty. He has been prepping the studios for the first day of in-person in-person classes on Thursday. Faculty and staff have been working for months to come up with creative solutions for how teaching studio art with masks and social distancing.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
"We looked at a lot of different options," Swindler says, "You know, we even were looking into the possibility of holding class in a parking garage." They decided against that idea, but they have set up a painting class with easels outside, near a green area behind the building. Inside, Swindler opens a drawing studio that usually fits 18 students; today it's been set up with just six stations.
Faculty recorded demonstrations on video this summer to cut down on in-person demos when students return to campus.
Even with all this prep, Swindler is apprehensive about the fall semester: "There's just so much unknown still."
Education Move-In Day: Cornavirus Reshapes The College Experience Move-In Day: Cornavirus Reshapes The College Experience Listen · 4:56 4:56
He stresses the value of learning in-person when it comes to art. "That moment when a student thinks that they've made a mistake or they think that something went wrong. And you're like, 'Hey, stop, let's look at this,' " he says. Those moments are where the real learning happens — "really important moments in the studio that make being in-person in art school really important."
Pushback to in-person
The plan to reopen the University of Georgia and hold in-person classes has been met with serious dissent from faculty. In early August, students and staff held a "die-in" to protest the reopening.
A major critique has been how the university plans to use coronavirus testing. There is currently a mass testing site on a field on campus that anticipates running about 300 tests a day, all voluntary.
According to Dr. Shelley Nuss, who is helping to implement campus reopening, there is a plan to make the operation more randomized to better screen the campus for COVID-19, but that plan is still in the works. "Both self-selected and randomly selected individuals will have access to free testing," according to a spokesperson from the university. "Testing will always be voluntary."
Financial pressures are also at play in the University of Georgia, where room and board bring in necessary revenue.
"If we were to move fully online, there is no question that there would have to be layoffs," Jere Morehead, the university's president is quoted as saying in the student paper, The Red & Black.
UGA is not the first large public university that's been down this road. On Monday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reversed its plan to hold in-person classes after multiple coronavirus clusters surfaced on campus. Students at UNC are beginning the move-out process, just two weeks after they moved in.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
And the University of Notre Dame also halted in-person classes after a steady rise of positive cases, many linked to off-campus gatherings where students weren't wearing masks or social distancing.
The University of Georgia hasn't released a threshold for when it would shut down and transition online.
"Of course it's been discussed," Dr. Nuss told NPR, "but it's very complicated." Some questions that might factor into the decision: "Are we out of our own isolation beds? How many pockets are in dorms, versus not? There's probably 20 or 30 different things."
The wild card
All of the efforts on campus may be for naught, though, when night falls and students head off campus to party.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR Elissa Nadworny/NPR
On Monday night at around 11 p.m., the bar strip in downtown Athens was overflowing with students, most not wearing masks. In an effort to control the number of people packed inside, bars were enforcing capacity limits. That meant the lines outside were long and rowdy, with students reuniting after months away. There were hugs and students talking together closely, certainly not social distancing.
Ultimately, it seems the success of the college's reopening plan will be decided on a packed sidewalk, a dark bar or an off-campus party.
Vanessa Lawrence, who dropped her daughter Kelsey off at Russell Hall, is well aware of how things might play out. When she and her husband left, she told her daughter to be prepared for campus to shut down. "Don't worry," she said, "if it happens, we'll be here to pick you up."
Lauren Migaki contributed to this report.


npr--2020-08-19--How Feds Decide On Remdesivir Shipments To States Remains Mysterious

How Feds Decide On Remdesivir Shipments To States Remains Mysterious By the second week in July , COVID-19 cases in North Carolina were climbing fast .
With nearly 19,000 diagnoses over the previous two weeks , only five states recorded more new coronavirus cases than North Carolina did .
`` Today is our highest day of hospitalizations and our second-highest day of cases , '' Gov .
Roy Cooper , a Democrat , announced on July 9 , standing behind a podium in the state 's Emergency Operations Center .
`` Please continue to treat the virus like the deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the few treatment options for patients seriously ill with COVID-19 is the antiviral drug remdesivir .
Authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in May for emergency use in the pandemic , remdesivir is in short supply .
The federal government has taken on the responsibility for deciding where vials of the medicine should go .
Between July 6 and July 19 , the federal Department of Health and Human Services allocated shipments of remdesivir to 31 states .
North Carolina was n't one of them .
`` We then very suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next supply , '' said Cameron Wolfe , an infectious disease physician at Duke University Medical Center , adding that other hospitals in the state were equally shocked .
`` We all had supplies that we could see were being used and would basically run out around the same time . ''
Things appeared to have gotten better since the early days of remdesivir distribution in May when hospitals seemingly got their remdesivir allocation at random .
But doctors around the country say they still do n't fully understand HHS ' system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dig into federal data to understand how the government was making its decisions about remdesivir , but only a few of the data points used in the allocation process are public .
Still , NPR has learned that some states , such as North Carolina , appear to have at times been allocated insufficient amounts of remdesivir , while others were offered more than they needed .
Each week in July and early August , some states and territories were earmarked less remdesivir than they were offered the week before or none @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was trending upward , an NPR analysis found .
Meanwhile , some states were allocated enough remdesivir to treat every hospitalized COVID-19 patient more than once that week .
In the first full week of August , HHS allocated enough remdesivir to Vermont for it to treat all of its hospitalized COVID-19 patients nearly six times , according to an analysis of HHS allocation and estimated hospitalization data , using a standard five-day course of the drug .
HHS said it offered Vermont enough remdesivir for 51 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraction '' of its hospitalized COVID-19 patients the previous week , when it made the determination .
But according to HHS data , Vermont has n't had more than 19 estimated patients battling the coronavirus in the hospital on any one day since July 1 .
When asked about this , an HHS spokesperson explained that there were many more additional `` suspected '' cases that it took into consideration but they are n't included in the estimates available in the public dataset .
Still , Vermont 's open data portal indicates that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the week before HHS offered it enough remdesivir to treat 51 people .
Even with suspected cases factored in , Vermont 's tally of hospitalized COVID-cases did n't go above 20 .
Tim Stetson , who leads Vermont 's medical logistics team , said he is n't so sure about the HHS spokesperson 's tally of remdesivir hospitalizations in his state .
`` Fifty-one for a single period of time just seems like a really big number , '' he said .
He explained that the state has turned down all HHS allocations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had plenty of the drug left over from when it received donated cases allocated by HHS in May and June .
Earlier in the pandemic , Gilead pledged to donate its initial supply of 1.5 million remdesivir doses .
When the inventory ran out , the company announced a price of $ 520 per vial at the end of June .
Since then , the federal government secured nearly all of Gilead 's commercial remdesivir supply through September , and is continuing to determine allocation to states .
In a clinical study , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 patients by four days .
A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health recommends that limited supplies of remdesivir be prioritized for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who need supplemental oxygen , not including patients who require `` high-flow oxygen , noninvasive ventilation , mechanical ventilation , or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation .
... '' Heather Pierce , senior director for science policy and regulatory counsel of the Association of American Medical Colleges , said she thinks HHS is allocating remdesivir `` with the best of intentions . ''
But a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to submit data properly to HHS could cause mismatches between remdesivir allocations and need .
`` It 's both a relative success story and also a cautionary tale , '' she said .
`` By August of 2020 , we should be very , very good at this and we 're not . ''
Back in North Carolina , the state health department was baffled .
`` We had thought , based on our COVID data , we would receive an allocation , but always knew a zero allocation was a possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman , told NPR in an email .
State officials acted fast to let hospitals know there was no remdesivir on the way , and that they 'd have to rely on what remained of their previously donated remdesivir .
When they asked a regional HHS coordinator why they did n't get an allocation for the week , they did n't get an answer .
`` The state was told that the decisions were coming directly from the White House Task Force and that the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Ellis wrote .
Maybe the data North Carolina entered did n't make it into the new reporting system , they thought .
But a meeting in the middle of the month told them their data went into the HHS system just fine , according to Ellis .
The state still does n't know what happened , but it got an allocation the following week .
For its part , an HHS spokesperson told NPR in an email that the agency did n't skip an allocation for North Carolina despite its data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remdesivir during the first week of commercial allocation in early July .
The spokesperson said HHS has no outstanding questions from the state .
Sometimes a skipped allocation makes sense .
A state that received excess remdesivir might get skipped in future rounds .
Illinois already had so much unused remdesivir from when HHS was allocated donated doses in May and June , that HHS skipped it for allocation three weeks in a row in July , even though the state had more new COVID-19 diagnoses than 38 other states during that time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our case rate was coming down very aggressively , and yet we kept getting large allocations of drugs that we did n't need , '' said Michael Ison of Northwestern University in Evanston , Ill. , an infectious disease physician who is involved in remdesivir research .
`` And when you 're not paying for it , of course , you 'll take it , put it in storage and whatnot . ''
Officials from Illinois did not return NPR 's request for comment .
HHS said that its methodology for determining how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed on July 15 .
Before then , allocations were based on the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a state compared with the rest of the country .
Now the determination also includes data on new hospital admissions .
These data are n't publicly available , however .
Asked why HHS does n't make public all data and formulas used to determine allocation , a spokesperson said that `` any entity that plays a role in the allocation or distribution of remdesivir , '' including health departments , can have access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary for preparedness and response also do weekly calls with state health officials and national health care associations , so they can ask questions .
But that leaves a lot of people out of the loop .
`` The information that 's being used to make those determinations is not equally accessible to all , '' said Pierce of the Association of American Medical Colleges .
`` So while this is the most clarity that we have on any aspect of this pandemic , the bar is not very high on these issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though Illinois was n't short of remdesivir , he wonders about the implications of having excess vials of the drug .
Does it sit in storage while a hospital elsewhere is running out of its supply for the week , which reportedly happened last month in Florida and Texas ?
`` I do n't know that we can say they 're doing a good job , '' he said .
`` I do n't know that we have the data . ''
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists surveyed hospital pharmacists at 112 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third of them did n't have enough remdesivir to treat all their `` eligible '' COVID-19 patients .
And 3 % said they completely exhausted their supply .
Still , HHS seems to be getting better at allocation , said Michael Ganio , senior director of pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists .
The shift to looking at new COVID-19 hospital admissions , for instance , puts less weight on the number of patients on ventilators for whom remdesivir is now considered less beneficial .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since early May .
But he said the same issues could crop up again .
`` I would say keep us on speed dial , because we 're going to be repeating this all over again with the vaccine , '' he said .
You can contact NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin at slupkin @ npr.org .

How Feds Decide On Remdesivir Shipments To States Remains Mysterious
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ulrich Perrey/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Ulrich Perrey/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
By the second week in July, COVID-19 cases in North Carolina were climbing fast.
With nearly 19,000 diagnoses over the previous two weeks, only five states recorded more new coronavirus cases than North Carolina did.
"Today is our highest day of hospitalizations and our second-highest day of cases," Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, announced on July 9, standing behind a podium in the state's Emergency Operations Center. "Please continue to treat the virus like the deadly threat that it is."
One of the few treatment options for patients seriously ill with COVID-19 is the antiviral drug remdesivir. Authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in May for emergency use in the pandemic, remdesivir is in short supply. The federal government has taken on the responsibility for deciding where vials of the medicine should go.
Between July 6 and July 19, the federal Department of Health and Human Services allocated shipments of remdesivir to 31 states.
North Carolina wasn't one of them.
Loading...
"We then very suddenly heard that we were getting none on the next supply," said Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease physician at Duke University Medical Center, adding that other hospitals in the state were equally shocked. "We all had supplies that we could see were being used and would basically run out around the same time."
Things appeared to have gotten better since the early days of remdesivir distribution in May when hospitals seemingly got their remdesivir allocation at random. But doctors around the country say they still don't fully understand HHS' system for distributing the drug.
NPR attempted to dig into federal data to understand how the government was making its decisions about remdesivir, but only a few of the data points used in the allocation process are public. Still, NPR has learned that some states, such as North Carolina, appear to have at times been allocated insufficient amounts of remdesivir, while others were offered more than they needed.
Loading...
Each week in July and early August, some states and territories were earmarked less remdesivir than they were offered the week before or none at all, even as their number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was trending upward, an NPR analysis found. Meanwhile, some states were allocated enough remdesivir to treat every hospitalized COVID-19 patient more than once that week.
In the first full week of August, HHS allocated enough remdesivir to Vermont for it to treat all of its hospitalized COVID-19 patients nearly six times, according to an analysis of HHS allocation and estimated hospitalization data, using a standard five-day course of the drug.
HHS said it offered Vermont enough remdesivir for 51 patients that week, representing "only a fraction" of its hospitalized COVID-19 patients the previous week, when it made the determination. But according to HHS data, Vermont hasn't had more than 19 estimated patients battling the coronavirus in the hospital on any one day since July 1. When asked about this, an HHS spokesperson explained that there were many more additional "suspected" cases that it took into consideration but they aren't included in the estimates available in the public dataset.
Still, Vermont's open data portal indicates that confirmed cases were in the single digits the week before HHS offered it enough remdesivir to treat 51 people. Even with suspected cases factored in, Vermont's tally of hospitalized COVID-cases didn't go above 20.
Tim Stetson, who leads Vermont's medical logistics team, said he isn't so sure about the HHS spokesperson's tally of remdesivir hospitalizations in his state. "Fifty-one for a single period of time just seems like a really big number," he said. He explained that the state has turned down all HHS allocations of remdesivir since early July because it had plenty of the drug left over from when it received donated cases allocated by HHS in May and June.
Earlier in the pandemic, Gilead pledged to donate its initial supply of 1.5 million remdesivir doses. When the inventory ran out, the company announced a price of $520 per vial at the end of June. Since then, the federal government secured nearly all of Gilead's commercial remdesivir supply through September, and is continuing to determine allocation to states.
In a clinical study, remedesivir shortened hospital stays for seriously ill COVID-19 patients by four days. A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health recommends that limited supplies of remdesivir be prioritized for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who need supplemental oxygen, not including patients who require "high-flow oxygen, noninvasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ..."
Heather Pierce, senior director for science policy and regulatory counsel of the Association of American Medical Colleges, said she thinks HHS is allocating remdesivir "with the best of intentions." But a lack of overall transparency and confusion surrounding how to submit data properly to HHS could cause mismatches between remdesivir allocations and need.
"It's both a relative success story and also a cautionary tale," she said. "By August of 2020, we should be very, very good at this and we're not."
Back in North Carolina, the state health department was baffled.
"We had thought, based on our COVID data, we would receive an allocation, but always knew a zero allocation was a possibility," Amy Ellis, a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman, told NPR in an email.
State officials acted fast to let hospitals know there was no remdesivir on the way, and that they'd have to rely on what remained of their previously donated remdesivir. When they asked a regional HHS coordinator why they didn't get an allocation for the week, they didn't get an answer. "The state was told that the decisions were coming directly from the White House Task Force and that the question would be passed up to that team," Ellis wrote.
Maybe the data North Carolina entered didn't make it into the new reporting system, they thought. But a meeting in the middle of the month told them their data went into the HHS system just fine, according to Ellis. The state still doesn't know what happened, but it got an allocation the following week.
For its part, an HHS spokesperson told NPR in an email that the agency didn't skip an allocation for North Carolina despite its data showing the state wasn't offered any remdesivir during the first week of commercial allocation in early July. The spokesperson said HHS has no outstanding questions from the state.
Sometimes a skipped allocation makes sense. A state that received excess remdesivir might get skipped in future rounds. Illinois already had so much unused remdesivir from when HHS was allocated donated doses in May and June, that HHS skipped it for allocation three weeks in a row in July, even though the state had more new COVID-19 diagnoses than 38 other states during that time.
"We had several weeks where our case rate was coming down very aggressively, and yet we kept getting large allocations of drugs that we didn't need," said Michael Ison of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., an infectious disease physician who is involved in remdesivir research. "And when you're not paying for it, of course, you'll take it, put it in storage and whatnot."
Officials from Illinois did not return NPR's request for comment.
HHS said that its methodology for determining how much remdesivir to allocate to each state changed on July 15. Before then, allocations were based on the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a state compared with the rest of the country. Now the determination also includes data on new hospital admissions. These data aren't publicly available, however.
Asked why HHS doesn't make public all data and formulas used to determine allocation, a spokesperson said that "any entity that plays a role in the allocation or distribution of remdesivir," including health departments, can have access to the data. HHS and the assistant secretary for preparedness and response also do weekly calls with state health officials and national health care associations, so they can ask questions.
But that leaves a lot of people out of the loop.
"The information that's being used to make those determinations is not equally accessible to all," said Pierce of the Association of American Medical Colleges. "So while this is the most clarity that we have on any aspect of this pandemic, the bar is not very high on these issues."
Northwestern's Ison said even though Illinois wasn't short of remdesivir, he wonders about the implications of having excess vials of the drug. Does it sit in storage while a hospital elsewhere is running out of its supply for the week, which reportedly happened last month in Florida and Texas?
"I don't know that we can say they're doing a good job," he said. "I don't know that we have the data."
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists surveyed hospital pharmacists at 112 hospitals in early July and found that a third of them didn't have enough remdesivir to treat all their "eligible" COVID-19 patients. And 3% said they completely exhausted their supply.
Still, HHS seems to be getting better at allocation, said Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The shift to looking at new COVID-19 hospital admissions, for instance, puts less weight on the number of patients on ventilators for whom remdesivir is now considered less beneficial. He said he hasn't heard complaints about allocation since early May.
But he said the same issues could crop up again.
"I would say keep us on speed dial, because we're going to be repeating this all over again with the vaccine," he said.
You can contact NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin at slupkin@npr.org.


npr--2020-08-19--Trump, While Attacking Mail Voting, Casts Mail Ballot Again

President Trump cast a vote-by-mail ballot in Florida this week after months of questioning the security of the method of voting , and in doing so he returned it to election officials using a technique many Republicans say should be illegal .
The way Trump voted shows how he 's had to walk a fine line , and often tweak his language around voting , to adjust for political realities and his own behavior .
Trump submitted the Florida primary ballot by giving it to a third party to return , a spokesperson for the Palm Beach elections supervisor confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ derisively refer to sending in a ballot this way as `` ballot harvesting , '' and it 's something Trump has criticized .
`` GET RID OF BALLOT HARVESTING , IT IS RAMPANT WITH FRAUD , '' he tweeted in April .
House Republicans recently introduced a bill to force states ( which are generally allowed to establish their own rules around voting ) to make the practice of turning in a nonfamily member 's ballot illegal .
Democrats , who often refer to the practice as `` community ballot collection , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populations — one person turning in all the ballots for a nursing home or housing complex , for instance .
They are suing to allow it in a number of states as part of a legal battle to make voting rules more flexible across the country in response to the pandemic .
Voting experts are split about third parties returning ballots .
Some administrators argue that if an elections office offers things that make returning a ballot easier such as prepaid ballot postage and ballot drop boxes , then third-party ballot collection need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's fair and reasonable to limit the number of ballots one person can turn in , as many states do .
The largest case of election fraud in recent U.S. history took place during the 2018 midterm elections and involved third-party ballot collection .
A GOP operative illegally collected and potentially tampered with ballots in a U.S. House race in North Carolina , eventually leading state authorities to overturn the election results .
Amid fears of slowed-down mail service , Trump 's use of a third party to turn in his ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who point out that the practice allows voters to avoid using the mail for ballot return but can still be convenient and secure in some cases .
`` Donald Trump votes by mail but does n't want you to .
If it 's good enough for him , it 's good enough for us , '' tweeted Kamala Harris , the Democrats ' vice presidential nominee , last week .
More broadly , it 's another example of Trump or someone in his orbit using a ballot they received in the mail ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an article this summer .
The American Civil Liberties Union launched an ad campaign Wednesday highlighting how Trump and members of his administration have voted by mail while fighting efforts to expand the practice for others .
In the earlier days of the pandemic , the Trump administration sought to push back against all expansions of voting by mail , arguing that people should need an excuse to vote using a mail or absentee ballot .
`` I think there 's a range of concerns about mail-in ballots , '' Attorney General @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NPR in June .
`` I 'm not talking about a mail-in ballot for a limited number of cases where somebody , you know , is going to be traveling around the world , and the way that the state has provided for that is , you mail in your ballot . ''
But Florida , where Trump cast a ballot this week , describes its system as a `` vote-by-mail '' system , and it has not required an excuse for anyone to vote that way for nearly 20 years .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the older , whiter parts of the electorate , and whose mail ballots have traditionally been accepted at higher rates than nonwhite voters .
However , this year is different , perhaps due to Trump 's rhetoric around voting , University of Florida political science professor Michael McDonald said .
`` The numbers in Florida really are eye-popping , '' McDonald said .
`` We have at this point in time , registered Democrats outpacing the registered Republicans in mail ballot requests by over 660,000 ballot requests . ''
North Carolina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story , with registered Democrats requesting triple the number of mail ballots that Republicans have .
Trump has tried to reverse course over the past month , saying that voters should feel confident voting using the mail in both states .
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said this week that Trump only has an issue with the handful of states that are proactively sending ballots to all registered voters without first making them request the ballots .
New Jersey became the latest state to announce it would mail ballots to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Trump campaign Tuesday night .
`` The distinction Trump is drawing between absentee balloting and 'universal mail-ins ' in terms of the potential for fraud is nonsensical , '' tweeted Rick Hasen , a political science professor at the University of California , Irvine .
And it 's also unclear if the message is getting through to Republican voters .
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll out this week found that 11 % of Trump 's supporters plan to vote by mail this fall .

Trump, While Attacking Mail Voting, Casts Mail Ballot Again
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump cast a vote-by-mail ballot in Florida this week after months of questioning the security of the method of voting, and in doing so he returned it to election officials using a technique many Republicans say should be illegal.
The way Trump voted shows how he's had to walk a fine line, and often tweak his language around voting, to adjust for political realities and his own behavior.
Trump submitted the Florida primary ballot by giving it to a third party to return, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach elections supervisor confirmed to NPR on Wednesday. Republicans often derisively refer to sending in a ballot this way as "ballot harvesting," and it's something Trump has criticized.
"GET RID OF BALLOT HARVESTING, IT IS RAMPANT WITH FRAUD," he tweeted in April.
House Republicans recently introduced a bill to force states (which are generally allowed to establish their own rules around voting) to make the practice of turning in a nonfamily member's ballot illegal.
Democrats, who often refer to the practice as "community ballot collection," mostly see it as helpful for vulnerable populations — one person turning in all the ballots for a nursing home or housing complex, for instance. They are suing to allow it in a number of states as part of a legal battle to make voting rules more flexible across the country in response to the pandemic.
Voting experts are split about third parties returning ballots.
Some administrators argue that if an elections office offers things that make returning a ballot easier such as prepaid ballot postage and ballot drop boxes, then third-party ballot collection needn't be banned. Others argue that it's fair and reasonable to limit the number of ballots one person can turn in, as many states do.
The largest case of election fraud in recent U.S. history took place during the 2018 midterm elections and involved third-party ballot collection. A GOP operative illegally collected and potentially tampered with ballots in a U.S. House race in North Carolina, eventually leading state authorities to overturn the election results.
Amid fears of slowed-down mail service, Trump's use of a third party to turn in his ballot will surely be used by Democrats, who point out that the practice allows voters to avoid using the mail for ballot return but can still be convenient and secure in some cases.
"Donald Trump votes by mail but doesn't want you to. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us," tweeted Kamala Harris, the Democrats' vice presidential nominee, last week.
More broadly, it's another example of Trump or someone in his orbit using a ballot they received in the mail; The Washington Post counted 16 such instances in an article this summer. The American Civil Liberties Union launched an ad campaign Wednesday highlighting how Trump and members of his administration have voted by mail while fighting efforts to expand the practice for others.
YouTube
Changing tactics
In the earlier days of the pandemic, the Trump administration sought to push back against all expansions of voting by mail, arguing that people should need an excuse to vote using a mail or absentee ballot.
"I think there's a range of concerns about mail-in ballots," Attorney General William Barr said in an interview with NPR in June. "I'm not talking about a mail-in ballot for a limited number of cases where somebody, you know, is going to be traveling around the world, and the way that the state has provided for that is, you mail in your ballot."
But Florida, where Trump cast a ballot this week, describes its system as a "vote-by-mail" system, and it has not required an excuse for anyone to vote that way for nearly 20 years. Republicans there have long depended on mail votes from the older, whiter parts of the electorate, and whose mail ballots have traditionally been accepted at higher rates than nonwhite voters.
However, this year is different, perhaps due to Trump's rhetoric around voting, University of Florida political science professor Michael McDonald said.
"The numbers in Florida really are eye-popping," McDonald said. "We have at this point in time, registered Democrats outpacing the registered Republicans in mail ballot requests by over 660,000 ballot requests."
North Carolina, another battleground state, shows a similar story, with registered Democrats requesting triple the number of mail ballots that Republicans have.
Trump has tried to reverse course over the past month, saying that voters should feel confident voting using the mail in both states. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said this week that Trump only has an issue with the handful of states that are proactively sending ballots to all registered voters without first making them request the ballots.
New Jersey became the latest state to announce it would mail ballots to all registered voters, quickly drawing a lawsuit from the Trump campaign Tuesday night.
"The distinction Trump is drawing between absentee balloting and 'universal mail-ins' in terms of the potential for fraud is nonsensical," tweeted Rick Hasen, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine.
And it's also unclear if the message is getting through to Republican voters. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll out this week found that 11% of Trump's supporters plan to vote by mail this fall.


npr--2020-08-19--100,000 Evacuated As Massive Flooding In China Threatens Ancient Giant Buddha Statue

Heavy seasonal rainfall , which has caused the worst flooding in decades across China 's interior , forced officials at the Three Gorges Dam on Wednesday to open all 10 spillways for the first-time ever in an effort to control rising water on a reservoir along the Yangtze River .
Since June , China has been battling a series of devastating floods , stretching from the country 's southwestern interior to its east coast .
Officials are calling it the worst since 1981 , with estimates of $ 25 billion worth of damage and the displacement of millions of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday raised the emergency response in hardest-hit Sichuan province to its highest level , according to China Global Television Network .
The People 's Daily newspaper said the Three Gorges reservoir is seeing inflow of 72,000 cubic meters ( nearly 20 million gallons ) per second , the highest level since the reservoir was opened in 2003 , the ministry said , with more water expected in coming days .
About 100,000 people have been evacuated in Sichuan .
Authorities reportedly dispatched helicopters to rescue those stranded by the rising waters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where the Min and Dadu rivers join , the flooding lapped at the toes of the Leshan Giant Buddha statue — a major tourist attraction in the region .
The 8th-century statue , carved out of a sandstone cliff face , is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
It 's the first time water has reached the statue 's toes since 1949 , the same year as the communist victory that created the People 's Republic of China .
Police , volunteers and staff at the statue , located outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold the flood waters back from the the 71-meter ( 233-foot ) tall landmark , CCTV reported .
The Three Gorges Dam , part of a massive hydroelectric project completed in 2003 , was meant to tame Yangtze flooding .
However , its reservoir lake has been 10 meters ( 32 feet ) above its critical flood level for more than a month , according to Reuters .
Meanwhile , Hong Kong and Macau had been bracing for Typhoon Higos , which looked to have southern China in its sights .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typhoon warning on Wednesday as the storm moved away from the city .
China 's state media also reported recently that landslides backed up a river in Gansu province at the city of Longnan , trapping 48 people on rooftops .

100,000 Evacuated As Massive Flooding In China Threatens Ancient Giant Buddha Statue
Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images
Heavy seasonal rainfall, which has caused the worst flooding in decades across China's interior, forced officials at the Three Gorges Dam on Wednesday to open all 10 spillways for the first-time ever in an effort to control rising water on a reservoir along the Yangtze River.
Since June, China has been battling a series of devastating floods, stretching from the country's southwestern interior to its east coast. Officials are calling it the worst since 1981, with estimates of $25 billion worth of damage and the displacement of millions of people.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Enlarge this image toggle caption Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
China's Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday raised the emergency response in hardest-hit Sichuan province to its highest level, according to China Global Television Network.
The People's Daily newspaper said the Three Gorges reservoir is seeing inflow of 72,000 cubic meters (nearly 20 million gallons) per second, the highest level since the reservoir was opened in 2003, the ministry said, with more water expected in coming days.
Three Gorges Dam opened all 10 spillways to lower the flood crest on Wed as the inbound flow of water rose to 72,000 cubic meters per second, the largest inbound flow since the dam was built. pic.twitter.com/RYlYEVoWGy — People's Daily, China (@PDChina) August 19, 2020
About 100,000 people have been evacuated in Sichuan. Authorities reportedly dispatched helicopters to rescue those stranded by the rising waters.
In the southern part of the province, where the Min and Dadu rivers join, the flooding lapped at the toes of the Leshan Giant Buddha statue — a major tourist attraction in the region. The 8th-century statue, carved out of a sandstone cliff face, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's the first time water has reached the statue's toes since 1949, the same year as the communist victory that created the People's Republic of China.
Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images
Police, volunteers and staff at the statue, located outside Chengdu, stacked sandbags in an effort to hold the flood waters back from the the 71-meter (233-foot) tall landmark, CCTV reported.
The Three Gorges Dam, part of a massive hydroelectric project completed in 2003, was meant to tame Yangtze flooding. However, its reservoir lake has been 10 meters (32 feet) above its critical flood level for more than a month, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Macau had been bracing for Typhoon Higos, which looked to have southern China in its sights. However, Hong Kong's Observatory cancelled its typhoon warning on Wednesday as the storm moved away from the city.
China's state media also reported recently that landslides backed up a river in Gansu province at the city of Longnan, trapping 48 people on rooftops.


npr--2020-08-19--1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started. Women Are Affected Most

1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started .
Women Are Affected Most Of the many sectors of the American economy slammed by the coronavirus pandemic , the businesses and individuals who provide child care to an estimated 12 million children under age 5 are among the hardest hit .
According to a report released Wednesday , more than 1 out of 5 of the nearly 1 million people employed in the U.S. as child care providers in February have lost their jobs .
Women account for 95 % of the child care workforce , so they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs especially hard , according to the report from the National Women 's Law Center .
And the women working as child care providers are 2 1/2 times more likely than in the overall workforce to be either Black or Latina , according to the center .
Congress provided $ 3.5 billion in April to help shore up the child care industry , whose annual revenues are estimated by the Conference Board to be $ 47.2 billion , as part of the coronavirus rescue package .
But a group of nearly 500 state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps , it is not nearly enough .
`` Closures critical to preventing the spread of the virus , some mandated by states , and some reflective of educators ' and parents ' difficult decisions , have left tens of thousands of child care providers without the means to pay their basic operating expenses , '' the group wrote congressional leaders in April .
`` At the same time , '' they added , `` some providers are risking their own health to provide care for the children of essential personnel , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ store workers and first responders , who simply can not continue their critical work on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic without this care . ''
The National Women 's Law Center also noted that day cares attempting to stay open during the pandemic have additional costs related to cleaning , personal protective gear and the finding of substitutes if caregivers get sick .
They 're also often caring for fewer children to maintain social distancing .
The group told the lawmakers an infusion of $ 50 billion would be needed to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October .
Workforce survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the number of women working as child care providers dropped from about 972,600 in February to 622,300 in April .
Although by June — the latest month reported — that number had risen to 725,200 , it still represented a loss of nearly a quarter million jobs for women during the pandemic .
The nearly 20 % drop in child care employment compares with about an 8 % drop in the overall number of working Americans .
Well before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care providers were already among the lowest-paid workers in the U.S. economy .
More than 1 out of 10 live below the poverty line — double the rate for workers in the overall economy — and barely a quarter of them have employer-sponsored health insurance , according to the National Women 's Law Center .

1 In 5 Child Care Jobs Were Lost Since Pandemic Started. Women Are Affected Most
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP
Of the many sectors of the American economy slammed by the coronavirus pandemic, the businesses and individuals who provide child care to an estimated 12 million children under age 5 are among the hardest hit.
According to a report released Wednesday, more than 1 out of 5 of the nearly 1 million people employed in the U.S. as child care providers in February have lost their jobs.
Women account for 95% of the child care workforce, so they have felt the impact of those lost jobs especially hard, according to the report from the National Women's Law Center.
And the women working as child care providers are 2 1/2 times more likely than in the overall workforce to be either Black or Latina, according to the center.
Congress provided $3.5 billion in April to help shore up the child care industry, whose annual revenues are estimated by the Conference Board to be $47.2 billion, as part of the coronavirus rescue package.
But a group of nearly 500 state and national organizations says while that assistance helps, it is not nearly enough.
"Closures critical to preventing the spread of the virus, some mandated by states, and some reflective of educators' and parents' difficult decisions, have left tens of thousands of child care providers without the means to pay their basic operating expenses," the group wrote congressional leaders in April.
"At the same time," they added, "some providers are risking their own health to provide care for the children of essential personnel, including medical professionals, delivery drivers, grocery store workers and first responders, who simply cannot continue their critical work on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic without this care."
The National Women's Law Center also noted that day cares attempting to stay open during the pandemic have additional costs related to cleaning, personal protective gear and the finding of substitutes if caregivers get sick. They're also often caring for fewer children to maintain social distancing.
The group told the lawmakers an infusion of $50 billion would be needed to prevent additional closures of child care centers through October.
Workforce survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the number of women working as child care providers dropped from about 972,600 in February to 622,300 in April. Although by June — the latest month reported — that number had risen to 725,200, it still represented a loss of nearly a quarter million jobs for women during the pandemic.
The nearly 20% drop in child care employment compares with about an 8% drop in the overall number of working Americans.
Well before the arrival of the coronavirus, child care providers were already among the lowest-paid workers in the U.S. economy. More than 1 out of 10 live below the poverty line — double the rate for workers in the overall economy — and barely a quarter of them have employer-sponsored health insurance, according to the National Women's Law Center.


npr--2020-08-19--NYC Teachers Union 'Prepared To Strike' If Safety Demands Are Not Met

NYC Teachers Union 'Prepared To Strike ' If Safety Demands Are Not Met New York City , the largest school district in the country with 1.1 million students , is also the only big-city school district planning to open its doors to students — albeit on a hybrid schedule with virtual learning — on time this fall .
But at a press conference Wednesday , the president of the city 's largest teachers union said the mayor needs to make major changes to meet the union 's criteria for safe reopening .
`` We do n't believe it is possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Michael Mulgrew , president of United Federation of Teachers , whose members include about 75,000 of the city 's teachers , as well as other school staff .
If schools do open , he warned , `` It might be one of the biggest debacles in the history of the city . ''
Once an epicenter of the pandemic , New York City has seen cases remain low since the beginning of June , and fewer than 1 % of coronavirus tests have been coming back positive in recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who appeared at the UFT 's press conference , have affirmed that community spread is low enough in the region to match countries in Europe and Asia where schools have reopened — with hygiene and social distancing in place — without spurring coronavirus spikes .
However , a growing chorus of voices including the city 's principals union have been asking for a delay because of `` basic , but vital questions '' about reopening .
The concerns include repairs to building ventilation , the availability of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press conference , the UFT reiterated these concerns .
They said that a task force of over 100 union members would be personally visiting schools to check on stockpiles of supplies , entry and exit procedures , and other items on a three-page safety checklist sent out during the press conference .
Mulgrew also called for testing all students and staff members no more than 10 days before the start of school .
Those who test positive for antibodies could be presumed to have some continuing immunity , he said , while others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finally , Mulgrew wants to see enhanced contact tracing such that members of a school community could be reached and told to quarantine within 24 hours of a positive test result .
Los Angeles Unified , the nation 's second-largest school district , which is starting the year remotely , announced a pilot plan earlier this week to test all students and provide contact tracing using its own staff .
If these demands are not met and school buildings open on Sept. 10 , Mulgrew said , `` the union is prepared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we need to . ''
In New York state , the Taylor Law means stiff penalties for public employees who strike .
`` Union receiving penalties , I go to jail , all of that , '' Mulgrew said .
`` We 'll do it if we have to . ''

NYC Teachers Union 'Prepared To Strike' If Safety Demands Are Not Met
Enlarge this image toggle caption Richard Drew/AP Richard Drew/AP
New York City, the largest school district in the country with 1.1 million students, is also the only big-city school district planning to open its doors to students — albeit on a hybrid schedule with virtual learning — on time this fall. But at a press conference Wednesday, the president of the city's largest teachers union said the mayor needs to make major changes to meet the union's criteria for safe reopening.
"We don't believe it is possible for schools to open on Sept. 10," said Michael Mulgrew, president of United Federation of Teachers, whose members include about 75,000 of the city's teachers, as well as other school staff.
If schools do open, he warned, "It might be one of the biggest debacles in the history of the city."
Once an epicenter of the pandemic, New York City has seen cases remain low since the beginning of June, and fewer than 1% of coronavirus tests have been coming back positive in recent days. Public health experts, including some who appeared at the UFT's press conference, have affirmed that community spread is low enough in the region to match countries in Europe and Asia where schools have reopened — with hygiene and social distancing in place — without spurring coronavirus spikes.
However, a growing chorus of voices including the city's principals union have been asking for a delay because of "basic, but vital questions" about reopening. The concerns include repairs to building ventilation, the availability of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, and staffing.
In Wednesday's press conference, the UFT reiterated these concerns. They said that a task force of over 100 union members would be personally visiting schools to check on stockpiles of supplies, entry and exit procedures, and other items on a three-page safety checklist sent out during the press conference.
Mulgrew also called for testing all students and staff members no more than 10 days before the start of school. Those who test positive for antibodies could be presumed to have some continuing immunity, he said, while others would need to be retested regularly.
Finally, Mulgrew wants to see enhanced contact tracing such that members of a school community could be reached and told to quarantine within 24 hours of a positive test result. Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district, which is starting the year remotely, announced a pilot plan earlier this week to test all students and provide contact tracing using its own staff.
If these demands are not met and school buildings open on Sept. 10, Mulgrew said, "the union is prepared to go to court and/or go on strike if we need to."
In New York state, the Taylor Law means stiff penalties for public employees who strike.
"Union receiving penalties, I go to jail, all of that," Mulgrew said. "We'll do it if we have to."


npr--2020-08-19--'Fallout' Tells The Story Of The Journalist Who Exposed The 'Hiroshima Cover-Up'

'Fallout ' Tells The Story Of The Journalist Who Exposed The 'Hiroshima Cover-Up' When the U.S military dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 , the American government portrayed the weapons as equivalent to large conventional bombs — and dismissed Japanese reports of radiation sickness as propaganda .
Military censors restricted access to Hiroshima , but a young journalist named John Hersey managed to get there and write a devastating account of the death , destruction and radiation poisoning he encountered .
Author Lesley M.M .
Blume tells Hersey 's story in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World .
She writes that when Hersey , who had covered the war in Europe , arrived in Hiroshima to report on the aftereffects of the bomb a year later , the city was `` still just a sort of smoldering wreck . ''
`` Hersey had seen everything from that point , from combat to concentration camps , '' Blume says .
`` But he later said that nothing prepared him for what he saw in Hiroshima . ''
Hersey wrote a 30,000-word essay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its aftermath from the perspective of six survivors .
The article , which was published in its entirety by The New Yorker , was fundamental in challenging the government 's narrative of nuclear bombs as conventional weapons .
`` It helped create what many experts in the nuclear fields called the 'nuclear taboo , ' `` Blume says of Hersey 's essay .
`` The world did not know the truth about what nuclear warfare really looks like on the receiving end , or did not really understand the full nature of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hersey got into Hiroshima and reported it to the world . ''
On what Americans knew about the nature of nuclear weapons in 1945 Americans did n't know about the bomb — period — until it was detonated over Hiroshima .
The Manhattan Project was cloaked in enormous secrecy , even though tens of thousands of people were working on it .
...
When President Harry Truman announced that America had detonated the world 's first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima , he was announcing not only a new weapon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entered into the Atomic Age , and Americans had no idea about the nature of these then-experimental weapons — namely , that these are weapons that continue to kill long after detonation .
It would take quite a bit of time and reporting to bring that out .
Everybody who heard the announcement [ from Truman ] knew that they were dealing with something totally unprecedented , not just in the war , but in the history of human warfare .
What was not stated was the fact that this bomb had radiological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ground would die in an agonizing way for the days and the weeks and months and years that followed .
On how military generals focused on physical devastation when they testified before Congress about the effects of the atomic bomb In the immediate weeks , very little [ was said . ]
A lot of it was really painted in landscape devastation .
Landscape photographs were released to newspapers showing the decimation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki .
There were rubble pictures , and also obviously people are seeing the mushroom cloud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from recon missions .
But in terms of the radiation — even in Truman 's announcement of the bomb — he 's painting the bombs in conventional terms .
He says these bombs are the equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT .
And so Americans , they know that it 's a mega-weapon , but they do n't understand the full nature of the weapons , the radiological effects are not in any way highlighted to the American public , and in the meantime , the U.S. military is scrambling to find out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affecting the physical landscape , how it 's affecting human beings , because they 're about to send tens of thousands occupation troops into Japan .
On America 's PR campaign and cover-up of the radiation aftermath [ The U.S. military ] created a PR campaign to really combat the notion that the U.S. had decimated these populations with a really destructive radiological weapon .
Leslie Groves [ who directed the Manhattan Project ] and Robert Oppenheimer [ who directed the Manhattan Project 's laboratory at Los Alamos , N.M. ] themselves went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New Mexico ] and brought a junket of reporters so they could show off the area .
And they said that there was no residual radiation whatsoever , and that therefore , any news that was filtering over from Japan were `` Tokyo tales . ''
So right away they went into overdrive to contain that narrative .
...
The American officials were saying , for the most part , these are the defeated Japanese trying to create international sympathy , to create better terms for themselves and the occupation — ignore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to Hiroshima and Nagasaki , and their reports were often censored In the early days of the occupation , there obviously would have been enormous interest in trying to get to Hiroshima and Nagasaki ... but as the occupation really took hold and became increasingly organized , the reports were intercepted .
The last one that came out of Nagasaki was intercepted and lost .
There was almost no point in trying to get down there because the obstacles that were put up for reporters were so tremendous by the military censors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restricted your movements were as a reporter , as part of the occupation press corps .
... You could not get around , you could not eat .
You could n't do anything without the permission of the Army .
...
The control was near total .
On concerning Japanese reports about `` Disease X '' affecting blast survivors As news started to filter over from Japanese reports about what it was like on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the aftermath , wire reports started picking up really disturbing information about the totality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disease X '' that was ravaging blast survivors .
So this news was starting to trickle over early in August of 1945 to Americans .
And so the U.S. realized that not only were they going to have to really try to study very quickly how radioactive the atomic cities might have been , as they were bringing in their own occupation troops .
But they [ also ] realized that they had a potential PR disaster on their hands , because the U.S. had just won this horribly hard-earned military victory , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they felt , in defeating the Axis powers .
And they had avenged Pearl Harbor .
They had avenged Japanese atrocities throughout the Pacific theater in Asia .
But then reports that they had decimated a largely civilian population in this excruciating way with an experimental weapon — it was concerning because it might have deprived the U.S. government of [ its ] moral high ground .
On how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were seen as souvenir sites for American military Hiroshima was seen as a site of just enormous victory for these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would go even to ground zero of the bombings in Hiroshima .
...
They saw it as a souvenir site .
It 's essentially a graveyard .
There are still remains that are being dug up in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today .
But many of them kind of pillaged the ruins to grab a souvenir to bring home .
It was the ultimate victory souvenir .
So whether it 's a broken teacup to use as an ashtray or what have you , they went and they took their equivalent of selfies at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nagasaki , Marines cleared a football field-sized amount of space in the ruins and they had what they called the `` Atomic Bowl , '' which was a New Year 's Day football game where they had conscripted Japanese women as cheerleaders .
It was an astonishing scene in both cities .
They were seen as sites of a victory .
And most of the `` occupationaires '' were totally unrepentant about what had gone down there .
On Hersey getting a firsthand account from the Rev .
Kiyoshi Tanimoto of what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tanimoto , at the moment of the bombing , was slightly outside of the city .
He had been transporting some goods to the outskirts of the city , and he was up on a hill .
And so therefore , he had a bird's-eye view of what happened .
He fell to the ground when the actual bomb went off .
But then when he got up , he saw that the city had been enveloped in flames and black clouds .
And ... he saw a procession of survivors starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was just absolutely horrified by what he had seen and baffled , too , because usually an attack on this level would have been perpetrated by a fleet of bombers .
But this was just a single flash .
And the survivors who were making their way out of the city and who would not survive for long , I mean , most of them were naked .
Some of them had flesh hanging from their bodies .
He saw just unspeakable sights as he ran into the city because he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He wanted to find his parishioners .
The closer he got towards the detonation , the worse the scene was .
The ground was just littered with scalded bodies and people who were trying to drag themselves out of the ruins and would n't make it .
There were walls of fire that were consuming the areas .
The enormous firestorm was starting to consume the city .
He , at one point , was picked up by a whirlwind , because winds had been unleashed throughout the city , and ... he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
...
It was just unbelievable that he survived not only the initial blast , but then [ headed ] into [ the ] city center and the extreme trauma of having witnessed what he witnessed .
It 's remarkable that he came out of it alive .
On how Hersey 's reporting changed the world 's perception of nuclear weapons The Japanese could not , for years , tell the world what it had been like to be on the receiving end of nuclear warfare , because they were under such dire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so it took John Hersey 's reporting to show the world what the true aftermath and the true experience of nuclear warfare looks like .
...
It changed overnight for many people , what was described by one of Hersey 's contemporaries as the `` Fourth of July feeling '' about Hiroshima .
There was a lot of dark humor about the bombings in Hiroshima .
[ The essay ] just really imbued the event with a sobriety that really had n't been there before .
And also it just completely deprived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to paint nuclear bombs as conventional weapons .
... [ Hersey ] himself later said the thing that has kept the world safe from another nuclear attack since 1945 has been the memory of what happened in Hiroshima .
And he certainly created a cornerstone of that memory .
Sam Briger and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast .
Bridget Bentz , Molly Seavy-Nesper and Meghan Sullivan adapted it for the Web .

'Fallout' Tells The Story Of The Journalist Who Exposed The 'Hiroshima Cover-Up'
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP Photo AP Photo
When the U.S military dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the American government portrayed the weapons as equivalent to large conventional bombs — and dismissed Japanese reports of radiation sickness as propaganda.
Military censors restricted access to Hiroshima, but a young journalist named John Hersey managed to get there and write a devastating account of the death, destruction and radiation poisoning he encountered. Author Lesley M.M. Blume tells Hersey's story in her book, Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World.
She writes that when Hersey, who had covered the war in Europe, arrived in Hiroshima to report on the aftereffects of the bomb a year later, the city was "still just a sort of smoldering wreck."
"Hersey had seen everything from that point, from combat to concentration camps," Blume says. "But he later said that nothing prepared him for what he saw in Hiroshima."
Hersey wrote a 30,000-word essay, telling the story of the bombing and its aftermath from the perspective of six survivors. The article, which was published in its entirety by The New Yorker, was fundamental in challenging the government's narrative of nuclear bombs as conventional weapons.
"It helped create what many experts in the nuclear fields called the 'nuclear taboo,' " Blume says of Hersey's essay. "The world did not know the truth about what nuclear warfare really looks like on the receiving end, or did not really understand the full nature of these then experimental weapons, until John Hersey got into Hiroshima and reported it to the world."
Interview Highlights
Enlarge this image Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster
On what Americans knew about the nature of nuclear weapons in 1945
Americans didn't know about the bomb — period — until it was detonated over Hiroshima. The Manhattan Project was cloaked in enormous secrecy, even though tens of thousands of people were working on it. ... When President Harry Truman announced that America had detonated the world's first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, he was announcing not only a new weapon, but the fact that we had entered into the Atomic Age, and Americans had no idea about the nature of these then-experimental weapons — namely, that these are weapons that continue to kill long after detonation. It would take quite a bit of time and reporting to bring that out.
Americans had no idea about the nature of these then-experimental weapons — namely that these are weapons that continue to kill long after detonation. It would take quite a bit of time and reporting to bring that out.
Everybody who heard the announcement [from Truman] knew that they were dealing with something totally unprecedented, not just in the war, but in the history of human warfare. What was not stated was the fact that this bomb had radiological qualities, [that] blast survivors on the ground would die in an agonizing way for the days and the weeks and months and years that followed.
On how military generals focused on physical devastation when they testified before Congress about the effects of the atomic bomb
In the immediate weeks, very little [was said.] A lot of it was really painted in landscape devastation. Landscape photographs were released to newspapers showing the decimation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were rubble pictures, and also obviously people are seeing the mushroom cloud photos taken from the bombers themselves or from recon missions. But in terms of the radiation — even in Truman's announcement of the bomb — he's painting the bombs in conventional terms. He says these bombs are the equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT. And so Americans, they know that it's a mega-weapon, but they don't understand the full nature of the weapons, the radiological effects are not in any way highlighted to the American public, and in the meantime, the U.S. military is scrambling to find out how the radiation of the bombs is affecting the physical landscape, how it's affecting human beings, because they're about to send tens of thousands occupation troops into Japan.
On America's PR campaign and cover-up of the radiation aftermath
[The U.S. military] created a PR campaign to really combat the notion that the U.S. had decimated these populations with a really destructive radiological weapon. Leslie Groves [who directed the Manhattan Project] and Robert Oppenheimer [who directed the Manhattan Project's laboratory at Los Alamos, N.M.] themselves went to the Trinity site of testing [in New Mexico] and brought a junket of reporters so they could show off the area. And they said that there was no residual radiation whatsoever, and that therefore, any news that was filtering over from Japan were "Tokyo tales." So right away they went into overdrive to contain that narrative. ...
The American officials were saying, for the most part, these are the defeated Japanese trying to create international sympathy, to create better terms for themselves and the occupation — ignore them.
On how reporters had limited access to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and their reports were often censored
In the early days of the occupation, there obviously would have been enormous interest in trying to get to Hiroshima and Nagasaki ... but as the occupation really took hold and became increasingly organized, the reports were intercepted. The last one that came out of Nagasaki was intercepted and lost. There was almost no point in trying to get down there because the obstacles that were put up for reporters were so tremendous by the military censors. ... I can't overstate how restricted your movements were as a reporter, as part of the occupation press corps. ... You could not get around, you could not eat. You couldn't do anything without the permission of the Army. ... The control was near total.
On concerning Japanese reports about "Disease X" affecting blast survivors
As news started to filter over from Japanese reports about what it was like on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the aftermath, wire reports started picking up really disturbing information about the totality of the decimation and this sinister ... "Disease X" that was ravaging blast survivors. So this news was starting to trickle over early in August of 1945 to Americans.
And so the U.S. realized that not only were they going to have to really try to study very quickly how radioactive the atomic cities might have been, as they were bringing in their own occupation troops. But they [also] realized that they had a potential PR disaster on their hands, because the U.S. had just won this horribly hard-earned military victory, and were on the moral high ground, they felt, in defeating the Axis powers. And they had avenged Pearl Harbor. They had avenged Japanese atrocities throughout the Pacific theater in Asia. But then reports that they had decimated a largely civilian population in this excruciating way with an experimental weapon — it was concerning because it might have deprived the U.S. government of [its] moral high ground.
On how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were seen as souvenir sites for American military
Hiroshima was seen as a site of just enormous victory for these guys. And a lot of them would go even to ground zero of the bombings in Hiroshima. ... They saw it as a souvenir site. It's essentially a graveyard. There are still remains that are being dug up in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today. But many of them kind of pillaged the ruins to grab a souvenir to bring home. It was the ultimate victory souvenir. So whether it's a broken teacup to use as an ashtray or what have you, they went and they took their equivalent of selfies at ground zero. At one point in Nagasaki, Marines cleared a football field-sized amount of space in the ruins and they had what they called the "Atomic Bowl," which was a New Year's Day football game where they had conscripted Japanese women as cheerleaders. It was an astonishing scene in both cities. They were seen as sites of a victory. And most of the "occupationaires" were totally unrepentant about what had gone down there.
On Hersey getting a firsthand account from the Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto of what the moment of the bombing was like
Rev. Tanimoto, at the moment of the bombing, was slightly outside of the city. He had been transporting some goods to the outskirts of the city, and he was up on a hill. And so therefore, he had a bird's-eye view of what happened. He fell to the ground when the actual bomb went off. But then when he got up, he saw that the city had been enveloped in flames and black clouds. And ... he saw a procession of survivors starting to straggle out of the city. He was just absolutely horrified by what he had seen and baffled, too, because usually an attack on this level would have been perpetrated by a fleet of bombers. But this was just a single flash.
And the survivors who were making their way out of the city and who would not survive for long, I mean, most of them were naked. Some of them had flesh hanging from their bodies. He saw just unspeakable sights as he ran into the city because he had a wife and an infant daughter. He wanted to find his parishioners. The closer he got towards the detonation, the worse the scene was. The ground was just littered with scalded bodies and people who were trying to drag themselves out of the ruins and wouldn't make it. There were walls of fire that were consuming the areas. The enormous firestorm was starting to consume the city. He, at one point, was picked up by a whirlwind, because winds had been unleashed throughout the city, and ... he was lifted up in a red-hot whirlwind. ... It was just unbelievable that he survived not only the initial blast, but then [headed] into [the] city center and the extreme trauma of having witnessed what he witnessed. It's remarkable that he came out of it alive.
On how Hersey's reporting changed the world's perception of nuclear weapons
[Hersey] himself later said the thing that has kept the world safe from another nuclear attack since 1945 has been the memory of what happened in Hiroshima. And he certainly created a cornerstone of that memory.
The Japanese could not, for years, tell the world what it had been like to be on the receiving end of nuclear warfare, because they were under such dire press restrictions by the occupation forces. And so it took John Hersey's reporting to show the world what the true aftermath and the true experience of nuclear warfare looks like. ... It changed overnight for many people, what was described by one of Hersey's contemporaries as the "Fourth of July feeling" about Hiroshima. There was a lot of dark humor about the bombings in Hiroshima. [The essay] just really imbued the event with a sobriety that really hadn't been there before. And also it just completely deprived the U.S. government of the ability to be able to paint nuclear bombs as conventional weapons. ... [Hersey] himself later said the thing that has kept the world safe from another nuclear attack since 1945 has been the memory of what happened in Hiroshima. And he certainly created a cornerstone of that memory.
Sam Briger and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Meghan Sullivan adapted it for the Web.