IHME Projections: 34,000 savable by complete masking.

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

The new weekly IHME projections of July 22 show that 34,000 American lives can be saved by 95% masking by November 1.  Last week, the projection was for 42,000 lives saved.  Projected Coronavirus deaths by Nov. 1 are now about 220,000, with 95% confidence levels of 142,000 (current deaths) to 284,000.  With Universal Masking, the 95% confidence levels from 186,000  are 142,000 to 213,000.  The US is about to reach 4 million cases.  So the current increase in deaths are 220,000 minus 143,000 or 77,000.  With Universal Masking, the deaths are 186,000 minus 143,000 or 43,000.  Thus New deaths would be cut to 56%.

We list countries where the projected deaths are much larger than current deaths, and/or where many lives can be saved by Universal Masking.  They are ordered by the Projected Deaths.

Country Present Deaths Projection With Masks
USA 142,756 219,864 185,887
Brazil 81,487 197,232 171,065
Mexico 41,190 97,923 85,742
India 28,732 — —-
Iran 14,853 58,543 25,676
Peru 13,579 45,579 45,859
Indonesia 4,459 44,797 21,270
Russia 12,722 38,318 20,678
Bangladesh 2,751 24,305 8,320
Pakistan 5,677 19,934 9,452
Israel 430 4,182 2,266

We list the US states where the number of savable deaths are large, or the projected deaths  are much larger than present ones.

State Deaths Projection With Masks
CA 8,047 19,572 14,479
TX 4,439 18,812 14,508
FL 5,345 18,154 11,929
GA 3,335 7,336 4,952
AZ 2,974 5,664 5,061
AL 1,364 3,383 2,444
SC 1,285 3,186 1,872
CO 1,771 2,774 2,143
MS 1,423 2,516 2,067
NV 704 1,791 1,163
OK 474 1,533 789
AK 380 895 612

The sum of lives saved with universal masking of the top four states is about 18,000.  Out of the total US lives saved of 34,000, that is 53%.  The states do not level off by Nov. 1, but in fact, the deaths keep rising steeply in the standard projection.

After the election on Nov. 3, there are still two and a half months to go in the Trump administration.  So the new Administration is 180 days away, and Nov. 1 is 100 days away. Seeing the rather straight line projections, the remaining deaths in the Trump Administration are 180/100 = 1.8 times the gains of the Projection over the current Deaths.

The projected deaths to Nov. 1 are 220,000 minus 143,000 or 77,000 more until Nov. 1.  Multiplying that by 1.8 gives 139,000 more.  Adding that to the present 143,000 gives almost twice as many, or 282,000 deaths by January 20th.  The number that could be saved by Universal Masking is 1.8 times 34,000 or 61,000.  That would be about 22% of the deaths by January 20th.  But since new deaths with masking would be 56% of those without until Nov. 1, this should also hold for new deaths until January 20th.

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Trump’s Mobs of Government Agents, versus Coronavirus Deaths

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Trump’s Mob of Government Agents

Trump’s Coronavirus Politics will kill 20 times as many as homicides by year’s end.

In 2018, 16,000 Americans were killed by homicides or negligence.  Right now, 140,000 Americans have died from the Coronavirus because we couldn’t get it together, like most other countries did.  There are 163 days until New Years.  Continuing at our present death rate of 1,000 per day, we will reach 300,000 deaths by year’s end.  That is 19 times as many Coronavirus deaths, as homicides.  But being accurate is not the point here.

The point is that Trump has decided to politic on fighting a few unestablished deaths in Democratic cities, rather than scientifically fighting the Coronavirus.  For one day, Trump read the script, and looked maybe presidential.  Then, he flew away rogue again, insisting all children go back to school, regardless.

Trump is already losing the ‘law and order’ photo ops.  His unidentifiable troops in D.C. trampled peaceful demonstrators for a growing and sympathetic racial respect and protection movement.  Trump’s now called “brown shirts” in peaceful Portland arrested without charges and then released a passive protester.  The next night, a “brown shirt” savaged a frozen Navy veteran, breaking his finger or arm, and beat him.  All of this made prime time.  Supposedly this was to stop graffiti and one fire in a federal building.  Trump named this group Legends, probably after seeing a superheroes movie.

Trump is now planning to go into Chicago, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and maybe a total of 10 cities.  The mysterious force is now purposed to capture a drug dealer and stop murders.  They have not even collaborated with the Albuquerque police.  Every city involved is Democratic, with no blurring of the blatant political campaign nature of the raids.  While Kansas asked Trump to track illegal guns, Trump will be put in the odd place of “taking their guns away”, something he always accuses the Democrats of planning to do.

There are 800,000 police officers in the United States.  They know the local and state laws.  Trump’s mob troops do not.  The city police officers know the local gangs, criminals, and networks.  Trump’s clubbers do not.  They are not trained in controlling crowds legally.  Clubbing, rubber bullets, and even pepper spray can cause lifelong damage.  Incorrect policing tactics lead to dropped charges and acquittals (remember OJ).  The Trump mob aren’t equipped with standard police training or weapons.  Trump’s SWAT automatic-weapon-armed haters will cause more grief to innocent people and to Trump’s reelection hopes.  I’m sure there is a rift in the White House and RNC between Trump and those who thought this up, and professional politicos.  If Trump really wanted to battle local crime, he could direct more funding and resources their way.  With the 20% or greater statewide and local budget cuts due to the business downturns, all states and cities are in fact begging the Congress for additional funding, especially for essential services.

While the Attorney General Barr is backing this as well, crimes of abuse on tape have long lifetimes.  Unless Trump pardons them all, the mob troops that violate laws can be identified and charged for their abuse in six months by a truly lawful government. So can Barr, to the extent that he sent the mob out untrained, refused oversight, and ignored their crimes.

I’m sure most of Trump’s mob do not want this assignment, and won’t like going home with the reputation of the brutality of the most vicious among them tarnishing them.  In that case, they should self monitor themselves, and discharge those who do not follow “law and order”.

There are many tapes of Trump telling police or other DHS enforcement teams to “rough them up”, including at his rallies, to cheers.  His dogwhistles against the press, also at his rallies, have undoubtedly encouraged police and mob troops to attack and rough up the press covering peaceful demonstrations.  This clearly violates freedom of the press in the First Amendment.

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Health Care | Leave a comment

Pressures to Take the Coronavirus Vaccines: Safety, School, Salary, and Social

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Pressures to Take the Coronavirus Vaccines:  Safety, School, Salary, and Social.

Without a tested, manufactured and available vaccine yet, it is premature to estimate its public acceptance.  The core people who might be opposed to taking it is estimated at 20%.  Other people have hesitancy, because it is called rushed, and it doesn’t exist yet, and hasn’t yet been scientifically and politically endorsed.

If destiny and sanity triumphs, when the vaccines emerge in early 2021, hopefully, we will have proactive political leadership who will take and promote the vaccines themselves, and push for funding and early and widespread distribution. 

The horrendous number of deaths by next year, and the social contacts where people will know sick people, and how much they have suffered, will self-motivate people to take the vaccines for their personal safety, and for the safety of their families, and coworkers.  While the government has been funding treatment for the Coronavirus, with a successful vaccine, insurance plans may not cover people for Coronavirus treatment if they refuse to take the vaccines.

The schools will undoubtedly require students to be vaccinated for in-person classes, which will also allow their parents to go to work.  This will make it very inconvenient and costly for vaccine fearful parents to have to self educate their children.  When vaccines become widely available, schools may also discontinue public funding of internet classes.

Industries and businesses are not going to take the risks of two week quarantines of many of their employees by hiring or continuing someone who refuses to take a well established Coronavirus vaccine.  With heightened awareness, they may also require flu vaccinations.  In restaurant businesses, nobody may want to go there if they are not guaranteed that the staff is vaccinated.  This would be even true for vaccinated patrons if the vaccine was not 100% effective.

Since masks and social distancing will be abandoned in a vaccinated world, nobody will want to socialize with those who are not vaccinated.  They will soon find themselves and their families socially isolated, since the Coronavirus can still be spread asymptomatically or presymptomatically.  Hanging out with other non-vaxers would be the most dangerous situation.  Non-vaxers may be required to wear masks, which would be the last insult, since some of them are probably non-maskers as well.

All of these pressures will reduce the percentages of the non-vaccinated.  The misinformed who believe that the Coronavirus is no worse than the flu are being countered by new studies that show that it is 5 to 10 times more lethal.  Much more will be known about the Coronavirus a half year to a year from now.

Of course, we have been assuming effective vaccines without serious or long term side effects.  If some vaccines are not 100% effective, an option could be to take several vaccines.  There are still two effective pneumonia vaccines to cover the larger number of infections.

Of course, some vaccines may be time limited if the Coronavirus mutates significantly in a year.  Or the antibodies or T cells generated by a vaccine may reduce in time.  This could require more vaccinations on a yearly basis.

We see many pressures that vaccine opposition may not effectively stop the establishment of a Coronavirus free society.

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Education, Health Care | Leave a comment

Rules for Fighting the Pandemic

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

If you are sick, stay home.  Even a cold or flu can infect many and weaken their immune systems.  It will also make them spend a day in a car line to get a Coronavirus test, and quarantine themselves and their family, and maybe coworkers, for a week to get a negative result.

Get a flu shot early.  Avoid people with colds or flu or coughs.

Keep up with your children’s other vaccinations.

Wear a mask whenever near people.  Follow all the local and state rules.

Get a mail or an absentee mail ballot, and use it in November.

Listen to scientists, and take the Coronavirus vaccine when it comes out if they recommend it.  Especially if you are old and/or have chronic vulnerabilities.

Avoid being misinformation infected by unreliable internet or Fox News or White House sources.

If you need medical or dental care, get it now.  The situation will get much worse later.

Stop looking to the White House or Republican States for guidance.  Follow the Democratic States and Democratic cities.

Once you are vaccinated, you can keep watching Fox News until the next pandemic.

Get an isolated walk in every day.

Since there are few people to talk to, write a blog every day.  It can be purely made up analogies, parody, or comedy, just like the White House.

Watch several complicated webinars a day.  They are great to catch up on sleep.

Despite how gloomy things look, reflect that there are 130 million new healthy babies born worldwide every year.  That is what life is really all about.

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Health Care | Leave a comment

Trump: The Denier of Freedoms, in Chief

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Trump:  The Denier of Freedoms, in Chief

Trump had the Trumpiness to tell a Fox News interviewer that he wanted people to have freedom not to wear a mask, as if he was the guaranteer of our freedoms.  Nothing could be further from the Truth.  Actually, with Trump, everything is further from the Truth.

I don’t have an editorial staff to make a list of all of the Freedoms that Trump has tried to deny us, or the dangerous ‘freedoms’ that he has not halted or even created.  I will just pick out a few from my viewpoint.

Environmentally, we had the Freedom to regulate clean air and healthy water supplies:  Denied!

The First Amendment gives us the right to peaceably demonstrate:  brutally Denied to those in the nation’s most prominent place, Lafayette Park across from the White House, just so that Trump could get a photo op holding a Bible upside down.  Trump has opposed the Black Lives Matter marches and movement which is the Civil Rights movement of our decades.  They march for Freedom from police harassment and even murder by police.

Trump has blocked any congressional testimony, which is the Freedom of our Congress to have oversight over our Government.  He has even fired whistleblowers who are protected by law.

Trump tried to block his distant niece Mary Trump from publishing her book or being interviewed.  She had signed an NDA about an inheritance settlement, but that couldn’t deny her Freedom of Speech about Trump’s behavior or psychology.  It also makes Trump’s attempted eternal blocking of John Bolton’s book on account of secrecy illegitimate.

Trump initially blocked the Freedom of international students to take internet classes to avoid Coronavirus infection.  He has tried to block children, teachers, staff, and parents from the Freedom of protecting themselves from in-person classes in the time of the Plague.

Trump has dog-whistled threats at the Press, disparaged them at rallies, called them liars and their reports Fake News, and pressured networks and newspapers to fire reporters, to deny us all the Freedom of the Press.

At the same time Trump has suppressed our Constitutional Freedoms, he has created a very unwelcome false ‘freedom’:  that to not wear a mask, regardless of how dangerous it may be to others, or in violation of state or local requirements.  Those who do not wear masks when needed are in essence playing Russian Roulette with everyone they get near to, since they may be spreading the Coronavirus asymptomatically. 

Hopefully on January 20th, we can all say the famous words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.:  “Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God Almighty, we are Free at Last”.

Posted in Communications, Congress, Congressional Investigation, Constitution, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to Assemble, Freedom to Petition, Freedoms, Health Care, Politics, Secrecy, Trump Administration, Trump Truthiness | Leave a comment

The Dangers of Trump’s Privatization of Hospitalization Data

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

The Dangers of Trump’s Privatization of Hospitalization Data

First, the country’s hospitalization data was just going to be transferred to HHS, Health and Human Services.  Now, it is actually being farmed out to a private company, chosen without a competitive process.  This represents the complete transfer of responsibility and management of data essential to our survival to the private control of Donald Trump, who is desperately running for re-election, and the nation’s greatest liar and distorter in all of history.

In computerized government projects, it takes months or years to upgrade systems, even by people who are the lifelong handlers of such systems.  It will take a while for not only an upstart company to handle the data, but for all independent hospital systems in the country to redo their data and collect more, to adapt to new forms, and to submit them.  This occurs at the most crucial time of a runaway second explosion of the Coronavirus, which now exceeds the first explosion in many states.  All of the person-years of experience and understanding of the data by the CDC experts is totally trashed.  With new analysis and biases, there will be no continuation of time sequences of previous data.  The Coronavirus projections like the IHME model rely on such health data, and are tuned to its sensitivities.  With an abrupt change, it will take months to regain the same prediction capabilities.

The CDC does not only manage the Coronavirus data, but flu data, and all other diseases.  With delayed vaccinations and medical treatments, we can expect new outbreaks, especially if there are forced school re-openings, and with the newly politicized anti-vaccine movement.

We know Trump is paranoid of the “deep state” of the lifelong expertise and ages of coordination and non-partisan practice from the three million government employees.  We know that Trump has bypassed and muzzled all Executive Branch communication with the public, replacing it with Fox News and his own Press Office, dominated with Fox News professionals.  The latest is in fact the muzzling and disinformation campaign against Dr. Fauci, the government’s expert on the Coronavirus, which has killed 137,000 Americans.

The privatization and total control of the previous CDC data may only be the first instance of taking over all government data and farming it out to other private and Trump controlled companies.  The most crucial government data is that directly concerned with our own health and survival, and that is precisely where Trump started.

The in-government operations are overseen by inspector generals and Congressional oversight, meaning public control.  Private companies have no such checks and balances.  While responsible parties can sue the Trump administration over such an executive action, it would only further delay the effective management of such crucial data.

As an almost-80 years old senior, with five compromising conditions, I am concerned with the overloading of ICUs and ventilators, which has been reached at some hot spots, and is very close at others.  Hospitalizations have hit records in 16 states.  Triaging of who gets such resources clearly eliminates us careful, smart, and old agers, in favor of younger people with greater survival probabilities, and many more years to live.  Even those who contracted the Coronavirus at parties to spread it, or at crowded bars, or who refused to wear masks or observe social distancing, will be saved over us.  So I have the strongest motivations to be concerned about this, and to continue these articles.

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Health Care | Leave a comment

IHME Projected Deaths Increase Again, 41,000 Savable by Masking

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

The new July 14 IHME projected deaths by November 1 have now increased by 16,000, to 224,000.   With Universal Mask wearing, the new deaths can be reduced by 41,000, To 183,000 by November 1.  Present US deaths are at 137,000.  So by Nov. 1 there will by 87,000 new deaths.  Those can be reduced to 46,000, which is 53% or almost down to half of the projected deaths.  Universal masking means 95% masking, matching the best Asian countries.  The 95% probability range of the death projections is vast, from 201,000 to 299,000.  The IHME is the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.  It is founded by the State of Washington and the Gates Foundation.

There are now 3.5 million US Coronavirus cases, and 51 million out of work.

We give tables of death projections for Countries and States where the projected deaths grow by a large factor, and/or there is a large fraction of new deaths which can be saved by masking.

World Countries

Country Present Deaths Projection With Masks
US 137,106 224,089 182,805
Brazil 74,133 197,232 171,695
Mexico 36,327 97,923 85,742
India 24,309 —- —-
Iran 13,410 58,543 25,676
Peru 12,417 47,579 45,859
Indonesia 3,797 44,797 21,270
Russia 11,753 38,318 20,678
Pakistan 5,386 19,934 9,452
Israel 376 4,182 2,266

In Iran, Russia, Pakistan, and Israel, the deaths by Nov. 1 can almost be cut in half by universal mask wearing.  In the US, additional deaths from now can be cut in half by universal mask wearing.

United States

State Deaths Projection With Masks
CA 7,236 21,264 15,707
FL 4,521 19,285 11,811
TX 3,362 18,675 14,105
AZ 2,434 5,1777 4,071
VA 1,992 4,881 3,000
GA 3,091 4,736 3,797
SC 998 4,556 2,107
MS 1,290 3,417 2,124
AL 1,211 2,464 1,748
NV 618 2,454 1,575

California projected deaths have jumped about 4,400 in the last week.  Texas projected deaths have jumped by 5,200.  Florida projected deaths have only increased by about 1,200.  About 26,000 of the 41,000 or 63% of the lives to be saved by masking are in the 10 states in the table.

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Orange County Deserves a Representative Board of Education

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Orange County Deserves a Representative Board of Education

The Orange County Board of Education, packed with far right Republicans, voted 4-1 to release a report recommending that their 27 school districts start up K-12 schools immediately, without even mask wearing or social distancing.  For a second meeting, they had mainly speakers from the right extreme, saying that masks were not only useless, but dangerous.  They also want to keep class sizes the same.  And also, that social distancing was not scientifically justified.  Both of these are preventions are scientifically well established.  A Board of Education should at least have included an equal representation of speakers of both sides.  According to the White Paper, the main reason to get children back to school was that they could be abused at home.  We can think of many more positive reasons.

All seven Democratic Orange County Congressional representatives signed a letter opposing their stand.  Yes, the 27 school districts can follow other guidelines.  But when we are fighting the greatest public health challenge of a century, the Coronavirus, don’t the citizens of Orange County deserve the helpful guidance of a sympathetic and educated Board, not of a politically extreme Board?  There are 47,000 teachers and 5,000 staff teaching in Orange County, with a population of 3 million.

Over their four year terms, the Board members collect $100,000 to $140,000.  We really deserve much better for this money.  Their action has been covered on CNN and NPR, embarrassing all of the caring and educated people of Orange County.  Over 50,000 residents have now signed a petition opposing the Board’s action.  Orange County is home to UC Irvine, its second largest employer.  This is of course embarrassing to the University as well.  We also compete to attract young faculty, who have or are starting families, and want the best education for their children, which is provided by the community.  We also are trying to attract the smartest workers in our innovative industries in Orange County.  Reputation Counts.

It may be that the local Democratic representatives got in on an off-year election, when Republican enthusiasm for Trump was waning.  This could happen again in November.  But now that we see that the Board of Education can play a crucial role, we have to concentrate on getting a Board responsive to our young and educated community.  Unfortunately, of the five board members, only two come up for replacement, and those on June 30, 2022.  The other three are on June 30, 2024.

The one Board member who voted against the White Paper was Rebecca “Beckie” Gomez of District 4, who is also Dean for the Health Science Division of Cypress College.  She represents Santa Ana, Tustin and Fountain Valley.

Here are the recommended core rules in the White Paper:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Department of Education, Education, Health Care | Leave a comment

Trump: The Unmanageable Virus Vector in Chief

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Trump:  the unmanageable virus Vector in Chief.

Trump backs off on deporting international college and University students without in-person classes.  Since this was enforced with no justification, it would have been blocked anyway.

The White House has been unfairly criticizing Dr. Fauci.

The White House is removing hospital data from the CDC, and burying it in the more controlled Department of Homeland Security.  All good dictators do this.  This follows Florida not releasing its hospital data.

The Moderna vaccine tried three different doses, each on 15 young and healthy people.  So the jump to 30,000 is based only on the middle 15, who only had side effects for a day.  I thought the staging of tests only increased by factors of 10, not 2,000.  A lot of people are being exposed here.  They haven’t yet tested it on old people, or those with compromised immune systems.  Still, it won’t be completed until year’s end.

Trump Shreds the Hatch Act.  Even the Fox News host said that if Obama had given this campaign speech in the Rose Garden, the Republicans would have attacked.  Aren’t the White House staff who set up the press audience complicit in violating the Hatch Act?

Trump opts for White House protection from the Coronavirus.  Press thirty feet away, and outdoors.  All masked, even when asking questions.  CNN, recognizing that it was yet another fake news to campaign speech, stopped covering it.  I turned on Fox to watch the rest of it.

Trump then actually publicized Biden’s Platform on Fox News, no less.  But Trump has no infrastructure plan, or climate change plan, or immigration plan.  Letting Coronavirus be scapegoated on China interferes with trade.  Many other countries successfully controlled the virus, so our failure cannot be blamed on China.  Trump claimed that the EU only formed to compete with the US.  

Trump again called immigrants rapists and murderers and human smugglers.  Immigrants should have no rights.  Yet after 5 years, Trump still does not have an immigration law or plan.  It is somehow easy for Trump to forget that his Trump grandparents were immigrants, as was his mother.  Trump’s wife Ivana, and mother to Eric, Don Jr., and Ivanka was an immigrant.  Trump’s First Lady Melania was an immigrant, and just brought over her parents.

So I learned that Biden will make the electrical grid zero emissions by 2035, which is slow compared to enthusiastic environmentalists.  However, it is still a challenge to building vast amounts of renewables or nuclear, and renewables require vast amounts of water or battery storage facilities to accomplish this.  We don’t even have a design of batteries that can accomplish this.  Even if Democrats get to flip the Senate as well, and serve for eight years, when the Republicans take over for the next eight, they will do nothing to complete the projects.  Biden also wants Net Zero by 2050.  That will increase power needs by another 40% for electric cars, and a vast attitude change in car buyers to smaller and electric cars. 

Nobody asked about attacks on Fauci.  Trump gave no new ideas or projects to fight the virus.

Trump read the Biden critical points well.  No cheering crowds so no punch lines.  Attacked Hunter Biden, who is not running, nor ever a Democratic candidate or office holder, or part of the campaign, as far as I know.  Somehow trying to link Bidens as China supporters since China is now evil having sent the Coronavirus to our shores.

Pointed out almost nobody showed up to attack monuments, but it is something he has tried to paint onto Democrats as their policy.  But somehow said monuments could be removed through a legal process, which is odd, since Trump previously said would defend all monuments.  That’s what happens when you have two different speech writers.  There are 1,503 monuments and memorials of Confederates or slavery in the former Confederate States.

Although the President is a Republican, he ignored the 800 pound Elephant roaming the country, the Coronavirus.

If Trump really wanted to start schools with 100% in-person classes, why didn’t he announce this months ago, assess the needs, and provide all of the money needed to rebuild schools with more space, and provide money for PPE, more janitors, and more training.  40% of schools do not have nurses even, and you probably need several to screen kids and do contact tracing, and training with masks and social distancing, and safe bathroom use routines.

If professional athletes in a Bubble whose season, compensation, and careers depends on staying Coronavirus free can’t do it, even with immediate testing and contact tracing available, how do you expect a bunch of unruly kids to do it?

Trump’s blind eye Coronavirus policy has achieved completely isolating the US by travel bans keeping us out of Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, and Europe.  Even the South Pole is shut down.

Update:  July 15.  In addition to Trump violating the Hatch Act, he also violated a rule against using his government office to advertise for a product whose head backs Trump: Goya products.

 

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Dreamers, Education, Health Care, Immigration Ban, Immigration Policy, Infrastructure, Joe Biden, Negotiations, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Travel Ban, Trump Administration, University Funding, Wind Energy | Leave a comment

Governments Move Fast to Protect Students

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Dennis SILVERMAN

Governments Move Fast to Protect Students

For Trump’s unjustified deportation threat to international students who don’t take an in-person class, 17 states and the District of Columbia have filed suit to bar this.  They represent 1,124 colleges and Universities, with 373,000 students.

The new data is that 25% of deaths from the Coronavirus are under age 65, and one-sixth of those have no underlying conditions.

From the Coronavirus, 130 million people could go hungry, stating with Africa, and then in Asia.

In California, Governor Newsom has reimposed restrictions on indoor activities.  We are already required to wear masks.  

The Los Angeles School District and the San Diego School District have opted totally for on-line classes.  This covers 825,000 students.  In the Los Angeles Unified School District, 83% of teachers in the UTLA union voted for virtual openings.  They start August 18.

The conservative Orange County Board of Education is again considering complete in-person classes, with no masks or social distancing.   There is a meeting tonight, with 26,000 signing a protest petition.  However, it is the local school districts who will decide on how to reopen, based on safety.

  

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Education | Leave a comment