Superintendent Weekly Press Release December 4, 2020

Superintendent Weekly Press Release December 4, 2020

Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,

 

COVID RISK LEVEL: ORANGE

For the Week of December 7th, the COVID risk dial moveaway from RED toward the upper-middle of the Orange COVID risk dial. The risk dial dropsfrom 3.43 to 3.14 this week, remembering that 3.45-4.00 is RED and 2.5-3.5 is ORANGE. So we are still in the upper end of Orange but better than last week that was approaching Red. Also, the Governor’s DHM to suspend all sports and activities for youth if 25% of hospital capacities are reached has also receded. Last week it rose from around 21% to a high of 24.7% but now is back down to around 21%.

 

TOTAL POSITIVE14-Students33-Parent(s)/Family Members, 18-Staff

THIS WEEK POSITIVE0-Students4-Parent(s)/Family Members, 3-Staff   CURRENT QUARANTINE: 16

This week at Cedar Bluffs Public School we have seen 3 staff members test positive for COVID after showing symptoms. All 3 became symptomatic while on Thanksgiving break, unfortunately 2 of the 3 staff members also had spouses that work at Cedar Bluffs so in total that removed 5 staff.  For the week we also had 4 parent/family members test positive for COVID quarantining their students for a total of 9 student and 2 staff quarantined for the week.  Those students quarantining are also being tested but we don’t have those results yet. With those still quarantining from previous cases our total quarantine count is 16. 

 

A U.S. advisory panel laid out who could get priority in receiving the vaccine, starting with frontline doctors, nurses, first responders, nursing home workers and people with two or more risk factors. The next phase would include teachers, school staff members, childcare workers and people working in the food supply chain. Phase three would include children and adults ages 30 and younger. Phase four would include everyone else living in the United States.However, as I understand it currently, each Governor and State is to set up their own priority phases so Nebraska may choose something different, this is just the suggested phases.  Although the Pfizer vaccine isn’t officially authorized for distribution, preparations are already underway across America to start vaccinations. That’s because this is a new type of vaccine that’s much more complicated and requires extra planning.  The COVID-19 vaccine creates a massive logistical challenge. How do you move hundreds of millions of doses to Americans across the country? The Pfizer’s vaccine must be kept at 70 degrees below zero Celsius.  While it waits to submit the vaccine for emergency Food and Drug Administration approval, Pfizer is already setting up a deep cold storage supply chain, using suitcase-sized cooling boxes to ship critical supplies to doctors and hospitals nationwide. “Once they take it out of the ice, they can keep it five days in the normal fridge,” Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said. “We have worked extensively to develop these distribution network and they feel very good about this.” According to Pfizer, it will ship doses from its facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin. With each person needing two shots, the company expects to have enough for 25 million people worldwide this year. Keep in mind that the Pfizer vaccine is only one of potentially several that will hopefully become available in the future. Each one of them will have its own supply chain requirements, which is why the military is managing the vaccine distribution -- a task that would ordinarily fall to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Once there are multiple vaccine choices available, there will be no interchangeability between the first and second doses of a vaccine. That will also pose a challenge, because as people get vaccinated, they’ll have to keep track of the specific vaccine they received and when they need the second dose. For example, Pfizer’s are spaced 21 days apart, while Moderna’s are spaced 28 days apart. #WildcatPride