Superintendent Weekly Press Release March 5, 2021
Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,
COVID RISK LEVEL: ORANGE
For the Week of March 8th, the community risk dial remains in Orange with no movement at 2.14. Saunders and Dodge county both fell from 2.29 to 2.14, while Washington county remained at 2.29.
As of March 5th, the DHHS Website shows that 10.8% of Nebraskans have completed their vaccination for the coronavirus equaling a total of 180,175 people. 322,295 Nebraskans have gotten the first dose bringing the total number of Nebraskans with either a first or second dose vaccine to 463,272. This puts Nebraska as the 21st State in the Nation for percentage of population with at least one dose and 15th in the Nation by percentage that has completed their vaccination. With the one-shot Johnson and Johnson, this will help speed up all States vaccination delivery with the promise to have enough vaccine available for all American’s (16 and older) by the end of May.
As you may know, Governor Rickett made a change in the Phase 1B allocations requiring 90% of all vaccinations to be reserved for 65 and older individuals and removed those with “underlying health conditions” out of this group. 10% of all vaccinations are allowed to be set aside for critical infrastructure personnel which include teachers. Those with underlying health conditions will be brought back in Phase 2A. Governor Ricketts also added a 1C group that includes prisoners, homeless shelters and residential treatment centers. The Johnson
and Johnson vaccine was authorized on February 27th for emergency use by the FDA. Nebraska will see an initial allocation next week of 15,500 doses of Johnson and Johnson along with the 23,000 Pfizer and 19,000 Moderna. Then Johnson and Johnson will not deliver another allocation until late march joining Pfizer and Moderna with regular weekly allocations that will continue to steadily increase. The FDA sets a threshold that a COVID-19 vaccine needed to be at least 50 percent effective to be approved. It confirmed that 28 days after inoculation, Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine is 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms. That number is significantly lower than the nearly 95 percent efficacy rates of the two-dose vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna.
But experts state, that comparison is like apples and oranges compared to bananas. All three of these manufacturers: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson conducted their trials at different times and in different parts of the world.
For example, unlike the clinical trials for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson trial was performed at a time when the South African variant was present. Johnson and Johnson found that its COVID vaccine drops to 57 percent effectiveness against that variant, also called B.1.351. Studies have also shown a drop in the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the South African variant, and both vaccine makers are testing a third booster shot to account for evolving virus mutations. All three of the vaccines are still more effective that the season flu vaccine which is usually between 40-60% effective and most importantly all three vaccines are 100% effective at the prevention of severe hospitalization and death, and that’s what really matters.
TOTAL POSITIVE: 46-Students, 61-Parent(s)/Family Members, 31-Staff
THIS WEEK POSITIVE: 0-Students, 0-Parent(s)/Family Members, 0-Staff CURRENT QUARANTINE: 0
Updates from last week: None to Report
This week we have zero cases to report although we had 2 students who were tested because they had symptoms but both tests came back negative. As of Monday we will have no one in quarantine. #WildcatPride