PANDEMIC - Updates 2/2/2021

"Reopening schools during the pandemic is proving to be a complex assignment" PBS NewsHour 2/2/2021

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SUMMARY:  As the pandemic drags on, the toll taken on students and teachers, while trying to protect them from infection, has become one of the outbreak's most vexing and intractable challenges.  Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.

 

 

"What impact is ‘the COVID slide’ having on students?" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2021

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SUMMARY:  The questions around when to re-open more schools for in-person classes remains front and center for millions of Americans.  Data show about 42 percent of all students between kindergarten and high school are in virtual-only schooling right now.  Christopher Morphew, dean of the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.

 

 

"In Virginia, a disconnect between supply and demand for vaccine rollout" PBS NewsHour 2/4/2021

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SUMMARY:  States received a badly needed boost in shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government this week, but the supply still is not meeting the demand.  One state, Virginia, has had problems with its vaccine rollout since early on.  Amna Nawaz takes a closer look at the progress it has made and the daunting challenges ahead.

 

 

"As the pandemic rages on, finding ways to mourn and remember" PBS NewsHour 2/4/2021

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SUMMARY:  Even as the pandemic rages on and deaths mount, communities, individuals and the federal government are finding ways to honor and keep loved ones close to their hearts.  Jeffrey Brown reports for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

 

 

"Who is bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s economic pain?" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2021

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SUMMARY:  President Biden's nearly $2 trillion stimulus package on Friday cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate, as a tepid jobs report confirmed the economy is still sputtering from the pandemic.  Raphael Bostic, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss who has been most impacted and the federal government's response in reaching those in need.

 

 

"Paying homage to 5 remarkable people who lost their lives to COVID-19" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2021

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SUMMARY:  After a week reaching yet another tragic milestone in the COVID-19 death toll, we remember five remarkable individuals in the United States who have lost their lives to the pandemic.

 

 

"Are vaccines reaching communities in need?  We don’t have enough data" PBS NewsHour 2/6/2021

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SUMMARY:  The Pentagon committed to sending around 1,000 active duty troops to help vaccinate people across the nation after the White House promised to open community vaccination centers, increasing availability to those in need.  Dr. Julie Morita, Executive Vice President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a NewsHour funder, joins to discuss the challenge of equal distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.