Schools in AZ and Elsewhere Are Getting Hammered by Omicron

 


Schools have been under stress due to the pandemic, but now Omicron is making things worse. A lot worse.

Here in Arizona, staffing company Educational Services Inc. says they have seen a 10%-20% increase in absences, depending on the district. Phoenix Union district is reporting "between 10% and 15% staff absences and around 15% to 16% student absences."

Some substitutes are staying away too, in no small part because of our governor's public illness campaign. One substitute teacher on reddit said:

I just saw that Peoria Unified was contemplating having kids sick with covid, back at school after 5 days.... Masks are optional. I'm a substitute, and this is why I will not substitute anymore.

It's not only happening here. The situation is similar in Florida, where they are also experiencing a shortage of bus drivers.  

My sister, who is a high school teacher in Illinois, tells me that her district is so desperate for substitutes they are trying to attract them with pay offers of $300 per day—more than the full-time teachers make. That's got to be great for morale!

Buribo tracks school disruptions. They report a huge spike with "5225 schools starting a period of disruption (not offering in-person learning) of one or more days during the week beginning January 2nd." They note that this figure includes 653 Chicago Public Schools affected by a "work action," so not all disruptions are due to infections per se.

But it's still pandemic related. The "work action" is a demand by the union to go back to remote instruction. That's something unions are agitating for elsewhere too, filling parents' hearts with dread.

Burbio presents a heat map showing that school disruptions over the past month are worst in the Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest:


There is practically nothing in Arizona, or anywhere else in the Southwest for that matter. At least here, that could be because of our damn-the-torpedoes approach to pandemic schooling. 

Or it could be that burbio's tracking is not equally good in all areas. They show nothing for Florida but as noted above local media are reporting closures.

Whatever the case, it's worrisome that this could mean we're only getting started here in State 48.


Popular posts from this blog

Looks Like Immune Responses are Enduring After All

Image
 For some time, public health officials have fretted about whether immunity to COVID-19, acquired via infection or vaccination would stick.  Studies showed rapid declines in antibodies during recovery from infection and thereafter . It turns out that this concern was overblown. A study just released says bone marrow plasma cells are a persistent source of protective antibodies, and that "circulating resting memory B cells directed against the S protein were detected in the convalescent individuals."   Another study , yet to be reviewed, suggests that vaccines boost this effect. In fact, some are suggesting this situation this could actually mean  lifetime immunity .   Whether the same thing happens with vaccination is not clear. Most estimates suggest that vaccine immunity will last about a year . More pessimistic estimates putting the protection period at six months .  The possible shorter time frame, plus the appearance of the new variants, have the vaccine makers working
Read more

Another One Bites the Dust

Image
Hi all. Stepping out of retirement for a moment to say that the day has finally arrived. After four years of successfully avoiding COVID-19 infection I had a positive test yesterday. Symptoms are very mild—I've had worse colds. The provider at urgent care said almost all the cases they are seeing are the same. Mild symptoms may also be due to the fact that I had the original vaccine then the two boosters. All this time I thought I might be a NOVID —one of those people who never get the bug. But no, it must have been my assiduous mask wearing and avoidance of high-risk situations when things were bad. So here's double middle fingers to all the kooks who think masks don't work (I've not been wearing masks for months now). I don't know what variant I have but it's likely JN.1. It is said to be extraordinarily contagious and accounts for 60% of cases worldwide . It also tends to produce mild infections like the one I have.  This article claims that right now every
Read more

Anti-Mitigation Groups Have Formed a Death Cult

Image
Over the weekend anti-vax protestors showed up at Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium, the largest vaccination site in the country, and staged a protest . Police said the protest was peaceful.  But the fire department closed the entrance to prevent them from moving onto the grounds or getting killed by traffic. In the end they didn't prevent anyone from getting a vaccination who had an appointment, but they did hold up the line for about an hour. In my option, these protestors are very lucky the people waiting in line didn't jump out of their cars and beat them senseless.   You have to wonder what these crackpots thought they would accomplish with their protest. People who are there already accept the truth that vaccines are protective, and don't think COVID-19 is a hoax. Did they think they would win converts? It was a fool's errand, kind of like holding an atheism demonstration outside the entrance to St. Peter's. Now it seems that the anti-vaxxers are increasingly j
Read more