Category: Covid-19

Cleveland Clinic Weston Chief Medical Officer Dr. Fabio Potenti weighs in on the COVID-19 vaccine, arguing its premature for health care professionals to make vaccine recommendations.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country's sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow rushes to keep pace with Western drugmakers in the race for a shot.

The initial results are only the second to be published from a late-stage human trial in the global effort to produce vaccines that could halt a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people and ravaged the world economy.

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Russia registered its COVID-19 vaccine for public use in August, the first country to do so, though the approval came before the start of the large-scale trial in September.

"We are showing, based on the data, that we have a very effective vaccine," said RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev, adding that it was the sort of news that the vaccine's developers would talk about one day with their grandchildren.

The interim results are based on data from the first 16,000 trial participants to receive both shots of the two-dose vaccine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has been backing the vaccine and marketing it globally, said.

The interim analysis was conducted after 20 participants in the trial developed COVID-19 and examined how many had received the vaccine versus a placebo.

That is significantly lower than the 94 infections in the trial of a vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech. To confirm the efficacy rate, Pfizer said it would continue its trial until there were 164 COVID-19 cases.

PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINES NEXT BIG CHALLENGE: GIVING IT TO ENOUGH PEOPLE

The Russian trial will continue for six more months, RDIF said in a statement, and data from the trial will also be published in a leading international medical journal following a peer review.

SPUTNIK V

The so-called Phase III trial of the shot developed by the Gamaleya Institute is taking place in 29 clinics across Moscow and will involve 40,000 volunteers in total, with a quarter receiving a placebo shot.

The chances of contracting COVID-19 were 92% lower among people vaccinated with Sputnik V than those who received the placebo, the RDIF said.

That's well above the 50% effectiveness threshold for COVID-19 vaccines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Russia's announcement follows swiftly on from results posted on Monday by Pfizer and BioNTech , who said their shot was also more than 90% effective.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology and is designed to trigger an immune response without using pathogens, such as actual virus particles.

The Sputnik V vaccine is designed to trigger a response from two shots administered 21 days apart each based on different viral vectors that normally cause the common cold: human adenoviruses Ad5 and Ad26.

The drug is named Sputnik V after the Soviet-era satellite that triggered the space race, a nod to the project's geopolitical importance for Putin.

PFIZER CEO SAYS CORONAVIRUS VACCINE COULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO AMERICANS BEFORE YEAR'S END

Russia is also testing a different vaccine, produced by the Vector Institute in Siberia, and is on the cusp of registering a third, Putin said on Tuesday, adding that all of the country's vaccines were effective.

"Studies have already shown and confirmed that, firstly, these vaccines are safe and have no serious side effects after use, and secondly, they are all effective," the RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying.

RDIF said no serious side effects had been reported during the Sputnik V Phase III trial so far.

MASS VACCINATIONS

Successful vaccines are seen as a crucial to restoring daily life around the world by helping end the health crisis that shuttered businesses and put millions out of work.

Russia registered the vaccine for domestic use in August, prior to the start of the large-scale trial, and has also inoculated 10,000 people considered at high risk of COVID-19 outside of the trial

Putin has said that Russia expects to start mass vaccinations by the end of the year.

"The publication of the interim results of the post-registration clinical trials that convincingly demonstrate Sputnik V vaccines efficacy gives way to mass vaccination in Russia against COVID-19 in the coming weeks," Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute, said.

BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISER WARNS US FACING DARKEST DAYS OF ENTIRE PANDEMIC

Moscow is rolling out a large network of vaccination rooms and residents who want the shot may be able to get it as early as next month if large volumes of doses are supplied by then, Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said on Oct. 30.

However, production challenges remain. Earlier estimates that Russia could produce 30 million doses of the vaccine this year have since been scaled down.

Moscow aims to produce 800,000 doses this month, industry minister Denis Manturov has said, followed by 1.5 million in December. But significantly higher volumes of output per month are expected from early 2021.

Manturov cited issues with scaling up production from small to large-volume bioreactors, while Putin last month cited issues with the availability of equipment.

Officials have said that domestic production of the vaccine will be used first to meet Russia's needs.

RDIF, however, has also struck several international supply deals, amounting to 270 million doses in total.

It is expected that these will in large part be produced in other countries and RDIF has previously announced a deal to manufacture 300 million doses in India and an undisclosed amount of doses in Brazil, China and South Korea.

Trials of the vaccine have also begun in Belarus, and are on track to begin soon in the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and India.

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Russia reported 19,851 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours and a record high of 432 deaths. At 1,836,960, its overall case tally is the fifth largest in the world, behind the United States, India, Brazil and France.

Authorities, however, have been adamant that severe lockdown restrictions, like those seen in the spring, will not be reintroduced.

(Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Editing by David Clarke)

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Russia says its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is 92% effective - Fox Business

That means about one tenth of the country's more than 10 million positive tests were reported in the Lone Star state.

If Texas -- home to about 29 million people -- were its own country, it would be ranked among the world's Top 10 countries in terms of total cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.

"It may be as much as 20 per day the next two to three weeks. There might be more and more an incline of deaths," the judge told CNN affiliate KFOX.

The county is among the hardest hit in the country. Hundreds of personnel have been sent by the state to assist local hospitals and an alternate care site at the El Paso convention center is also up and running.

And while officials haven't pinpointed a single cause that led to the surge, the El Paso mayor previously said "37% of our positives were from visiting large big-box stores," while others were from restaurants, travel to Mexico, parties, gyms and a small percentage were due to large gatherings.

Inside Texas jails and prisons, another crisis

The report, from the University of Texas at Austin, found that more people in Texas prisons have contracted the virus than in any other prison system in the country.

There have been at least 231 deaths from Covid-19 in Texas correctional facilities -- and that includes both staff and incarcerated people, the report said.

"The data in this report fills a significant gap in our knowledge base, and shows the urgency of taking steps to reduce the risks of additional COVID deaths in Texas prisons and jails."

Among some of the most staggering findings -- 80% of people who died in jail from the virus were not convicted of a crime. And about 58% of people who died in prison from Covid-19 were eligible for parole.

The number of deaths reported is likely an undercount, the researchers said.

"Because of high levels of 'churn' in the jail population, it is possible that individuals contracted the virus in jail, were released, and then died on the outside," the report noted. "Also, some jails may have intentionally released people at risk of dying so that the death would not be recorded as a jail death," they added.

"Moreover, in both prisons and jails, some people died without ever having been tested for COVID, and some died from a pre-existing medical condition worsened by COVID. Those deaths are not counted as COVID deaths."

CNN's Joe Sutton and Maggie Fox contributed to this report.

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Texas becomes the first US state with more than 1 million Covid-19 infections - CNN

That is the main finding of a joint report published on Tuesday by the UNs Economic Commission for the region, ECLAC, and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

It was presented simultaneously in the capitals of Santiago, Chile, and Lima, Peru, via a joint virtual press conference led by Alicia Brcena. the ECLAC Executive Secretary, and Vincius Pinheiro, ILOs Regional Director.

In terms of employment, the health crisis affected vulnerable groups above all, deepening inequality in the labor market. Women have been most affected by job losses and the decline in labor market participation. A strategic view must link sustainable development with job creation, they said.

COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to economies and labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, leading to the biggest contraction in the region in the last 100 years.

The greatest effects were felt in the second quarter of this year, when an estimated 47 million jobs were lost, compared with 2019.

Many people who found themselves without a job were unable to swiftly re-enter the workforce, or withdrew entirely, impeded by mobility restrictions which prevented them from seeking employment.

Women, young people and migrants are among those who have been heavily impacted, and the report also looks at how the crisis has affected employment for people 15 to 24 years old.

The pandemic has had a greater impact on youth, partly because there are fewer entry-level vacancies around, fewer temporary contract renewals and fewer hires following probationary periods, the report reveals.

Furthermore, the lower likelihood of finding a job has discouraged young people from seeking employment, leading to a rising number who are neither looking for work nor studying.

These long periods of inactivity have lasting effects on their career path: more informality and greater labor market exclusion in the future, the report cautions.

The two UN organizations have called for promoting young peoples integration into the labour market by combining classroom training followed by internships.

Monetary subsidies would ensure attendance and participation, and employment services would support their re-entry into the workforce.

Young people who have been made jobless could also benefit from vocational training, which would facilitate re-skilling or re-training. Meanwhile, digital technologies must be harnessed to enhance learning capacity and thereby close the digital gaps between them.

The report warns that based on the average economic growth rate over the past decade, returning to pre-crisis economic activity levels will take several years, which will translate into a protracted jobs recovery.

Any return would require furthering environmental policies that stimulate job growth, the authors said, bolstered by active fiscal policies that foster employment, with labor-intensive investment projects focused on sustainability.

These in turn must be accompanied by industrial and technological policies, they added, geared at building production capacity and increasing competitiveness, along with financing for small business and medium-sized enterprises.

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COVID-19: Slow road to jobs recovery for Latin America and the Caribbean - UN News

Here is my working definition of a public health expert: someone who is constantly frustrated that people will not act on clear health advice in the interests of their own health.

From smoking to diabetes, from eating responsibly and exercising to practicing safe sex, from getting an annual flu shot to wearing face coverings in the time of coronavirus, the literature on public health is awash with tricks, nudges, and sometimes outright bribes to try and get people to take care of themselves. Some progress has been made, but the feeling is often one of disappointment that so many people arent following the advice.

Paradoxically, Covid-19 the biggest public health and economic calamity in several generations is showing that people can and will listen and act. We, the people, have done remarkably well around the world when it comes to following public health advice. This is in spite of the fact that several governments, including those of the U.S. and many states, have not supported the clear public health message that people need to make enormous changes to their behaviors to protect themselves and others.

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The evidence on this is actually very clear. While the pandemic has its ebbs and flows, a month or so after the first significant outbreak in a region (say, a city like New York or a state like Illinois) things stabilize. The virus doesnt go away. Instead, the number of new infections is about the same from day to day. Epidemiologists refer to this situation as the reproduction rate of the virus going to 1, with every person who is infected spreading it to just one other person on average. (Getting the reproduction rate under 1 is the beginning of the road to stopping the pandemic.)

This stands in contrast to earlier predictions of a large outbreak as the virus spread quickly at much higher reproduction rates based on how easily the virus could jump from person to person. In the absence of behavioral change, an international team of researchers predicted that an infected person would infect two to three other people. That happened right at the beginning of the pandemic, but then it changed. Part of this was due to governments instituting lockdowns but, somewhat amazingly, people locked themselves down faster than governments acted.

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Perhaps the clearest study of this comes from University of Chicago economists Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson. Using cellphone data to track visits to 2.5 million businesses in the U.S. between March 2020 and May 2020, they examined counties in lockdown states that were next to counties in non-lockdown states. Although government lockdowns did reduce visits to businesses, 60% of the reduction would have happened even without them. In other words, people were acting. The converse happened as governments allowed reopening: People did not follow.

This pattern arose around the world. Very few people saw others falling sick or collapsing in the street, as happened during the 1918 flu pandemic. In fact, we saw nothing. Nothing but the news and information from experts. And that information spread quickly. Within a week or so, people knew what was happening even if they couldnt see it happening. And they knew what the recommendations were even though officials were still not entirely certain about how Covid-19 was spreading.

It is tempting to think of the lockdown protests and mask boycotts and conclude that solid public health messages werent getting through. But the data show that those were the exceptions rather than the truth. Moreover, this information penetrated the far reaches of the planet. Even in places like Sweden and Brazil, which were perceived as not having strong government interventions against Covid-19, people found out about the risks quickly and acted to protect themselves.

Think, for example, of the mask misstep. Because public health officials were initially concerned about mask hoarding, they downplayed the need for masks. That was a mistake because mask use likely was the most effective tool in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus. Even so, more and more people began procuring masks or fashioning them themselves. And they wore them which, as these things go, was a huge behavioral change. They did to protect themselves but also to protect others. The information flowed. Only later did the official advice change and Americans were called upon to wear masks when in public.

The speed and reach of these personal changes in behavior strongly suggest the influence of one thing that we have today that wasnt around in 1918 or even in the 1980s as HIV/AIDS began to spread: the internet. While there are genuine concerns about the internet as a conduit for misinformation, when it comes to public health messaging regarding the coronavirus pandemic, we owe it our gratitude. Covid-19 may go down in history as the internets first truly great informational triumph.

I realize this may be a controversial view. But there was no Walter Cronkite we all watched and trusted for our news. There were no public addresses from the president. There was just the decentralized mess and flow of information from the internet to our devices. When we look at 2020, it is reasonable to say that part of the system finally worked. When we look beyond 2020, we should ask what more it can do.

Joshua Gans is a professor of strategic management at the University of Torontos Rotman School of Management and author of The Pandemic Information Gap: The Brutal Economics of Covid-19 (MIT Press, November 2020).

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A hidden success in the Covid-19 mess: the internet - STAT - STAT

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Austin ISD to roll out COVID-19 rapid testing in phases starting Wednesday - KXAN.com

Health care workers face potential COVID-19 exposure through their job. Data suggest that at least 200,000 health care workers have been infected with coronavirus as of November 2020, but this estimate likely vastly underestimates the number affected due to major gaps in data collection. Data further show that people of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and deaths known among health care workers, and that they are more likely to be in health care worker roles and settings that have particularly high risks of workplace exposure. This analysis provides greater insight into COVID-19 risks and impacts among health care workers and how they vary by race and ethnicity. It is based on a KFF analysis of 2019 American Community Survey and publicly available information on COVID-19 impacts among health care workers (see Methods for more details). It finds:

In 2019, there were over 18.6 million people working in the health care industry across a range of occupations and settings. Overall, 60% of health care workers were White and 40% were people of color, including 16% who were Black, 13% who were Hispanic, and 7% who were Asian. However, the racial/ethnic composition of health care workers varied across occupations and settings. Black and Hispanic health care workers made up relatively larger shares of aides and personal care workers and direct contact support workers. Black and Hispanic workers also accounted for larger shares of health care workers in home health care, and Black workers made up a relatively larger share of workers in skilled nursing facility or other residential care settings.

People of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and/or deaths known among health care workers for which race/ethnicity data are available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 200,000 cases and just over 790 deaths among health care personnel as of November 9, 2020. However, this estimate likely vastly underestimates the number of health care workers affected as health care personnel status was known for only a quarter (25%) of total cases. CDC further found that, as of July 2020, more than half (53%) of confirmed cases among health care personnel were among people of color, including 26% who were Black, 12% who were Hispanic, and 9% who were Asian. Data collected by states, the media, and other organizations similarly find that people of color account for the majority of COVID-19 cases and/or deaths known among health care workers.

Research suggests that health care workers face increased risks of coronavirus exposure and infection, with certain health care workers facing particularly high risks that disproportionately affect people of color. Studies show that health care workers are at increased risk for exposure and infection relative to the general population, with particularly high risks for health care workers who provide direct patient care, work in inpatient hospital or residential or long-term care settings, are in nursing or direct support staff roles, or do not have adequate access to PPE. Research further suggests that, among health care workers, people of color are more likely to report reuse of or inadequate access to PPE and to work in clinical settings with greater exposure to patients with COVID-19. CDC analysis of antibody evidence of previous infection among health care personnel further found higher rates of seropositivity among people or color compared to their White counterparts (9.7% vs. 4.4%), suggesting higher rates of previous infection.

A recent KFF/The Undefeated Survey suggests that the pandemic is taking a disproportionate toll on health care workers, especially Black health care workers and their families. It finds that health care workers are more likely than others to worry about being exposed to the virus through the workplace, to know someone who has died from the virus, to say it has negatively impacted family relationships, and to report someone in their household lost a job or experienced a cutback in hours or income due to the pandemic. Black health care workers and their families are particularly likely to report certain impacts, including knowing someone who has died from the virus and a negative impact on their ability to pay for basic needs.

KFF/The Undefeated Survey data also show that, while health care workers are more likely than others to say they would definitely get a COVID-19 vaccine, substantial shares express vaccine hesitancy, particularly among Black health care workers and their families. Overall, 54% of health care workers say they would definitely get vaccinated if it was available for fee and determined safe and effective by scientists, compared to 33% of adults who do not have a health care worker in their household. However, among adults who are health care workers or who live in a household with a healthcare worker, Black adults are much less likely to say they would definitely get vaccinated compared to White adults (24% vs. 46%), mirroring greater vaccine hesitancy among Black adults more broadly.

Together these findings highlight the importance of focusing on health care workers as part of response efforts to help protect against COVID-19 infection and spread. They can also help target response efforts and distribution of treatments and vaccines as they become available to prioritize health care workers who are facing the highest risks of exposure and infection. Targeting these efforts will also have important implications for health disparities given the disproportionate risks and impacts among health care workers who are people of color, which may compound broader increased health and economic risks that are contributing to the pandemics disproportionate toll on people of color overall. This analysis also shows that there remain significant gaps in data to understand COVID-19 impacts by industry and occupation. Increased data would allow for better understanding of work-related risks and outbreaks to help guide response efforts and resources going forward.

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COVID-19 Risks and Impacts Among Health Care Workers by Race/Ethnicity - Kaiser Family Foundation

Posted: Nov 11, 2020 / 11:15 AM EST / Updated: Nov 11, 2020 / 11:15 AM EST

(WSYR-TV) Pfizers worldwide trial is giving us some hope and possibly the best weapon in the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the pivotal players are here in Central New York.

SUNY Upstate Hospitals Chief of Infectious Diseases is leading the charge. NewsChannel 9 spoke with one of the first people anywhere to get the vaccine as part of Upstates vaccine trial program.

Annie Tuttle and her wife Melissa got their first COVID-19 vaccine in August with the second coming 21 days later. Of course, being that its a trial, they dont know if they received the placebo, but they have some ideas.

Were pretty sure that she had the vaccine, said Annie.

Melissa had a days worth of mild symptoms after the second round.

Mild fever, mild fatigue, but after that she was fine, said Annie. Annie only had a little fatigue, which is not enough to check any boxes in their weekly COVID-19 diary.

When asked about why they participated in the trial, Annie said this:

Well, we believe in science and we knew that because of this unprecedented time this would call for an unprecedented vaccine process. So we felt that this wasthe right thing to do. If there was a chance we could help save lives or get our lives back to normal quicker, both of our families live out of state so we havent been able to see them for over a year, we wanted to do our part and help that process along.

This process involves check-ups, blood work, and a bit of unknown for the next two years. But, with doctors they trust, they say its worth it.

They are hoping to be part of the pandemics solution.

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What is it like being part of a COVID-19 vaccine trial? - WETM - MyTwinTiers.com

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Tennessee areas where mask requirements were instituted over the summer have substantially lower death rates due to COVID-19 as compared to areas without mask requirements, according to new analysis by Vanderbilt Department of Health Policy researchers.

The analysis, led by John Graves, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Economic Modeling, finds that early adopting counties saw their death rate begin to decline by late July, while later adopting counties saw declines in August and September. Non-adopting counties continue to see death rates rise, the researchers found.

This analysis shows that strategies, including but not limited to masking while in contact with others, can have real impact on peoples lives, Graves said in a news release. Mask mandates are associated with greater mask wearing and other behaviors like limiting close contacts with others, and the combined impact is clear and substantial.

The study uses data on COVID-19 deaths by date of death, not the date the death was reported, which can lag the actual date of death by several weeks. The researchers note that due to these lags, Tennessees current view of COVID-19 deaths really only represents a clear picture of deaths through the first week of October - meaning that many of the deaths reported each day are tied to infections that occurred in September, before the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee.

Mask mandates work, Mask mandates are associated with lower death rates. Weve already shown they are associated with lower hospitalizations rates, Vanderbilt Medical Research Professor Melissa McPheeters said. So, if we can put mask mandates in place that encourage and support people to wear masks, which we know helps and really go a long way in tackling this COVID-19.

The analysis expands on other analyses that Graves, along with Melinda Buntin, PhD, Mike Curb Chair of the Department of Health Policy, and Melissa McPheeters, PhD, MPH, research professor of Health Policy and Biomedical Informatics, have conducted about the implementation of mask requirements and hospitalizations.

As of Nov. 10, approximately 63% of the states residents lived in areas where a mask is required, while the remaining 37% lived in an area where masks were never required (8%) or lived in areas where mask requirements expired.

Death rates were initially higher in the areas where masks became required, the analysis found. In the weeks after mask requirements were put in place, areas where masks were required showed sharper declines in deaths per 100,000 population compared to areas where masks were never required.

Deaths are a lagging indicator, following increases in cases and then hospitalizations, so we expect any intervention such as a mask requirement to take some time to demonstrate effectiveness. Rising rates of COVID-19 are a big ship to turn, and it is important to act early enough to be effective, McPheeters said.

As of the first week of October, there were more than four deaths per 100,000 population in areas where masks were never required and near or below two deaths per 100,000 in areas that adopted a mask requirement over the summer, Buntin said.

The good news, researchers noted, is that more than 80% of Tennesseans were reporting as of Nov. 5 that they are wearing masks, according to research cited in the analysis from Carnegie Mellon University. The analysis notes, however, that mask wearing may be inconsistent, especially when around close family and personal contacts.

Individuals may not understand the risk of exposure to friends and family and may let down their guard in situations where they are meeting in small groups with close contacts, the researchers concluded. Mask ordinances demonstrate leadership by sending a clear signal that behavior must change to mitigate spread of the virus.

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Vanderbilt study finds TN counties without mask requirements have higher COVID-19 death toll per capita - WSMV Nashville

The Southeastern Conference has postponed this Saturdays Texas A&M football game against the University of Tennessee to Dec. 12 after an A&M football player and staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the programs total number of positive cases to three.

A&M officials said in a statement that the two people who tested positive had traveled with the team to South Carolina for their game on Nov. 7. A second player had tested positive prior to the South Carolina game.

A&M is the latest Texas college football program to face a schedule change as college athletic programs across the country struggle to keep student athletes COVID-19 free throughout the season. The SEC also postponed this Saturdays game between Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama due to COVID-19 cases within LSUs program.

The nature of away game travel (flights, meals, lodging, locker room, etc.) naturally leads to an increase in the number of student-athletes, coaches and staff who meet the criteria for mandatory quarantine based on contact tracing guidelines, Ross Bjork, Texas A&M's athletics director, said in a statement. We are asking everyone around our university community to stay vigilant and follow all of the safety protocols and best practices as we approach the end of the fall sports seasons.

Jimbo Fisher, A&Ms head football coach, said the positive tests and increased number of players forced to quarantine put the roster below the SEC threshold to compete. This year, the conference required teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available to play a game. Fisher had announced on a media call Monday that he paused the teams practice Monday afternoon after they received the positive test results.

First, and foremost, is the health and safety of our players in our football program. I would never jeopardize their well-being and we will continue to follow all protocols, said Fisher in a statement. We look forward to getting back out there because our team has been practicing and playing well.

The fall football season has been littered with cancellations and postponements as college athletes test positive for the virus or are forced to quarantine due to exposure, disrupting schedules and travel. Each cancellation is tough news for athletic programs that depend heavily on ticket revenues from football games and have already taken a financial hit due to lower occupancy requirements and additional safety costs related to the pandemic.

Texas A&Ms overall positivity rate, which has remained fairly low throughout the semester, has nearly doubled to 8.1% since Halloween. The university also reported two new COVID-19 clusters among students in the Artillery Band of the Fightin Texas Aggie Band and another among Emergency Medical Services staff. The university says both clusters were traced to off campus social events.

On Monday evening, university officials strongly encouraged all students living on campus to get tested and discouraged visitors to dorms. Starting Wednesday, all gatherings of more than 10 people must be approved by a dean, vice president or provost.

Student athletes across Texas have tested positive at various points of the season and a handful of football teams have had to postpone games already this season. In June, 13 University of Texas at Austin athletes tested positive for COVID-19. Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University postponed a game in early September. Baylor University has had to postpone a game and briefly paused football-related activities to stop the spread of the virus.

The University of North Texas postponed its Oct. 31 game against the University of Texas at El Paso due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in El Paso that has not subsided. At the time, UTEP President Heather Wilson expressed disappointment in the decision, but within days UTEP officials urged students and faculty to avoid coming to campus for two weeks due to the rising cases, closing the Student Recreation Center and suspending on-campus dining services.

Three of UTEPs last four games have been postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19 issues with their opponent. They're scheduled to play the University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Baylor University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at El Paso have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas A&M's football game postponed after positive COVID-19 cases - The Texas Tribune

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Teachers in Nashville shared stories from inside their classrooms about educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This happened during Tuesdays Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education meeting.

Question is why should a teacher have to choose between losing our job, our health, our lives or what we know is best for kids? I beg you tonight to create a win-win situation for all of us. Whether it be spacing, cleaning, or planning, when it comes to the virus, we have to win every time. The virus only has to win once, right now we are losing, said Andrew Jackson Elementary School Physical Education Teacher Susan Floyd.

Metro Nashville Public Schools shared its COVID-19 report for the week of Nov. 2 through Nov. 8. It showed 214 staff quarantined or isolated with 52 confirmed positive COVID cases. The report also said 770 students were quarantined or isolated with 37 confirmed positive cases.

I think I can speak for many elementary school teachers right now by saying we feel very abandoned and betrayed. We fought so hard to support many of you but in return, weve been thrown under the bus, said first-grade teacher Amanda Baker. When we have over 1,000 people quarantined in the district we have a problem. Yet, the district is pretending that all is well, releasing reports that are not only inaccurate but not cumulative so they dont show the full number of people quarantined. The number of cases quarantined right now and cases are staggering and ridiculous. Many schools are barely functioning at this point.

Baker shared concerns about how in-person learning was impacting students.

How can it not be safe for some students but safe for others? We have classrooms that are at capacity with little to no distancing, kids sitting for hours with little to no movement to try and decrease the spread, Baker described. We have sick kids coming in daily showing signs of COVID. Do you know what its like to play Russian Roulette COVID style? We do. Some kids are sent home some are not. The safety measures are inconsistent across the district. Many times no one is quarantined and no parents are notified of the sickness within the classrooms and we pretend it didnt happen to not cause panic, but we know people are dying daily from it.

Gower Elementary School teacher Susan Saar was emotional as she told the board why she supported in-person learning.

Im not on the outside of having concerns for loved ones. I have a daughter with an auto immune and a sick mother and it affects me, said Saar. But its taught me adversity whips you in the face, but you should love life and you should not stop and I will not blame you if I get the flu and I will not blame you if I get COVID. But Im here to do a job you hired me for and its going well. I love my kids. Im sorry Im a little emotional. But thank you and think of them independently because my kids need me and I need them.

Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said district leaders have a goal of giving all students the option to learn in-person. However, she said based on key metrics in Davidson County they still cannot move forward with the districts re-opening plan for middle schools.

While I will be going back, half of my students will not be, so I am going to have to lose who did not choose that. It was chosen for them by their families. Were asked to make all of these changes, for what? said Oliver Middle School 6th grade teacher Nick Keel. We cannot guarantee this would be consistent, that this would stay this way all year. Were going to throw those relationships to the side. My question is do parents, students, teachers, realize if and when we return this year its not going to look normal. Were not picking up where we left off in March.

Teachers also expressed concerns over their own health and that of their families when teaching in-person.

I cannot protect my students myself and my family while I am in the classroom. I walk an exhausting fine line every day of wanting so badly to be with my students but also dont feel like I should have to sacrifice my life or anyone I love to do so, Baker added. What you are asking us to do as a district is inconceivable. How do you, as a district, create guidelines for reopening and completely ignore the guidelines set forth? This is not healthy. This is not OK, Im asking you to please hear me, hear us, we are in the classrooms, we know what happens daily.

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Nashville teachers share emotional testimonies about working amid COVID-19 pandemic - WKRN News 2