Quick News Round-Up: April 5, 2022

Podcast Recap: 10 Horrific California Covid Bills

Transcript and audio up on our Callin podcast for our session with our friend Laura talking about the 10 ridiculous Covid bills coming to a state near you (after California).

Out of Africa

How is it that the most populated, least vaccinated continent in the world has the lowest mortality and case rate in the world. h/t @Lt_Morant

Wrenching Impact from School Shutdowns

One physician posted in a Facebook group this assessment of kids getting back into school and life:

I'm wondering if anyone else has been interviewing teachers and students about how academics post-shutdown is going? In my area of Virginia, students missed about 18 months of regular schooling. (Private schools only missed 3 months.). Many students were able to integrate back into regular academics seamlessly. In my middle to upper income families, it's not a terrible loss. There is screen addiction that is worse than before COVID, decreased attention spans, and dropped extracurricular passions (wrestling, track, choir, theater, ballet, etc.). In my patients (teachers, students) from poorer areas, the reports I'm being told are devastating. One guidance counselor in a lower to middle income elementary school said that "we're basically going to have to start out fresh with the new Kindergarten class. The other kids are just going to be socially advanced all the way through high school without meeting any benchmarks.

But the worst reports are from teachers in the poorest areas. These kids were left in traumatic home environments until fall 2021. Many 4th graders are still learning to read and write their letters correctly. The Kindergarten and 1st graders have no concept of time and seasons. Many are not potty trained. They don't know how to socially interact with each other. Teachers of all grades have told me that the kids have learned that there are no consequences for misbehavior or for not doing their work. They won't be held back. I've had teachers in my office with depression and anxiety, and crying over the state of their schools. My last patient on Friday afternoon perfectly encapsulates what I'm seeing. 11th grader who had straight A's in 9th grade. She now has D's and F's (just like last year), and she has such severe social anxiety that she wants to drop out and get her GED. "I have set low expectations for myself so that I'm not disappointed. I just want to get out of school.”

More news later this week!