What you need to know about coronavirus on Tuesday, September 15
More than half a million children in the United States have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
The child cases are likely underreported, because the way data is collected is not consistent across states. Even then, children now represent nearly 10% of all reported cases in the US.
It’s getting worse. The groups found that 72,993 new child cases were reported between August 27 and September 10, a 15% increase in child cases over two weeks.
Florida is an example of this trend. Since many of the state’s public schools opened their doors about a month ago, the number of children under 18 who have contracted Covid-19 has jumped 26%. Yet Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to push for in-person instruction across the Sunshine State.
And even though the vast majority of children have only mild symptoms after contracting Covid-19, a number of kids have suffered serious complications. Some have died.
Eli Lipman is one of the kids who has suffered from “long-haul” Covid-19. The 9-year-old has had a 100 degree fever every day for months, his dad Jonathan Lipman told CNN. Eli said he felt like “the day after you got smashed into a wall.”
“I just felt super tired, I couldn’t get up, I didn’t wanna do anything … but now, I am walking around and I am getting more energy and I am getting better.”
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED
Q: What should I do if I’m wearing a mask but have to sneeze?
A: If there are tissues nearby, you can take your mask off and sneeze into the tissue before putting your mask back on, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.
For kids in school — or anyone else who might have to wear a mask all day — bring a backup mask in a baggie in case the first mask gets dirty. You can put the dirty mask in the baggie. It’s also a good idea to keep backup masks in your car in case of any mask accidents.
Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
It could take until 2024 to vaccinate everyone worldwide
The world’s largest vaccine manufacturer said if a Covid-19 vaccine requires two doses, it might be 2024 before everyone can get inoculated. Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India, told the Financial Times that if the vaccine needs two doses to work, the world would need about 15 billion doses.
That means production on a mammoth scale. “I know the world wants to be optimistic on it … [but] I have not heard of anyone coming even close to that [level] right now,” Poonawalla said. “It’s going to take four to five years until everyone gets the vaccine on this planet.”
Germany links Covid-19 outbreak at ski resort to US citizen who failed to quarantine
A coronavirus outbreak at a popular Bavarian ski resort has been linked to a US citizen working at a lodge operated by the US Army. The unnamed person, who had recently returned to Bavaria following a holiday abroad, chose to socialize despite having Covid-19 symptoms and being told to stay indoors until their test results came back, German authorities said.
Covid-19 has set the world back 25 years in 25 weeks
The Covid-19 pandemic has stopped, and in many cases reversed, progress towards achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, according to the fourth annual Goalkeepers Report, published Monday by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
One example: Vaccinations reached over 80% of the world’s children and prevented more than two million deaths in 2019. Because of Covid-19, vaccine coverage in 2020 is dropping to levels last seen in the 1990s, the report says. “In other words, we’ve been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks,” the report says.
Inside Venezuela’s mandatory quarantine motels
The woman’s voice shakes as she recalls her quarantine days in a Venezuela motel. “I sometimes am sleeping at night and I wake up thinking I am in the motel,” she says, tearing up. “I still feel traumatized.”
The country’s facilities have earned a reputation for being unsanitary, crowded and prison-like, with many Venezuelans fearing being locked inside them. Vasco Cotovio and Isa Soares report.
ON OUR RADAR
- The site of President Donald Trump’s indoor rally in Nevada has been fined $3,000 for violating state coronavirus guidelines.
- An Italian airport got the world’s first five-star anti-Covid award.
- No job, no visa, no health care — and barred from returning home. Thousands of Australians are stranded overseas because of their government’s stringent border controls.
- Multiple Michigan State University sororities and fraternities have been ordered to quarantine for two weeks after a coronavirus spike was tied to students.
- Pennsylvania plans to appeal a ruling that declared bans on some large gatherings unconstitutional.
TOP TIPS
How to sleep better — kids and grown-ups alike
The author of “How Babies Sleep: The Gentle, Science-Based Method to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night” Sofia Axelrod spoke to CNN about how to maximize everyone’s sleep, from babies to adults. She also had a few thoughts about which pandemic habits might be getting in the way of a good night’s sleep, and which ones, surprisingly, are not. Read the interview here.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“The brain is pretty simple and it uses the biological rule: Use it or lose it.” — Stephanie Cacioppo, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago
Social isolation during the pandemic can have surprising effects on the brain, and research suggests our social skills may be suffering. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Cacioppo about how and why this is happening. Listen Now.
