https://abc13.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-geomagnetic-storm-satellite-internet/11548537/
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Announced this morning.
I think its a step in the right direction. We have a high vaccination rate, good testing system set up at the schools, evidence that spread isn’t happening in school, and at home test kits being sent to parents.
Basically they are leaving it up to school districts to decide what to do. Our school committee meeting is next week, and they will be having our towns Dept of public health there for resource. Feeling optimistic by spring we could be mask free.
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It just occurred to me that with the Galactic Starcruiser opening on 3/1, Disney will probably want to relax mask requirements by then, right? I mean, how immersive is the experience going to be if all the CMs have to wear masks?
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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a highly contagious plague is spreading throughout the galaxy … science fiction, right???
Yes, it would seem odd to have all the CM’s on the Starcruiser wearing masks so end of February conveniently would seem a likely time for WDW to relax the mask rules.
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…and this would be why Yelp says Hoop Dee Doo is scheduled to reopen February 28, 2022.
I’m mostly kidding, because how would Yelp know, but it’s fun to dream 
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I have two bad childhood memories from WDW:
(1) when I was 12 years old and got sick at WDW with a fever (I stayed back at the room while my family went to the parks); and
(2) when I was 10 years old and was bored to tears at the Hoop Dee Doo review. I couldn’t wait until it was over and I have never been back. Am I alone in this?
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I thought this was an interesting article about removal of covid restrictions.
Is ending the last Covid rule ‘brave or stupid’? Is ending the last Covid rule 'brave or stupid'? - BBC News
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They extended dates earlier but we had a bunch of BinaxNow that did not make that extended date. When you opened them you could tell they were expired (I can’t remember how it was obvious, but it was).
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I don’t know what your city school busing situation is but please spread the word that masks will be required. It is a detail that was lost in some reporting.
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The free ones we got from the government were expired. Expiration date was beginning of January and we received them early this month. Safe to use?
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The directions included inside should tell you how to tell if they can be used.
We were looking at BinaxNow and iHealth boxes yesterday. Sometimes they have a manufactured date and an expiration date.
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Thanks! I’ll check inside!
ETA: I was looking at the manufacture date instead of expiration. 
All are ok!
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Yes- it was mentioned in the email that went out last night 
Federal regulations
I’m not actively seeking out discussions around the 0-4 vaccines (I figure VRBPAC and ACIP are the ones that will matter and will have the best and most recent data), but still catching quite a bit of chatter in my general Covid monitoring.
Here is some of the thinking that’s circulating.
The clinical data on 0-4 hospitalizations during the recent Omicron surge paints a somewhat different picture of risks to young kids than the Delta data that they had when they were initially evaluating the trial results in early December. While Omicron may be less severe than Delta, the transmissibility and volume of cases change the risk profile for kids. If BA.2 is even more transmissible, that could further tip the scales. We have a very short window to take action before a potential BA.2 resurgence (or it just dragging out the BA.1 surge tail).
Factoring in the most recent data on MIS-C and Long Covid could also change the risk/benefit evaluation.
The 2-dose trial data did not show any safety concerns in excess of the side effects seen in the 5-11 age group. If the thinking is that a 3-dose schedule will highly likely have efficacy, a move to allow vaccinations (perhaps “may” wording instead of “should” wording), pro-vaccine parents would then be empowered to start the 2-dose regime so their kids are ready to receive the 3rd dose after that trial is evaluated. However, there are concerns that a less strongly worded endorsement could increase vaccine hesitancy, even if it is followed up with a stronger endorsement following the 3-dose results. It’s a tricky spot between allowing those most likely to take up the vaccine to get started for earlier protection and what it could do to vaccination levels over the long term.
I’m still not seeing any changes to the ACIP Feb 23-24 meeting agenda or any additional meetings scheduled.
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If you know anyone at high risk that tests positive, this is where their PROVIDER can start if they seem unsure how to proceed in obtaining therapeutics:
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Our school committee met Tuesday night and voted in anticipation of this - we will be mask-optional as of Feb 28.
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Well, what are they doing on ROTR for instance? I was kinda wondering that as I thought about my trip next week. I assume they have a costume-appropriate mask (black for Empire, etc.).
2/9 White House Briefing (not much new ground covered):
“Last week, CDC publicly released national wastewater surveillance data, tracking more than 400 testing sites across the country in 212 communities, which we will double to more than 800 testing sites in the next four weeks.”
Dr. Walensky spoke to a number of ways the CDC monitors the status of the pandemic besides raw case counts, so I suspect we are going to see a shift in emphasis there.
Dr. Fauci’s segment was “The Critical Importance of Booster Shots” There were a number of slides from a bunch of different studies, but I think this one pretty well sums it up:
I’m not sure the above graphic sells me on Omicron being less severe than Delta among the vaccinated, though. Maybe that’s primarily among the unvaccinated?
In response to a question on 0-4 vaccines:
DR. FAUCI:
Yes, the data from the trials on children from 6 months to 24 months, as well as those from 24 months up to the end of 4 years have been conducted by the pharmaceutical company, in this case, Pfizer.
The data have been submitted to the FDA, and the FDA VRBPAC, or their advisory committee, will be meeting on February 15th. I think people need to be assured that any decision that the FDA makes, as is historically always the case with them, will really be based on the scientific data of both safety and efficacy. And we can assure you that the decision will be based on that.
MR. ZIENTS:
So, operationally, we will be ready once FDA and CDC make their recommendations. As we talked about last week, this vaccine is specifically formulated for these young kids. So, we’re launching a new program specially for kids under five.
The planning process is well underway. CDC is working with states to help them prepare. We’ve secured enough vaccine supply for all kids in this age group — all 18 million. We have enough needles, syringes, and kits. And these are all specially formulated, are made for this age group to send alongside the vaccine.
And we’re working closely with pediatricians and family doctors and children’s hospitals and pharmacies to make sure the vaccine is available at thousands of locations across the country — locations that parents know and trust.
We can start packing and shipping the vaccine once FDA makes its decision. So, we will be prepared for those parents that are eager to get their kids vaccinated.
There are parents that do have questions, and we need to answer those questions. And we’ve learned through our efforts across the last year that the best messengers are local messengers — local community groups and leaders, doctors, and other health practitioners.
So, we are working closely with HHS to line up that group and make sure that they have the materials that they need, the training they need to be able to answer the questions that parents have about getting their kids vaccinated.
There was also a question about 4th doses:
DR. FAUCI:
…So, I don’t think you’re going to be hearing, if you do, any kind of recommendations that would be across the board for everyone. It very likely will take into account what subset of people have a diminished, or not, protection against the important parameters such as hospitalization.
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If I am thinking about this right …
VE is measured by comparison to the unvaccinated population. So if Omicron results in substantially less hospitalizations than Delta in the unvaccinated, then a 90% VE (against hospitalization) for the vaccinated means 90% effective compared to the already lower rate of hospitalizations in the unvaccinated. That would mean that Omicron results in a lower rate of hospitalizations among the vaccinated compared to Delta. That is to say Delta’s VE is compared to unvaccinated Delta hospitalizations and Omicron’s VE is compared to unvaccinated Omicron hospitalizations … so if the unvaccinated have a much lower hospitalization rate with Omicron, then the vaccinated do too.
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