A study of schools in Missouri adds to research suggesting that COVID-19 has limited spread in schools that observe mask rules and social distancing, according to researchers. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo


COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds.

And that's true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Schools can operate safely during a pandemic when prevention strategies are followed," said study co-leader Dr. Jason Newland, a professor of pediatrics.

His team conducted a pilot study that included 57 schools in St. Louis and Greene counties in southwest Missouri, as well as two private schools in St. Louis County. All required students, teachers, staff and visitors to wear masks while on campus or buses.

Other safety measures included hand hygiene, deep cleaning of facilities, physical distancing in classrooms, daily COVID-19 symptom screenings, physical barriers between teachers and students, increased ventilation and offering online learning options.

For two weeks in December, researchers were notified about students, teachers and staff who were either infected with COVID-19 or quarantined because they were in close contact with someone who had tested positive.

In all, the investigators were notified about 193 people at 22 schools -- 37 who tested positive for COVID-19 and 156 close contacts. A close contact is someone who has been within 6-feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period.

Among study participants who were COVID-19-positive, 24, or 65%, were students, and 13, or 35%, were teachers or staffers. Of the close contacts, 137, or 88%, were students, and 19, or 12%, were teachers or staffers.

Of the 102 close contacts who agreed to saliva tests for COVID-19, only two had positive results, suggesting they were infected at school.

Despite high rates of community spread in December, there were no COVID-19 outbreaks in participating schools, according to the report published online this week in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The findings add to those from schools in other states showing that prevention efforts are highly effective at curbing the spread of COVID-19 among students, teachers and staff.

"The pilot study demonstrates low transmission in schools and no student-to-teacher transmission -- and this was during the height of the pandemic in December, with high rates of community spread," Newland noted in a university news release.

Senior study author Johanna Salzer is a veterinary medical officer at the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

She said, "This work is imperative because keeping kids in school provides not only educational enrichment but also social, psychological and emotional health benefits, particularly for students who rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical and mental health support."More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 and schools/child care.

Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

upi.com/7084022

Senate bill would reform VA approach to toxic substance exposure treatment

On Tuesday a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate for additional care for veterans exposed to toxic substances. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army

March 24 (UPI) -- A bill to improve healthcare and benefits of military personnel exposed to toxic substances was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate this week.

The Toxic Exposure in the American Military, or TEAM, Act would create sweeping mandates for the Department of Veterans Affairs to track and care for eligible veterans, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced on Tuesday.

Co-sponsored by Tillis and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., the bill was passed in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in 2020 but did not receive a Senate floor voter.

"Our brave veterans risked their lives to protect our country and it's our job to make sure they are supported back home, even years after they served," Tillis said in a press release.

RELATED Experts: Prioritize COVID-19 vaccine for those with high exposure to PFAS chemicals

"The TEAM Act ensures that all veterans are given a fair and uniform process to receive the health care and benefits to which they are entitled following exposures to toxicants during their service," Tillis said.

The proposed bill expands health care for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and requires the VA to respond to new scientific evidence regarding diseases associated with toxic exposure.

The bill would also ensures that VA review scientific studies regarding toxic substances encountered during military service, establishes an independent scientific commission to assist the VA in determining the health effects of toxic exposure and expands training of VA health care personnel.

RELATED Investigation of water-borne contaminants starts at former Reese AFB, Texas

The issue has gained attention as personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq returned home with cancers and respiratory and fertility issues.

The issue has also been noted because of lagging Pentagon action to remediate contamination by PFAS -- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances -- at hundreds of military bases and other defense operations in the United States.

PFAS are regarded as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment.

RELATED Health-damaging PFAS 'forever chemicals' likely released at 2,500 sites



Hassan's state, New Hampshire, is the site of the former Pease Air Force Base.

The base, which was closed in 1991, has since 1983 has been investigated and partially remediated after troops and their families were exposed to high levels of chemicals, including PFAS.

"We have an obligation to ensure that veterans who return home from war receive the care that they need and have earned," Hassan said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Our bipartisan bill would take long overdue steps to ensure that veterans can receive health care for diseases that they develop as a result of toxic substance exposure during their service," Hassan said.

upi.com/7084169

Models link 1 degree of global warming to 50% spike in population displacement


As the climate warms, models predict an increase in the risk of people being displaced by river flooding. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

March 24 (UPI) -- As the planet warms, seas rise and climate change triggers shifts in precipitation patterns, scientists expect millions of people to be displaced by flooding and other forms of extreme weather.

In an effort to more precisely quantify displacement risk, an international team of researchers combined a variety of climate and hydrological models.

Their analysis, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, showed a single degree of warming will increase the risk of displacement caused by river flooding by 50 percent.

"Displacement poses many hardships, which often fall most heavily on socio-economically vulnerable groups, who tend to live in more hazard-prone areas," researchers wrote in their newly published paper.

RELATED Fast-growing India, Brazil key to curbing climate change post-COVID-19

Since 2008, 288 million people have been displaced by natural disasters, more than 140 million people by river flooding.

Over the last 15 years, three times as many people have been displaced by natural disasters than by violence and political conflict.

"Displaced people face heightened risks to their physical and mental health, livelihoods, land tenancy, personal security and many other aspects of their well-being," researchers said.

RELATED China braces for impact after mass flooding at Three Gorges Dam

At macro scales, natural disaster-related displacement can severely slow economic development, leaving already vulnerable populations socially and economically left behind.

Previous studies have shown climate-fueled increases in flood risk could have severe consequences on global food production and trade patterns.

By quantifying climate change's influence on displacement risk, the authors of the new study hope to help policy makers take steps to protect vulnerable populations by mitigating flood risk and strengthening emergency preparedness.

RELATED As sea level rise reshapes U.S. coast, residents will be pushed inland

When scientists used the models to estimate displacement risks under different climate scenarios, they found that if Paris Agreement targets for global warming are met, the globally averaged risk of populations being displaced by river floods will double by the end of the century.

If greenhouse gas emissions and climate change continue unabated, however, the risk will balloon by 350 percent, the researchers found.

The latest study echoes the findings of earlier investigations, showing urban development and population both increase flooding risks.

The researchers argue that their findings highlight the importance of curbing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing global warming.

Report: Climate change increases length of spring allergy season in much of U.S.

Climate change is increasing the length of the spring allergy season, a new report suggests. File Photo by KatePhotographer/Shutterstock


March 24 (UPI) -- Rising temperatures from climate change are causing the spring allergy season to start earlier and last longer in many regions of North America, a report released Wednesday by environmental research organization Climate Central found.

Climate Central is a non-profit news organization composed up of scientists and journalists who conduct scientific research and report on issues related to climate change and its impact on the public.

Over the past 50 years, the spring growing season increased in length in 166, or 82%, of more than 200 locations throughout North America that the group assessed, the data showed.

The season was extended by at least four weeks in 38 of those areas, with Bend, Ore. and Reno, Nev., leading with 99 additional growing season days.
RELATED As climate change extends allergy season, pollen travels farther



The findings mean that in many parts of the United States and Canada, people with pollen allergies are exposed to the airborne irritant for longer periods, according to Climate Central.

"Many people may experience allergies as a minor inconvenience, but seasonal allergies can have serious consequences and decreased quality of life for those with respiratory problems like asthma," the organization said in its report.

More than 25 million people in the United States have seasonal pollen allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RELATED Study: Climate change is making allergy season worse



Of the 25 million people nationally with asthma, 60% have allergic asthma, meaning that exposure to pollen can trigger their attacks of severe shortness of breath, the agency reports.

Pollen is a powdery substance made up of tiny grains produced by trees, flowers, grasses and weeds to fertilize other plants of the same species.

It is particularly prevalent in the spring across the United States, when many plants begin to grow after the winter months.

RELATED Allergies won't increase odds for severe COVID-19, study shows

The earlier onset of spring in some parts of the country, due at least in part to warming caused by climate change, has led to an increase in asthma- and allergy-related hospitalizations, according to an analysis published last summer by JAMA.

For their report, Climate Central researchers analyzed the length of the spring growing season, or the number of days between the last spring freeze and first fall freeze, over a 50-year period in 203 locations across North America.

Locations were only included in the analysis if they had a "freeze season" of at least 90 days with a temperature minimum lower than or equal to 32 degrees.

In many regions included in the analysis, the length of the spring growing season -- and the allergy season -- grew by 20 days or more between 1970 and last year.

Although it increased by 11 days in Boston and 13 days in Chicago over that period, it grew by 17 days in Dallas-Fort Worth and by 32 days in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Philadelphia.

The spring season in New York City increased by 26 days over the 50-year period, according to the researchers.

"With a longer pollen season and high pollen concentrations, asthma and allergy reactions can become even more severe and expensive to treat, and unfortunately this burden is placed on the most vulnerable populations," the Climate Central researchers said in their report.

Virginia Gov. Northam signs death penalty repeal


Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (seated) signs legislation repealing the death penalty in the state surrounded by members of the General Assembly on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Gov. Ralph Northam's office

March 24 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday signed legislation making the state the 23rd in the country to abolish the death penalty.

His signature comes one month after both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly gave their approval to the bill.

"The death penalty system is fundamentally flawed -- it is inequitable, ineffective, and it has no place in this commonwealth or this country," Northam said. "Virginia has come within days of executing innocent people, and Black defendants have been disproportionately sentenced to death.

"Abolishing this inhumane practice

In addition to banning the use of the death penalty, the law establishes a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole and gives judges discretion to suspend part of sentences. It also commutes the sentences of the two men on Virginia's death row to life without parole.

Sen. Scott Surovell, a Democrat who co-sponsored the legislation in the upper chamber, thanked Northam for his public endorsement of the repeal.

"He's going to restore Virginia to its position of leadership not just in the country but also in the world, as a society, as a government that values civil rights that values your rights against the government, that values things like trial by jury," Surovell in a ceremony ahead of the signing.

"I never dreamed that Virginia would change as fast as it did."

In addition to the 23 states that have banned use of the death penalty, three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have a governor-imposed moratorium on the punishment.

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said Virginia's abolition is indicative of a nationwide decline in support for the death penalty and a greater focus on race relations.

"The commonwealth's death penalty has deep roots in slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow segregation," he said in a statement Wednesday. "The symbolic value of a legislature sitting in the former capital of the Confederacy dismantling this tool of racial oppression cannot be overstated."

A Gallup poll in November found that 55% of Americans favor executing criminals convicted of murder, its lowest point since 1972. President Joe Biden has promised to work toward repeal at the federal level.

Equal Pay Day: Megan Rapinoe says she and her teammates are 'devalued'

UPI Staff
MARCH 24, 2021 


March 24 (UPI) -- U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe said Wednesday that she and her teammates have been "devalued" for their gender as President Joe Biden called for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Delivering remarks at an Equal Pay Day event at the White House alongside her Team USA colleague, Margaret Purce, the president and first lady Jill Biden, Rapinoe said that although she has won an Olympic gold medal and two World Cups, she still struggles to earn as much as her male counterparts.

"Despite those wins, I've been devalued, I've been disrespected and dismissed because I am a woman. And I've been told I don't deserve any more than less -- because I am a woman," she said.

Rapinoe, who has long campaigned for equality, was part of a lawsuit last year against the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination.

RELATED House votes to remove deadline from decades-old Equal Rights Amendment

During testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rapinoe accused the U.S. Soccer Federation of lobbying against the women's team's efforts for equal pay, declaring that no level of status, accomplishments or power "will protect you from the clutches of inequity."

"We are told in this country that if you work hard and continue to achieve, you will be rewarded fairly. It's the promise of the American Dream. But that promise has not been for everyone," she said. "If that can happen to us, to me, with the brightest light shining on us, it can and it does, happen to every person who is marginalized by gender. And we don't have to wait. We don't have to continue to be patient. We can change that today. Right now."

Purce said the issue of unequal pay "rests on the notion of unequal value."

RELATED Though House has passed Equality Act, anti-LGBT efforts persist in U.S.

"It is an issue of equity," she said. "When men began sports leagues, they were supported by billions in taxpayer subsidies. They were prioritized in media and afforded time to grow. The investment was great and the return was great."

She added that women's sports have not been provided the same grace and investment.

"You would never expect a flower to bloom without water. But women in sport who have been denied water, sunlight and soil are somehow expected to blossom. Invest in women. Then let's talk again when you see the return," Purce said.

RELATED Biden signs executive orders for gender equity, women's rights

Equal Pay Day was established by the National Committee on Pay Equity in 1996.

"This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year," according to the committee. "Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is even greater for most women of color."

The White House noted that American women, on average, earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by American men. Joe Biden issued a proclamation calling for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The legislation would ban employees from seeking salary history, hold employers who engage in systemic discrimination accountable, and seek to ensure transparency and reporting in wage disparities.

"The gender wage gap can cost women hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a career," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., chairman of the congressional Joint Economic Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.

"If long-term economic growth is our goal, then closing the gender wage gap is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic one in a nation where two-thirds of mothers are either the primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner in their families."

Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes billions in emergency funding aimed at returning Americans to the workforce -- among them, about 2 million women who have lost jobs due to COVID-19.

The president signed two executive orders this month to promote gender equity and equal rights in the United States.

"This issue is so much bigger than the number on a paycheck. Our work gives us a sense of purpose, it's often how we make our mark on the lives of others and the world," Jill Biden said Wednesday.

Levine becomes first openly transgender official confirmed by U.S. Senate

The Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health and human services. File Pool Photo by Caroline Brehman/UPI | License Photo

March 24 (UPI) -- Lawmakers on Wednesday voted to confirm Rachel Levine as President Joe Biden's assistant secretary for health, making her the first openly transgender federal official to be approved by the Senate.

Senators voted 52-48 with all Democrats in favor, joined by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., urged her colleagues to vote for Levine on the Senate floor, noting her history as a "trusted voice" as Pennsylvania's secretary of health, while noting the historic nature of her confirmation.

"I've always said the people in our government should reflect the people it serves and today we will take a new historic step towards making that a reality. I'm proud to vote for Dr. Levine and incredibly proud of the progress this confirmation will represent, for our country and for transgender people all across it who are watching today," she said.

RELATED Senate confirms Vivek Murthy as surgeon general

In a statement Wednesday, Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David praised Levine's confirmation as a "historic, inspiring day for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people."

"We are one step closer to a government that mirrors the beautiful diversity of its people," David said. "It is absolutely critical that everybody has a seat at the table and the Biden-Harris administration has made a dedicated, applaudable effort to ensure that outcome."

Levine will work alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed last week, and will quickly face the task of leading the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RELATED HHS sends request to Pentagon to house migrant children at military bases

As Pennsylvania's secretary of health, she led the state's pandemic response as well as programs on opioid prescribing guidelines, health equity and LGBTQ healthcare.

During Levine's confirmation hearing, Murray admonished Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for asking Levine about "genital mutilation" to which Levine responded that "transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed."

"If I'm fortunate enough to be confirmed as the assistant secretary of health I look forward to working with you and your office and coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for transgender medicine," she said at the time.

Alligator and bull shark swim side by side in Florida lagoon

NOT QUITE THE LAMB LAYING DOWN WITH THE LION

March 24 (UPI) -- A Florida man walking over a bridge took video when he came across an unusual sight: an alligator and a bull shark swimming side by side in a river.

Gray Vinson said he was walking on a bridge over the Indian River Lagoon in Vero Beach when he spotted the bull shark and alligator swimming in tandem just a few feet apart.

"It's not everyday you see a bull shark and a gator swimming together in the Indian River," Vinson wrote on Facebook.

Vinson said bull sharks are known to use the Indian River Lagoon as nursery rounds, but the alligator was a surprising sight, especially so close to its fellow predator.

"I was shocked to see the alligator," Vinson told CBS Miami. "I was looking to see if any of the bull sharks were there since they normally are this time of year."

Montana girl, 17, earns a doctorate in business administration

March 19 (UPI) -- A 17-year-old Montana girl who studied business administration at California Intercontinental University has become the youngest American in history to earn a doctorate.

Kimberly Strable, 17, of Great Falls, said she presented her dissertation virtually and was awarded a doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in global leadership.

"I'm the third youngest in world history to ever get a doctorate in any subject, the youngest in all world history to ever get a doctorate in business and the youngest in American history to get a doctorate in any field," Strable told KRTV.

Strable said she is looking forward to starting her career.

"Right now I'm actually working on some legal battles, discrimination I faced because of my age. So that's a really interesting part and I've actually applied some of my knowledge and I'm working on that. But after all that wraps up, I plan on trying to get into executive management," Strable said.

Strable said achieving runs in her family -- her older sister earned a master's degree just days after turning 18 and her three younger siblings have all expressed an interest in getting their degrees at a young age.

"I was just so happy and glowing. So relieved because it's been such a long journey and it's always been a next step and a next step. To finally recognize I am now officially a doctor, super amazing," she said.

Strable's graduation was celebrated on Twitter by Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobson.

"17-year-old *DOCTOR* Kimberly Strable -- that has a nice ring to it. Congratulations on hard work paying off!" Jacobson wrote.

Lake Michigan's shifting sands uncover 19th century shipwreck

March 19 (UPI) -- Dropping water levels and shifting sands revealed the remains of an 18th century shipwreck along the coast of Lake Michigan this week, according to local historians.

Valerie VanHeest, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, told WXMI-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich., the wreckage belongs to the Contest, a scow schooner that transported items including cordwood, posts, ties, stone and other general merchandise.

The Contest likely became wrecked along the shore near White Lake channel in the late 1800s due to a storm.

"We understand that there were no lives lost. The lighthouse was right there at the mouth of the channel so the crew members probably stepped off onto dry ground and took shelter in the lighthouse," VanHeest said. "They reported that the ship was a total loss."

RELATED New set of Dead Sea Scrolls recovered, first Biblical artifacts found in 60 years

The 121-foot-long ship has been uncovered periodically since its demise, and a lighthouse keeper identified it as the L.C. Woodruff when it became visible again in 1974. But in 2018, historians determined the wreckage belonged to the smaller Contest after measuring it.

Local Kerri Eriskin told WBCK-radio in Battle Creek, Mich., that they came across the wreckage while walking along the shoreline on Sunday.

"I wasn't sure what I was seeing when we visited on Sunday, but researched it later and found an article from MLive in 2018," Eriskin said. "It was pretty exciting to see remnants of the late 1800s."