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First confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, COVID-19 has been particularly disruptive for students with severe disabilities

This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19. They said Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 that genetic tests show a 33-year-old man returning to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the coronavirus than the one he’d previously been infected with in March. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)
This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19. They said Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 that genetic tests show a 33-year-old man returning to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the coronavirus than the one he’d previously been infected with in March. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)Read moreAP

TL;DR: Scientists believe that people who recover from COVID-19 have some immunity to the virus, but no one knows how strong or how long that protection may be. On Monday, University of Hong Kong researchers added another wrinkle, reporting the first confirmed case of reinfection. For nearly seven million children nationwide with significant special needs, the learning plans now offered by schools and districts are inadequate to meet their needs and could bring negative long-term consequences.

— Kelly O’Shea (@kelloshea, health@inquirer.com)

What you need to know:

📚 Classes began Monday at Temple University, but only about 9,000 students were expected to be on campus for opening day, down from the usual 27,000, the university said.

🩸 President Donald Trump announced an emergency authorization Sunday for doctors to treat COVID-19 patients with plasma, the liquid portion of blood donated by people who have recovered from the disease.

🏈 The Philadelphia Catholic League, one of the strongest and most storied leagues in the state, announced it is “opting out” of fall sports.

🏥 The coronavirus is damaging kidneys, and doctors are worried that survivors of serious COVID-19 will need dialysis forever.

💻 More than 10,000 people Monday morning reported having trouble logging on to Zoom, a video conferencing service now popular among schools and businesses. The hours-long outage was fixed around 12:30 p.m.

♻️ Garbage collection in Philadelphia will continue to be delayed this week, with trash “slightly delayed” and recycling “significantly behind,” the Streets Department said.

💰 State College, home of Penn State, could lose $180 million due to pandemic-related business closures and a fall without football, local tourism officials estimate.

📰 What’s going on in your county? We organized recent coverage of the coronavirus pandemic by local counties mentioned in the stories to make it easier for you to find the info you care about.

Local coronavirus cases

📈The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here.

First confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection adds to questions about immunity

Scientists believe that people who recover from COVID-19 have some immunity to the virus, but no one knows how strong or how long that protection may be. On Monday, University of Hong Kong researchers added another wrinkle, reporting the first confirmed case of reinfection. The 33-year-old man first tested positive in late March in Hong Kong and got reinfected — with a slightly different strain of the virus — about four months later while traveling in Spain. One expert, an immunobiologist at Yale University, said case “is no cause for alarm — this is a textbook example of how immunity should work.”

For students with autism and severe disabilities, the pandemic is a disaster. What comes next?

For nearly seven million children nationwide with significant special needs, COVID-19 has been particularly disruptive; the patchwork of all-virtual or hybrid learning plans now offered by schools and districts is inadequate to meet their needs and could bring negative long-term consequences, parents and advocates say. Educators and therapists are finding alternative ways to help students, but there are many challenges, my colleague Kristen Graham writes.

Helpful resources

  1. What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus?

  2. Want to plan a vacation? Here’s what the experts say on how to travel safely.

  3. Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.

  4. How to hire a babysitter during the pandemic.

  5. Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.

You got this: A dose of kindness

When my colleague Stephanie Farr began to lose faith in Philadelphia, she took to social media to ask people for their favorite interactions with a stranger in the city of brotherly love. She got dozens of heart-warming stories, like that of South Philly resident Lauren Vidas, 40, who stopped into Dirty Frank’s to use the ATM before a date and got “an epic pep talk from a group of strangers about how great I looked and how my date was so lucky.” Read more here.

📫 Voters should request mail-in ballots at least 15 days before the Nov. 3 election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said.

👩 Teach your kids about the suffragists through one of three local virtual events on Wednesday, the centennial of the certification of the 19th Amendment.

🍳 Sad news: Midtown III, one of Center City Philadelphia’s last diners, has closed.

Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.

What we’re paying attention to

  1. The pandemic recession is approaching a dire turning point, The Atlantic reports. Without an extra $600 a week in unemployment assistance, many Americans are on the brink of not being able to pay rent or put food on the table.

  2. Swab, spit, stay home? Kaiser Health News reports why college coronavirus testing plans are all over the map.

  3. When the pandemic hit in the spring semester, about a third of college students lost their jobs, The New York Times reports. These students used their ingenuity to find new ways to pay the bills.

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