Bracing for a school year unlike any other | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, the medical and social challenges of obesity and COVID-19
TL;DR: Schools are reopening, many online-only, and my colleagues talked to students, parents, teachers, and other school staff from around the region about their thoughts on the year to come. People with obesity are at a high risk for severe reactions to COVID-19, putting them in a “particularly awful bind,” my colleague Marie McCullough writes.
— Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)
What you need to know:
🍽️ Philadelphia announced 152 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Friday. The city is still on track to reopen indoor dining and theaters Sept. 8.
📚 A Kutztown University professor has apologized after encouraging students to contract the coronavirus and telling them, “None of you are going to die from this.”
🚨 A Wawa customer shot an off-duty security guard after a dispute over social distancing, police say. The 25-year-old security guard is now in the hospital.
📬 Health-care workers are opening their mailboxes and finding their own portraits.
🗑️ “Ya Fav Trashman” raised $32,000 for PPE for his Philly sanitation colleagues, and his work is gaining national attention.
🎒 A professor recounts the first days back at Temple: “This pandemic experiment won’t work.”
📰 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.
Schools are reopening, many online-only, and my colleagues talked to students, parents, teachers, and other school staff from around the region about their thoughts on the year to come. Read through their perspectives here.
People with obesity are at a high risk for severe reactions to COVID-19, putting them in a “particularly awful bind,” my colleague Marie McCullough writes. While doctors are advising those patients to be extra careful by staying home, that may also discourage usual recommended activities for weight-loss like walking and going to the gym. Read more here.
Helpful resources
What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus?
What if someone in my house is sick? How to protect your household during coronavirus.
Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.
Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.
Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.
You got this: Set up the best school desk for your kid at home
My colleague Grace Dickinson asked experts for advice on how to set up a desk at home in a way that helps your kid learn during virtual school. “Throughout school, learning how to learn is perhaps the most important thing, and that involves organizational skills, keeping schedules and routines, learning responsibilities and how to think ahead,” says Todd Levy, an occupational therapist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Those are particularly challenging virtually, but it’s possible, and a good setup will help.” Read more here.
🎶 Megan Thee Stallion, Jim Gaffigan, Virtual March on Washington, drive-in horror movies, and more things to do this week.
🌽 Corn pop treats, pizza, and more Philly dishes you should try shucking this summer.
♀️ Women, especially mothers, are being tested like never before. How is your family coping?
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
A new analysis of Massachusetts’ COVID-19 data reveals some factors behind the increased infection rate among Latinos, including immigration status, housing, and food-service work, STAT reports.
The FDA commissioner has fired the agency’s spokesperson Emily Miller just one week after he announced her arrival at the agency, CNN reports.
SEPTA bus route 24 is “a lifeline for Northeast Philly,” but ridership has dropped almost 40%, Billy Penn reports.
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