Zirkin Returns to Old Committee to Testify Against [Delegate CT] Wilson’s Child Sex Abuse Bill #SB134 -“Biggest mistake of my life,” Wilson told Maryland Matters this week, likening the experience to “negotiating with the devil.”

Former Senate Judicial Proceedings chairman Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) returned to his former committee this week to testify against a high-profile bill that’s a follow-up to a measure he once championed.

The woman who replaced Zirkin in the Senate last year, Sen. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-Baltimore County), has joined Del. CT Wilson (D-Charles) in his fight to eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse survivors to launch civil suits. The bill was up in the Judicial Proceedings Committee, where Hettleman serves, on Tuesday...

...This legislation is something that Wilson has fought for for years — at times with Zirkin’s help.

In 2017, Wilson successfully sponsored legislation to extend the ability of childhood sexual abuse survivors to pursue civil lawsuits against their offenders from seven years after their 18th birthday to 20 years. 

Additionally, if a perpetrator was convicted in a criminal suit at any time, their victims were allotted a three-year lookback period to sue.

To achieve this, Wilson said that he, former Senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.’s Office and former House Judiciary Committee chair Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George’s) entered into negotiations with the Catholic church to amend the bill. 

“Biggest mistake of my life,” Wilson told Maryland Matters this week, likening the experience to “negotiating with the devil.”..

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/02/05/zirkin-returns-to-old-committee-to-testify-against-wilsons-child-sex-abuse-bill/?fbclid=IwAR2R66Jm34HptVbvw_Md0HAj_hcy3rt2gmnBQwZM3nUkV0x2sk0CsvX1z-w

Montgomery Co. teacher concerned about vaccine availability

 Teachers in Montgomery County, Maryland, said they’re hoping to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the classroom, while the school system is asking retirees to help fill in once schools reopen.

One Montgomery County teacher, who spoke to WTOP on the condition that his name not be used, said he’s eager to get back in the classroom. However, he has been unable to secure a vaccine appointment, and his wife’s medical condition makes him very wary about heading back to school...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2021/02/montgomery-co-teacher-concerned-about-vaccine-availability/

Proposed Legislation: Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – School Supplies for Home Instruction and Virtual Learning Programs

 https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0018?ys=2021RS

Montgomery County is hiring 700 to 800 classroom monitors, officials said. A job listing says candidates must possess a high school diploma or GED, for work between March 15 and June 16, with a pay rate of $15.72 an hour and no benefits.

Pandemic learning takes another turn: Will teachers be in person in classrooms?

 ...Fairfax has hired roughly 600 monitors so far, and is aiming to hire at least 200 more, a spokeswoman said, at a pay rate of $15.42 an hour. Fairfax — whose 186,000 students make it Virginia’s largest school system — has been online-only for most children since March 2020, although Superintendent Scott Brabrand on Tuesday debuted a plan that calls for returning all students who choose it to some form of in-person learning by mid-March.

In Prince George’s County, Maryland’s second-largest district, there are no plans for classroom monitors, a spokeswoman said. Chief executive Monica Goldson is expected to provide details about reopening in an announcement in mid-February...

...In D.C., the city reopened its school buildings Feb. 2, bringing back about 9,500 students, along with some teachers. Around 3,800 of those students are receiving at least some of their courses virtually in school buildings while a classroom aide or teacher assists.

The logistics are too complicated to avoid this setup, principals and school leaders said in interviews. At the middle school and high school levels, for example, students have different teachers for most subjects. But due to strict safety guidelines, they have to stay with the same one or two teachers throughout the day...

...Loudoun has so far hired 207 monitors — called “proctors” — and is hunting for 80 more. Arlington has hired 30 and is “planning to hire additional,” spokesman Frank Bellavia said.

Alexandria, meanwhile, is “actively recruiting” roughly 50 classroom monitors who will earn $15.48 an hour, spokeswoman Julia Burgos said. Officials for the school system of 16,000 said they may hire up to 100 monitors, and they hope this will be enough to cover for teachers who are granted virtual status for medical reasons — but if it isn’t, they will hire more...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/classroom-monitors-in-person-learning/2021/02/06/cbdb6e8e-66f8-11eb-8c64-9595888caa15_story.html

Petitions This Week to the Montgomery County Board of Education Regarding Reopening Schools

 Delay in-person MCPS instruction until health metrics are met and all staff are vaccinated

and

Start In Person Instruction on 3/1 per Governor Hogan's Order

Guest Post: We propose consultation with a third-party, independent indoor air quality expert to advise and support the ongoing work of MCPS’ DFM.

 CALL TO ACTION:

Please read this long, but important post! I sent the email below yesterday ahead of the BOE meeting scheduled for Tuesday advocating for a third-party, independent #IAQ expert to consult with MCPS to build upon their IAQ mitigation strategy to help minimize #COVID-19 transmission and #reopensafer. Please consider emailing the BOE and Superintendent Smith in support of this recommendation today (emails are below) and feel free to share!

Brenda_Wolff@mcpsmd.org, Karla_Silvestre@mcpsmd.org, Judy_Docca@mcpsmd.org, Shebra_L_Evans@mcpsmd.org, "Harris, Lynne" <Lynne_Harris@mcpsmd.org>, Patricia_O'Neill@mcpsmd.org, Rebecca_K_Smondrowski@mcpsmd.org, Nick_Asante@mcpsmd.org, Jack_Smith@mcpsmd.org, boe@mcpsmd.org

Dear Superintendent Smith and Members of the Board,

While I am the Health and Wellness Committee Chair and am in process of introducing these recommendations from the committee to the MCCPTA board, I am writing this letter in my own capacity as an MCPS parent and public health professional. Several committee members and parents with expertise in indoor air quality (IAQ) have signed on to this letter in the interim while it goes through Committee and MCCPTA approval. These recommendation are also in alignment with MCCPTA’s 2020-21 Advocacy Priorities under the heading of COVID-19 - Prepare for a safe return to school buildings in the COVID-19 environment, guided by evidence-based, specific, and transparent criteria, including additional space, equipment and supplies that may be needed. Audit existing HVAC systems and update to increase ventilation and filtration in order to reduce exposure to COVID19. We are writing in response to MCPS’ ongoing efforts to prepare schools for safer reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We would like to thank MCPS for all their ongoing work on IAQ to prepare schools for a safer reopening. While teachers will have access to vaccinations in the coming months, it will be a while before a vaccine is approved for children making these proposed measures more critical as schools reopen during the pandemic. These are challenging times and as the science evolves, we are all continuing to learn more about improving IAQ in school environments.

As MCPS parents with expertise in the field of environmental health, we propose the following support for the Department of Facilities Management’s (DFM) ongoing work to improve school IAQ and to reduce the risk of potential outbreaks and school closures. Our proposal is based on current, evidence-based science to support MCPS’ efforts moving forward as they prepare schools for a safer, successful reopening.

We propose consultation with a third-party, independent indoor air quality expert to advise and support the ongoing work of MCPS’ DFM.

An IAQ expert with a PhD in mechanical or environmental engineering and extensive training in infectious disease control in public spaces would provide DFM with additional support in their ongoing IAQ mitigation efforts and would help build trust between MCPS and the school community. This expert would work alongside the DFM to determine school building readiness for a safer reopening and through the duration of the pandemic in two phases. The following recommendations are based on MCPS’s own criteria as they state, “The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continue to be our primary resources for information and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic.”[1] See attachment for our suggestions for details of Phase I and II of consultancy work:

● Phase I: Reassess HVAC scenarios after completion of DFM

mitigation measures and rate them using a second diamond

(or other approved) system

○ Consult with DFM to determine if additional, practical

measures can be taken to bring schools up to current,

science-based standards for ventilation and filtration

based on ASHRAE, CDC, and EPA guidance as stipulated

by MCPS. [2]

● Phase II: Exposure assessment to verify effective ventilation

goals are met in-operation.

Employing these above measures will ensure that airborne transmission of COVID-19 is reduced as school buildings reopen.[3] [4] COVID-19 is transmitted primarily from person to person through airborne droplets and aerosols.[5] Collaborating with an expert to establish and implement science-based measures integrating IAQ control strategies to reduce the risk of SARS CoV-2 infection in schools also has the added long-term benefits of improving MCPS students, staff, and teachers' physical environments, which promotes learning and overall health.[6] Studies have shown that students’ test scores increase with improved IAQ.[7] These measures also help reduce the spread of other infectious diseases and minimizing absences.[8] Thus, this immediate investment will have long-term benefits. MCPS has the opportunity to build a more robust reopening strategy to improve IAQ if these proposed measures to consult with an outside IAQ expert are implemented. This action also demonstrates MCPS good will and a commitment to building trust in a safer, successful reopening.

In summary, in acquiring the assistance of an independent, third-party IAQ expert to consult with to improve IAQ quality controls in schools, MCPS will be doing its due diligence in prioritizing the safety, health, and welfare of students, staff, and teachers in school during and after the pandemic. This action would demonstrate that MCPS is willing to go the extra step to reopen safer and better protect our school community and the public’s health. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

/s/

Hannah Donart, MPH

XXX, PhD

XXX, MS

cc: Cynthia Simonson, President, MCCPTA

MCCPTA Board of Directors MCCPTA Delegates

cc: Seth Adams, Director

Department of Facilities Management

Montgomery County Public Schools

cc: Christopher Lloyd, President

Montgomery County Education Association

cc: Pia Morrison, President

Service Employees International Union Local 500

[1] https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/.../default.aspx...

[2]https://www.ashrae.org/.../ashrae-reopening-schools-and...

[3] Morawska, L. , Tang, J.W., Bahnfleth, W., et al. (2020). How can airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors be minimised? Environment International. 142(105832). Doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105832.

[4] Miller, S.L., Nazaroff, W.W., Jimenez, J.L., Boerstra, A., Buonanno, G., Dancer, S.J., Kurnitski, J., Marr, L.C., Morawska, L., Noakes, C. (2020). Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event. Indoor Air. doi:10.1111/ina.12751.

[5] https://www.cdc.gov/.../prevent.../how-covid-spreads.html

[6] Zhang, J. (2020). Integrating IAQ control strategies to reduce the risk of asymptomatic SARS CoV-2 infections in classrooms and open plan offices, Science and Technology for the Built Environment. Sci Technol Built Environ. 26:(8),1013-1018, DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2020.1794499.

[7] EPA. Evidence from Scientific Literature about Improved Academic Performance. https://www.epa.gov/.../evidence-scientific-literature...

[8] Ibid.

See attachments for details:

Phase I and Phase II IAQ Consulting: https://docs.google.com/.../1JedyoUyAO0e47AKUgql2.../edit...

MCPS school list 2021 - IAQ suggested additions:

https://docs.google.com/.../1Yk1JUlS6jJr22DtHosST.../edit...

8 MCPS COVID-19 in Buildings Notifications from Oct. 30, 2020 - January 20, 2021. Two for the MCPS Technology Distribution Site.

 Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at 45 W. Gude Drive Technology Distribution Site

(January 20, 2021)

We are writing to share that an MCPS employee who works at the 45 W. Gude technology distribution and support site has tested positive for COVID-19. The last date the employee worked on-site was Janua ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at Gaithersburg Middle School

(January 15, 2021)

Dear MCPS Community: We are writing to share that a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff member working at the Gaithersburg Middle School meal distribution site ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at Northwest High School

(December 18, 2020)

Dear MCPS Community: We are writing to share that a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff member working at the Northwest High School meal distribution site has ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at Hallie Wells Middle School

(December 17, 2020)

Dear MCPS Community: We are writing to share that a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff member working at the Hallie Wells Middle School meal distribution site ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at Harmony Hills Elementary School

(December 2, 2020)

Dear MCPS Community: We are writing to share that a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff member working at the Harmony Hills Elementary School meal distribution ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at South Lake Elementary School

(November 13, 2020)

Dear MCPS Community: We are writing to share that a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff member working at the South Lake Elementary School meal distribution si ...(more)

Community Notification: COVID-19 Case at Fallsmead Elementary School

(November 2, 2020)

Dear Fallsmead Elementary School Parents and Guardians:   We are writing to share that an MCPS staff member engaged in materials distribution at Fallsmead Elementary School has tested positiv ...(more)

Notification: COVID-19 Case at 45 W. Gude Drive Technology Distribution Site

(October 30, 2020)

We are writing to share that an MCPS employee who works at the 45 W. Gude technology distribution and support site has tested positive for COVID-19. The last date the employee worked on-site was Octob ...(more)

Large COVID-19 outbreaks afflict three Baltimore County private schools

Three Orthodox Jewish day schools in Baltimore County have reported large numbers of COVID-19 cases in the past two months, leading one middle school to shut down and move to virtual learning for a week.

The outbreaks are far larger than others seen in public or private schools since the state’s mandatory reporting requirements began in October. County health officials declined to detail what measures have been taken at each school to contain the outbreaks, which began shortly after Thanksgiving and continued through last week, but said they have been working with the schools...

...Each Wednesday, the state updates its dashboard with a listing of coronavirus cases linked to classmates and staff in schools. The state does not report every case where a student or staff member contracts the virus, but only cases where there is contact within a school building between students or staff from different households...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-covid-day-schools-20210205-sxhlnimbszfx5jlymsbwaj4kky-story.html?fbclid=IwAR011XJQmj4nQCAZEJ4yjpTwQUzEKmy7LGMRcjl76CIMeloisL7g3AxumBQ

Bethesda-area students most likely to return to schools, survey shows

When Montgomery County Public Schools reopens its buildings, it will largely welcome back students from communities that have not been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic...

 https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/bethesda-area-students-most-likely-to-return-to-schools-survey-shows/

Spike in kids with COVID-19 means Israel unlikely to open schools

 By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN   

JANUARY 26, 2021

While adults over the age of 40 are getting vaccinated at an almost miraculous rate, Israel is seeing a sharp rise in the number of children and teens getting infected with coronavirus, according to Health Ministry statistics.

Now, there is a possibility that even when the government starts to lift the lockdown, schools may not be able to open as originally assumed.

More than 50,000 children and teens have been diagnosed with coronavirus since the start of the month, many more than Israel saw in any month during the first or second waves.

“We got a letter from the Israeli Association of Pediatrics that says they are very worried about the rate of disease in younger students,” Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post. “This is something we did not witness in previous waves of corona.”..

https://m.jpost.com/health-science/with-more-kids-sick-with-covid-can-israel-re-open-schools-656791/amp

The COVKID Project: (Coronavirus in Kids Tracking and Education Project)

 

COVKID State Data Dashboard

(Must be viewed on a tablet or larger screen!)

https://www.covkidproject.org/state-dashboard

Eric Feigl-Ding: I’m trying hard to square this: 📍CDC this weekend: not really safe to have a #SuperBowl party with people outside your home. 📍Also CDC: it’s safe for teachers to teach kids/teens, in person, indoors, 5 days/week. 🤔...and let loud kids eat at lunch indoors unmasked? #COVID19

...2) To be clear — I am a firm believer kids need to go back to school. and as an epidemiologist, a staunch CDC advocation. But we need to call a spade a spade on this issue. Kids definitely do transmit. Here is the best collection of evidence in 🧵why it does from Dr @dgurdasani1. 

 3) This makes the clear case that school transmission of #COVID19 does occur, and increases when cases levels rise—which then further drives school transmission. It’s an analytical thread but it’s the Bottomline: Schools are not impervious to transmission. Can’t lie to ourselves...

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1357920766512267264.html

No Mention of Ventilation in @mcps @mocoboe Reopening Video

Will windows be opened in classrooms?  Will doors be open?  Where will students eat lunch?  None of those questions are answered in this new video from MCPS. 

January 2021 edition of the Maryland Open Meetings Act Manual

 https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/OpenGov/omaManual.aspx

Implementation and Evolution of Mitigation Measures, Testing, and Contact Tracing in the National Football League, August 9–November 21, 2020

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7004e2.htm

...The NFL also developed an intensive protocol that imposed stricter infection prevention precautions when a case was identified at an NFL club. The intensive protocol effectively prevented the occurrence of high-risk interactions, with no high-risk contacts identified for 71% of traced cases at clubs under the intensive protocol...

...Interviews revealed that, among the brief interactions that did occur, some were during unmasked meetings in small rooms or while eating. Persons who contracted COVID-19 within this single-club transmission group received negative test results for several days after exposure (i.e., after club activities ceased) before receiving a positive result...

...These were, in addition to consideration of duration of exposure and specific distance between persons, assessment of face mask use (e.g., medical mask versus cloth face covering, proper mask use for both infected person and contact, and any mask removal to eat or drink) and setting and ventilation (e.g., outdoor, indoor large volume, indoor small volume, and during transportation)...

...Among those exposed outside of the home, all reported partial or no mask use, and the majority of exposures were external to the NFL environment (e.g., sharing a vehicle and eating at a restaurant). Among 107 traced cases among clubs already in the intensive protocol at the time of positive test result, 76 persons (71%) had no high-risk contacts identified...

...COVID-19 mitigation measures must be continually optimized based on available data. In the NFL, COVID-19 transmission was identified in persons with <15 minutes of consecutive or cumulative interaction and was reduced through implementation of an intensive protocol focused on environmental change, increased personal protection, avoidance of high-risk interactions such as vehicle sharing, eating in the same room or common areas, and expansion of the components of contact tracing to incorporate high-risk contact designations. Although the protocols implemented by the NFL were resource-intensive, strategies such as accounting for specific characteristics of the close contact, in addition to time and duration, and creation of an intensive protocol are applicable to other settings, including essential workplaces, long-term care facilities, and schools.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7004e2.htm

Six feet and 15 minutes became coronavirus gospel. The NFL had data that showed otherwise: The virus could be spread in under 15 minutes and from over six feet.

The NFL’s Covid-19 Finding That Saved the Season

The coronavirus gospel of ‘within six feet for more than 15 minutes’ wasn’t enough—and the NFL had the data to prove it.

It was early October, and the NFL had a problem. It wasn’t just that players and staff for the Tennessee Titans were continuing to test positive in an outbreak that shook the NFL’s season. It wasn’t even that the league was learning that the virus was able to rush through holes in its protocols. 

The NFL was slowly discovering something far deeper: a core tenet of Covid-19 transmission wisdom—how to define when individuals are in “close contact”—was just wrong. 

The safety of interactions during this global pandemic had been for months measured by a stopwatch and a tape measure. The guidance was that someone had been exposed to the virus if they had been within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. It was drilled into everyone for so long it became coronavirus gospel. 

But that wasn’t proving true during the NFL’s outbreaks. People were testing positive for the virus even though they had spent far less than 15 minutes or weren’t within six feet of an infectious person—and the league had the contact-tracing technology to prove it...

...The NFL told teams to take meetings virtual, avoid indoor gatherings, even if they were distanced and quit eating together. If someone had done any of these things with a person who subsequently tested positive, they had to be isolated, regardless of how brief their interaction had been... 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/super-bowl-nfl-covid-cdc-11612104460?mod=e2tw

COVID-19 Outbreaks now at 6 Montgomery County Private Schools: Avalon (up to 5), Brookewood (3), Georgetown Prep (up to 7), Mercy (new 3), St. Raphael (new 9) and Heights (4)

Previous weekly reports at this link.

Spaulding High School Anne Arundel County 2 02/03/21

Cheder Chabad School Baltimore City 2 02/03/21

Bais Yaakov Eva Winer High School Baltimore County 45 02/03/21

Calvert Hall College High School Baltimore County 7 02/03/21

McDonogh School Baltimore County 4 02/03/21

Talmudical Academy of Baltimore Baltimore County 62 02/03/21

Runnymede Elementary Carroll County 5 02/03/21

William Winchester Elementary Carroll County 2 02/03/21

St. Margaret's Elementary Harford County 2 02/03/21

Resurrection St. Paul School Howard County 14 02/03/21

St. Louis School Howard County 3 02/03/21

The Avalon School Montgomery County 5 02/03/21

Brookewood School Montgomery County 3 02/03/21

Georgetown Preparatory School Montgomery County 7 02/03/21

Our Lady of Mercy Montgomery County 3 02/03/21

St. Raphael School Montgomery County 9 02/03/21

The Heights School Montgomery County 4 02/03/21

Bishop McNamara High Prince George's County 10 02/03/21

DeMatha Catholic High School Prince George's County 2 02/03/21

Kings Christian Academy St. Mary's County 6 02/03/21

Little Flower School St. Mary's County 3 02/03/21

St. Mary's Ryken High School St. Mary's County 2 02/03/21

The Country School Talbot County 2 02/03/21

Heritage Academy Washington County 2 02/03/21

Salisbury Christian School Wicomico County 4 02/03/21

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School Wicomico County 6 02/03/21

As a reminder, the Maryland Dashboard uses the following criteria for reporting COVID-19 cases.  Not all cases are reported, only those that satisfy the following criteria.

  Note: This dataset reflects public and non-public K-12 schools in Maryland that have COVID-19 outbreaks. Data are based on local health department reports to MDH, which may be revised if additional information becomes available. This list does not include child care facilities or institutes of higher education.

Schools listed meet 1 or more of the following criteria:

    1) At least two confirmed COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff within a 14-day period and who are epidemiologically linked, but not household contacts; or

    2) Three or more classrooms or cohorts with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; or

    3) Five percent or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID-19 within a 14 day period (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff).

Cases reported reflect the current total number of cases. Schools are removed from the list when health officials determine 14 days have passed with no new cases and no tests pending. Archival data is available through the COVID-19 open data catalogue.

These data are updated weekly on Wednesdays during the 10 a.m. hour. MDH is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates as more data becomes available.

 https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/school-resources

Senate Bill 134: Maryland is poised to make great strides toward justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, their healing, the prevention of future abuse, and the ability to hold accountable individual perpetrators and institutions that might have facilitated them. Will you stand with us?

Find out how to advocate for Maryland Senate Bill 134 at this link.   

Senate_Hidden Predator Act ... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

NMSC SCCAN Infographic 2021HiddenPredatorAct (19) by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Md Sol One-pager 12.18.20 by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

NYC Public School Parents: Pearson Contract Rejected

NYC Public School Parents: Last night's historic vote of the Panel for Educat...:  Last night was truly one for the history books, at least in the history of NYC public schools:  the Panel for Educational Policy, composed ...

@MoCoCouncilMD @MoCoDHHS @MontCoExec @EarlStoddard Stoddard quote today: ‘Are we going to vaccinate at Leisure World this week, or are we going to vaccinate school teachers,’ ANSWER is LEISURE WORLD (65+ pop.). How is Mont. Co. missing the goal? CLEAR THE HOSPITALS FIRST! #epitwitter

... “There’s just too little vaccine for too many people in these priority groups, and so we have to choose between, ‘Are we going to vaccinate at Leisure World this week, or are we going to vaccinate school teachers,’ and they’re both very good reasonable cases to make,” Stoddard said...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/countys-vaccination-partnership-with-johns-hopkins-expands-to-add-private-schools/

LEISURE WORLD

The GOAL is to Clear the Hospitals by vaccinating the MOST VULNERABLE FIRST. How do Montgomery County's supposed emergency/health officers not understand that?? Why do they want to keep our hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients?

Pandemic 101: Clear the hospitals by vaccinating the most vulnerable so that the hospitals can return to normal operations and that people that do contract the virus can be treated appropriately. Stop the influx of the seriously ill and those that will not survive by vaccinating the people that are most likely to become seriously ill and die.

When the hospitals are out of their state of emergency that opens back up more of the community.

How are Montgomery County officials missing this basic goal?