- ABC Science Collaborative provides new resource on COVID-19 vaccines October 26, 2021
The ABC Science Collaborative has developed a new educational resource on COVID-19 vaccines.
The resource, located on the ABC Science frequently asked questions page, provides answers to common questions about the COVID-19 vaccines, including topics such as booster shots, safety, effectiveness and more.
The questions and answers were developed and reviewed by ABC Science Collaborative faculty and will be reviewed and updated regularly as new ...
- Data Finds Universal Masking Limits School Transmission of COVID-19 Despite Delta Variant October 8, 2021
A masking mandate in North Carolina schools during the early weeks of the Delta variant surge resulted in a lower rate of infection among school children and staff members than what was reported in the broader community, according to a new report from the ABC Science Collaborative.
Publishing in the journal Pediatrics, the analysis includes data from 20 school districts in North Carolina that held summer school or year-round school between June 14, 2021, and Aug. 13, 2021. ...
- Teachers Eligible for Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters October 4, 2021
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The booster is made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for people of certain ages, health conditions, living conditions or professions:
- People who are 65+ years old
- People who are 18+ years old with underlying ...
- Guilford County Association of Educators Develop Creative Programs to Mitigate COVID-19 Within Schools September 16, 2021
K-12 schools across the country are returning to in-person learning for the fall semester. Fortunately, it is safe to do so as long as COVID-19 mitigation strategies, such as masking, are in place. These strategies must be monitored and enforced. Last spring, members of the Guilford County Association of Educators (GCAE) in Guilford County, NC, developed creative programs and practices to ...
- Education Week Publishes ABC Science Collaborative’s Essay Encouraging COVID-19 Vaccination September 3, 2021
Education Week published an opinion piece by The ABC Science Collaborative Co-Chairs, Dr. Kanecia Zimmerman and Dr. Danny Benjamin on Thursday. “FDA Approval Should End Vaccination Hesitation” urges all eligible people, especially school staff, to get vaccinated. Doing so will make schools safer for the children who remain ineligible to receive any COVID-19 vaccine.
“As we wait now ...
- ABC Science Collaborative releases summer school reports to N.C. school districts August 24, 2021
The ABC Science Collaborative recently completed collecting COVID-19 transmission data from 20 school districts across North Carolina during the summer school session.
The data were collected from June-July 2021 while the state’s mandatory masking policy was in place. All students and staff on school property were required by the State to wear masks...
- Masking in Schools | The ABC Science Collaborative Provides Clarity on Questions August 19, 2021
The co-chairs of the ABC Science Collaborative published an essay in The New York Times titled, “We Studied One Million Students. This Is What We Learned About Masking,” stating our position in favor of universal masking.
We have received a number of questions about ABC Science Collaborative research, and as co-chairs of the ABC, we are responding with this FAQ to ...
- New York Times Shares Opinion Piece Highlighting Learnings from The ABC Science Collaborative August 10, 2021
The New York Times published an essay authored by The ABC Science Collaborative Co-Chairs, Dr. Kanecia Zimmerman and Dr. Danny Benjamin on Tuesday. The essay, titled “We Studied One Million Students. This Is What We Learned About Masking,” summarizes the findings of ABC Science Collaborative’s studies of North Carolina K-12 schools.
In the essay, Zimmerman and Benjamin highlighted ...
- Zimmerman, Benjamin Urge Mask Wearing in Press Conference August 5, 2021
Danny Benjamin, MD, PhD, MPH, co-chair of the ABC Science Collaborative, yesterday urged school leaders to not only require masks in schools but also to enforce masking to prevent COVID-19 in K-12 schools. “A mask policy is only as good as the enforcement and the adherence,” said Dr. Benjamin, likening mandates without enforcement to getting a prescription for a medicine but not taking the medicine.
These remarks were made during a Duke University media briefing to discuss navigating the K-12 ...
- Teens Encourage Teens to Get Vaccines August 2, 2021
“My dad didn’t believe in vaccines,” the Reddit post said, “but as a result of COVID I’ve done some research and think I would like to get vaccinated before I head to college in August.”
The 17-year-old Reddit poster goes on to ask for advice on the subreddit r/VACCINES. How do they go about getting vaccinated? Which shots and how many will they need? Can they be fully vaccinated in time for school?
These are ...
- ABC Science Collaborative Finds Schools Are Safe, Even During COVID-19 Winter Surge; Transmission is Higher for Extracurricular Events Such as Sports July 29, 2021
New data analyzed and published by the ABC Science Collaborative sheds new light on school safety during a COVID-19 surge and reinforces the message that masking is an effective strategy to mitigate within-school transmission.
The new study, which was published recently in Pediatrics (updated September 2021), includes over 100,000 students and staff from 13 school districts that were open ...
- Report Shows that N.C. K-12 Schools Reopened Safely, Paving the Way for Schools Nationwide to Limit COVID-19 Spread in the Classroom June 30, 2021
A new report issued on June 30, 2021 by the ABC Science Collaborative shows that North Carolina schools were highly successful in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 within school buildings and offers science-based learnings for the nation’s schools to limit COVID-19 spread. Watch recorded press conference.
On behalf of the State of North Carolina, the ABC Science Collaborative collected ...
- The ABC Science Collaborative Presents Plan A Data to NC Department of Public Instruction May 13, 2021
On Thursday, May 12, the ABC Science Collaborative’s Co-Chair, Dr. Danny Benjamin, presented an update to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI). His presentation (video here starting around 1:20:00) included Plan A school data made available through the ABC’S of North Carolina’s Plan A project.
The data ...
- ABC Science Collaborative on Johnson & Johnson Vaccine April 27, 2021
A look at risks vs benefits as teachers, staff, and students return to school
COVID-19 vaccinations, in addition to the fundamental measures of wearing a mask, socially distancing, and washing hands, are an extra layer of safety for those returning to in-person learning. However, over the past several weeks, reports of unusual blood clots in people who received the ...
- ABC Science Collaborative Leads New Study on COVID-19 Testing in Schools April 21, 2021
The ABC Science Collaborative is launching a new study as part of the Safe Return to School Diagnostic Testing Initiative, a new effort that is part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program, funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The NIH is providing an additional $33 million over two years for RADx-UP studies to address ...
- The ABC Science Collaborative Presents on Vaccines for Prevention March 30, 2021
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, especially severe illness and death. Although safe and effective, there are a number of other factors to consider as we learn more about COVID-19 vaccines that are publically available.
On Monday, March 22, under the leadership of Drs. David Weber and Mike Smith, The ABC Science Collaborative presented a webinar on vaccinations. The discussion, which provided an open ...
- ABC Science Collaborative on Bus Safety during COVID-19 March 16, 2021Across the nation, more schools are beginning to re-open for in-person instruction, which means more students are on the move and potentially in close proximity to other students. It is important that everyone – teachers, school staff, and families – know how to keep these students safe.
- North Carolina Models the Way for National Discussion and Decisions on School Re-Openings During COVID-19 Pandemic March 11, 2021
Today, North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper signed into law The Reopen Our Schools Act of 2021, which requires all public schools in the state to provide their students with in-person learning for grades K-5.
The compromise legislation was informed by the data and thought leadership of the ABC Science Collaborative.
Building on the collaborative’s contribution over the past year, the new legislation includes funding for the ABC program to continue its work with the NC Department of ...
- The ABC Science Collaborative Statement on North Carolina School Reopening Legislation March 10, 2021
March 10, 2021
The ABC Science Collaborative is pleased that Governor Roy Cooper, the North Carolina General Assembly, Department of Public Instruction, and Department of Health and Human Services continue to work together to respond to the urgent need to require K-5 schools to re-open under Plan A and to allow the option for in-person learning under Plan A (minimal social distancing) for grades 6-12.
We support the State of North Carolina position that scientific research has shown that students can return ...
- The ABC Science Collaborative Statement on North Carolina Back-to-School Efforts March 5, 2021
March 5, 2021
The ABC Science Collaborative is pleased that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has updated its StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit as of March 3, 2021 the Toolkit requires all public schools in the state to provide their students with in-person learning under the social distancing requirements for either Plan A (minimal social distancing) or B (social distancing of six feet) for grades K-5 as well as for grades 6-12.
As researchers, infectious disease experts, internists, and ...