300 Empty Desks: Virus Robs U.S. Schools Of Teachers, Staff

ACROSS AMERICA — In July, fourth-grade teacher Susanne Michael was celebrating the adoption of a former student from a troubled home. After taking her and her two brothers in, Michael dressed them and her other children in matching T-shirts that read "Gotcha FOREVER."

By October, the 47-year-old Jonesboro, Arkansas, woman was dead — one of an estimated nearly 300 school employees killed by the coronavirus in the U.S. since the outbreak took hold, according to The Associated Press.

Altogether, the U.S. has reported more than 252,800 confirmed virus deaths as of Friday morning.

Wednesday marked the deadliest day of the pandemic since early May; and at more than 1,600 confirmed deaths before 5 p.m. ET, the United States was on track to do the same Thursday.

Across the country, the virus has taken the lives of teachers, principals, superintendents, coaches, a middle school secretary, a security guard. As the losses tear at the fabric of schools, districts are making hard decisions, causing more grief among students and staff members as they decide whether to keep classrooms open.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which has kept count of educators killed by the virus, told AP the stories "break your heart."

They include 71-year-old South Carolina first grade teacher Margie Kidd and 53-year-old Iowa special education assistant Jennifer Crawford. Their families said they suspect the two were infected at school.

A district in Phoenix lost special education worker Nawaialoha Keli'imahiai Kalai to COVID-19 earlier this month and began its board meeting with a moment of silence before deciding to keep classrooms open.

Keith Michael is now raising three new additions, ages 3, 8 and 13, along with two older children. He said Susanne's job was a part of her.

"She just basically would eat, sleep and drink teaching," he said. "She loved it."

The Latest

The United States reached yet another record on Thursday as the country reported more than 185,000 new coronavirus cases.

So far, more than a quarter-million people in the United States have died of COVID-19, surpassing the White House’s worst predictions from the spring. Nearly 12 million cases have been reported nationwide.

Also, the Covid Tracking Project reported Thursday that more than 80,000 patients were in U.S. hospitals, a new record during the pandemic.

“This is faster, it is broader and, what worries me, is it could be longer,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, in an appearance Friday on CNN.

As the country heads into the weekend, drugmaker Pfizer said it planned to submit an application to the Food and Drug Administration on Friday for emergency use authorization of its coronavirus vaccine, the New York Times reported.

Doing so would set in motion an accelerated regulatory process allowing the first Americans to get a vaccine by the middle of December.

On Thursday, clinical trials for another vaccine candidate being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford showed the vaccine produced a similar immune response when tested in both older and younger adults.

Certain vaccines, including those that protect against some viruses that cause the seasonal flu, can be less effective for older adults, the Times reported.

Meanwhile, the U.S. testing system is groaning under the weight of the millions lining up to get tested ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

While the U.S. testing capacity has increased greatly in recent months — the country is testing more than 1.5 million people per day on average, more than double the rate in July — the massive spike in people getting tested has only exacerbated key supply shortages.

Some experts, however, say the number of people tested daily is still nowhere close to where it needs to be. Some called for anywhere between 4 million and 15 million daily tests to suppress the virus.

Regardless, as cases continue to rise, Americans are likely to see even more bottlenecks and delays in getting tested and receiving results.

Despite the rush to get tested ahead of Thanksgiving celebrations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday issued a stark warning to Americans: If you travel and choose to spend the holidays with friends and families, you could inadvertently bring the coronavirus home with you.

After previously encouraging people to take extra precautions while traveling, the CDC's new guidance says that "postponing planned travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year." It offers a list of questions Americans should ask themselves before making a trip.

RELATED: CDC Advises No Thanksgiving Travel Amid Coronavirus Spikes

As cases surge, U.S. states continue to put together a patchwork response in lieu of a unified national plan.

In Ohio, a nightly curfew was put in place, the Times reported. In Mississippi, it was an expanded mask mandate; and in Iowa, it was a statewide mask mandate — the state’s first ever. In Maryland, all bars, restaurants and night clubs were ordered closed by 10 p.m. In Pennsylvania, authorities said anyone traveling to the state would need to be tested before arrival.

And in California, the governor and health officials ordered a curfew for certain counties, affecting nine out of 10 residents in the state. Los Angeles County health officials said a countywide stay-at-home order could be issued by Sunday if coronavirus case counts continue at their current rate.

Hoping to stave off as many deaths and hospitalizations as possible, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced the closure of all school buildings and halted in-person learning, a decision based on the city's virus positivity rate rising above 3 percent.

“The new normal is no longer sustainable,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday evening as he announced sweeping new restrictions. “The ground is literally shifting under our feet.”

Friday's Numbers

At least 2,027 new coronavirus deaths and 185,424 new cases were reported in the United States on Thursday, according to a Washington Post database. The United States has seen a 17.6 percent increase in cases over the last seven days.

As of Friday, 45 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

More than 11.7 million people in the United States had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday morning, and more than 252,800 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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