Santa skipped coal this year and went directly to an infectious disease. Three days before Christmas I woke up with a scratchy throat, slight headache and a few body aches. I figured any number of things could have caused each. Maybe too much yelling at my favorite soccer club, too much holiday cheer the night […]
COVIDCheck Colorado
Posted inCOVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Two districts account for nearly 90% of Colorado’s very limited COVID testing in schools
Just two school districts accounted for the vast majority of COVID-19 testing in the first month of Colorado’s federally funded program to test students, teachers and staff in schools each week. According to data that the state submitted to federal officials last month, just one district performed nearly 80% of the program’s tests conducted in […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: I worked with COVIDCheck Colorado for 6 months — and will always celebrate all we accomplished
As the COVID-19 delta variant spreads across Colorado and ravages other parts of the country, gathering to “celebrate” with my former co-workers at COVDCheck Colorado last Saturday could have seemed premature and anticlimactic all at once. To the contrary, it was both necessary and cathartic. I joined COVIDCheck Colorado in January, just as it embarked […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Colorado plans to dramatically expand COVID-19 testing in schools next year, even as restrictions go away
Colorado plans to launch a massive, new coronavirus testing program available to schools statewide starting this fall, a measure health officials and educators say is crucial to minimize disruption to the education of kids too young to be vaccinated, particularly as a new Delta variant spreads across the state. Officials at the Colorado Department of […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Access and information, not hesitancy, are the biggest challenges in getting more Coloradans vaccinated
As vaccination rates decline across the country, a story has taken hold that “hesitancy” or “resistance” are the barriers we must clear to stop the pandemic. We surveyed thousands of Coloradans recently and heard a different story: Our neighbors want this life-saving vaccine — they either don’t know how to get to it or face […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Drool for school: Colorado schools add saliva testing to slow spread of coronavirus in the classroom
Elementary school students in Cherry Creek School District are getting a bonus lesson this year: While studying reading, math and science, they’re also learning the best way to drool into a test tube. It’s not a typical part of the curriculum, but collecting students’ saliva has become another critical step in keeping schools open safely […]