COVID-19 News Digest: December 2020

The recent surge in COVID-19 numbers across the state (Bay Area numbers here), will likely lead to another statewide stay-at-home order soon. We see that some Bay Area counties are moving in that direction early. On a positive note, the vaccine is coming! This episode of the Daily answers some burning questions on when and how.

Disappointing grades, technology glitches and glimpses of learning fun | Heartbreaking and heartwarming profiles of families on how they are doing with distance and hybrid classes.

“Parents are doing what they can, but most are juggling multiple roles — helping children, troubleshooting computer problems, working their own jobs and trying to keep the household running. For those with limited English skills, the challenges are even more daunting.”

Nonprofit job recovery rate drops to 1.9% in November, could take 2.4 years to fully recover | A summary of nonprofit job losses since the pandemic began through November.

“As of November 2020, the nonprofit workforce remained down by nearly 878,000 jobs compared to February 2020, representing a 7% decline from its pre-pandemic level.”

If you’re interested in broader about the state of the economy, these 9 charts from NY Times paint a picture.

Kids, Families and COVID-19 Pandemic Pain Points and the Urgent Need to Respond| The report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation covers a number of topics including: child well-being prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, how adults with children in the household are faring during COVID-19, government response to support families and children during the pandemic and strategies for meeting the needs of children and families now and following the pandemic.

“In the fall of 2020, one in eight households with children lacked health insurance. No coverage constitutes a critical vulnerability — for both health and economic reasons — for any family…Absent action to prevent an eviction and foreclosure crisis, the data indicate a looming housing catastrophe for communities of color. Food insecurity — already a problem for more than one in 10 households before the pandemic — has also increased.”