Three things for October 28
1. Walker announces rise in COVID-19 cases on campus
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Dr. Mark Walker addressed the student body concerning a weekend uptick in COVID-19 cases on campus.
Over the weekend, the total number of active cases on campus increased from five to 20.
“That increase of 15 is not the result of one event somewhere, nor is it the result of some kind of cluster that is forming in a dorm or in a classroom, these are spread out cases that have occurred in random different ways” said Walker.
Out of the 20 active cases, only five of the cases are in dorms. These cases are spread out amongst four dorms.
“The 15 other cases are the result of contracting the virus off campus,” said Walker.
Walker reassured the student body that there is no outbreak occurring on campus.
None of the 20 active cases are critical or have required hospitalization, as of Tuesday.
2. Viewer discretion advisory added to certain Disney classics
The Walt Disney Company elected to add a viewer discretion warning to Disney classic movies that contain racist material when streamed on Disney+.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures,” Disney stated.
Disney hired outside experts to assess their content to ensure it accurately represents the cultures that it depicts.
The discretion warning says, “this program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
3. Pfizer seeks to distribute vaccine as early as next month
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Pfizer Inc. requested emergency use authorization from the FDA, to distribute its COVID-19 vaccine as early as next month.
Pfizer remains committed to reaching certain safety milestones, prior to distributing the vaccination.
As of Monday, 36,000 of the 46,000 trial participants had received the second dose of the two-dose vaccine.
Earlier this month, Pfizer expanded trial participation to individuals as young as 12.
Pfizer already has contracts with the United States, the European Union and about 10 countries to supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine next year, assuming it wins approval, according to CBS News.
