There is new evidence of how significantly the COVID-19 pandemic impacted learning loss in the classroom for students.

Those impacts — declines in reading and math scores in a majority of states — were noted in the release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or The Nation's Report Card.

The report compared math and reading test scores in the fourth and eighth grades pre-pandemic in 2019 and post-pandemic this year.

In eighth grade, every state except Utah showed math test score declines. More than three dozen saw similar declines in the fourth grade.

In the fourth grade, a majority of states saw declines in reading test scores.

"I don't make this statement lightly because these aren't the kind of data that I would normally attribute cause and effect to," said Peggy Carr, commissioner at the National Center for Education Statistics. "But, it is very clear what we're looking at now is unprecedented disruption in the lives of everyone, including students, their academic careers, ya know, really pushed off-kilter, really knocked off rack. It is because of the pandemic."

Moving forward, Carr said school systems need to use this data to do a "reset" and refocus on learning and tutoring programs, as well as social and emotional mental health services for students.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Many times, the first we realize we're getting sick is when symptoms show up. New science research is making it possible for people to discover they're getting sick before symptoms appear, allowing for the possibility of faster treatment.

Alec Ford is the CEO of Karius, a life sciences company focused on advancing technology in the fight against infectious diseases. He says it's quite common for people battling cancer to die from a sickness instead of their cancer.

"Actually, more than half of all the people in the United States who die from cancer die from an infection," Ford said.

Ford says he knows from personal experience the threat of infectious disease on patients with cancer.

"To identify the cause of infection with someone in cancer. You might see anywhere from 15 to 17 different tests that are required, and it might take seven to 10 days of running those tests if ever they find the cause of your infection," Ford said.

He says with cancer, time is the enemy, but Karius has developed a rapid test that's been rolling out to hospitals across the country since 2017. Tim Blauwkamp is one of the innovators behind the technology.

"One of the challenges with the way that infectious diseases are diagnosed today is that almost all of the approaches still require a specimen that contains the actual pathogen itself," Blauwkamp said. "Things like bronchoalveolar lavage, where they wash your lungs or find needle aspirates, where they go in and try to find just a little piece of your lung tissue that has enough of the pathogen that they can identify it."

Using a blood sample, Tim Blauwkamp says the Karius test can detect more than a thousand different pathogens like pneumonia, fungal infections, or monkeypox.

"Any time you have an infection, there are fragments of the thing causing that infection that are shed into the bloodstream and we find those,” Ford said. "So, we take your blood, we look for those fragments of the things that are likely to be causing infection, and we tell your doctor why you're sick and what's causing your infection."

Mike Fahey, a monkeypox patient, says the early-detection Karius test would have made a huge difference for him.

"If I had caught it six days earlier, I think my entire prognosis would be different right now," Fahey said.

Fahey says his experience with monkeypox has been rare. He developed encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain. He's had numbness and pain in his hands ever since.

"It has been almost two full months," Fahey said. "To this day, I can't button my shirt, I can't tie my shoes. If I pick something up, I'm likely to drop it."

According to chief technology officer Sivan Bercovici, the Karius test would have detected monkeypox before he even had lesions and he would have been able to start treatment very early on.

"In a paper that we published several years ago, we identified the ability to detect bacterial infections several days before symptoms. In the case of fungal infection, now we can go several weeks before symptoms arise."

Bercovici says this technology is continuing to expand and he's hopeful they will reach a point where infectious disease is no longer a major threat to human health.

 

Imagine if when you got sick, you knew exactly what you were sick with, and therefore had an idea of how it spreads and how to treat it. That could be a reality in the future with the prevalence of at-home testing for other viruses beyond COVID.

Dr. Lisa Maragakis is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She says the convenient and easy-to-use at-home tests for COVID-19 were a game changer during the pandemic.

"And this really raises the question of why we don't have more widespread at-home testing for other respiratory viruses like influenza or respiratory syncytial virus RSV," Dr. Maragakis said.

The so-called 'tripeldemic' of COVID-19, influenza and RSV last year brought to light the need for at-home testing for other viruses.

"One new challenge in respiratory virus season is having co-circulation of influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," Dr. Maragakis said. "And since we do have treatments that are different for the different viruses, we do need to know and cannot make the kind of empiric decisions or diagnoses that we used to be able to make in past flu seasons."

Dr. Maragakis says the science is there to create these types of tests, but they aren't widely available yet. Global life sciences company Labcorp announced last year emergency-use authorization from the FDA for an at-home collection kit that simultaneously detects COVID-19, influenza, or RSV.

You can order one online that will be shipped to your house free of charge if you have insurance. Without insurance, it's $169 dollars.

However, it's not a rapid test. It's a PCR test that you send to a lab, so it takes several days to get results. As at-home testing becomes more prevalent, Dr. Maragakis says public health leaders will need to take new challenges into consideration.

"We know, right now, that the publicly reported numbers for COVID-19 are just the tip of the iceberg because so many people are being diagnosed by these at-home tests and those data don't flow into the reported numbers," Dr. Maragakis said.

Dr. Maragakis says one solution could be developing a way for people to self report data from at-home tests. The other limitation is that not everyone may use the test correctly, and results could be inaccurate. Until health companies can provide convenient at-home tests for other viruses, Dr. Maragakis says your health care provider still offers the most precise test results.

 

The SAT is going digital.

In January, the College Board announced it would move the standardized test to an online format in the U.S. in 2024, following a pilot program in 2021.

"The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant," a College Board spokesperson said in a written statement. "We're not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform."

Robert Franek, the Editor-in-Chief of the Princeton Review, answered our questions about the changes in the test.

This transcript has been lightly edited for tone and clarity.

Q: Why now?

Robert Franek, Editor-in-Chief, Princeton Review: I think it is time to modernize the SAT and make it as relevant as possible to current students, their families, and their counselors.

There's a pretty big coup here for test-takers: The exam will now be two hours rather than three hours, which is a substantial time saving for the student. It also lessens fatigue that is so inherent to the SAT.

A couple of other things are going to be changing. Students can use calculators built into the platforms starting in 2024, so students can use calculators on all math questions. Right now, they're prohibited on some sections.

There are going to be more straightforward reading sections as well. It's going to be speedier for students, but also more accessible.

The other big difference is that now it will be an adaptive test. That accounts for some of the time savings. There's going to be fewer questions, but it's not going to be, 'You got these questions right and these questions wrong.' It will be based on the weighting of those questions based on their level of difficulty.

Q: Is this decision, in part, because of how many students take the SAT in school? (2021 data shows 62% of test-takers took their exam during a school day.)

Franek: That has been a big part of the market share for the College Board: Giving those tests in-school directly. It is probably a pretty significant focus for the College Board that we're going to see more of those tests being done in schools. When 2024 rolls out, students are going to likely have a choice to do it in a testing center, alone, or an at-school SAT. What they will not be able to do, however, is take that test remote and at home, as they were able to in May of 2020 for the AP exam, which was also created by the College Board.

Q: How will this decision improve equity among test-takers?

Franek: It's really the platform itself that we're seeing the biggest value to students for access and equity purposes. Number one, students will be able to use a laptop that the testing center gives them, or that's supplied by the school. Students can use their own laptop or their own tablet, but they're not obliged to do that. That is going to improve access and equity.

Then there's the idea of the calculator. Students were having to have a graphing calculator of a particular model. Some of those were expensive. So that will level the field as well, with the built-in calculator.

Q: Are there any drawbacks to going digital?

Franek: There's not a lot of testing materials out there yet on how to prepare for that new exam. I do think that will change as soon as the College Board releases more information of what the structure and content of that new exam are going to be. That's what my team does at the Princeton Review. That's going to be a pretty big coup for students.

Right now, we might see some students going to the old version - the known version - of the SAT. Or they may flock to the ACT during that guinea pig year of 2024, the first year that it'll roll out for all U.S. students. But, again, to be seen.

Q: How does this move affect test prep for students?

Franek: It's going to be significant. Any time a new exam happens - and this could be the SAT, ACT, or any of the number of professional and graduate school exams - students need guidance. Their parents want that as well. Counselors want those things as well. A lot of students turn to test prep in order to make sure that students are getting the best of preparation for that new exam. And that's what we've done for now 40 years at the Princeton Review. We'll certainly do it for this new iteration of the SAT.

Q: Should this change be cause for concern for parents of middle school students or students who are early in their high school careers?

Franek: I think there probably will be alarm. I gave a lecture last night, and I told the students there, just remind yourself that you are comfortable on an e-platform more than I ever will be. And that's what the new SAT is going to be. So feel the confidence and prowess that you already have coming out of the gate going into that new exam because you are primed to do well on it.

Q: Are there any other things worth noting about this decision?

Franek: Again, I'd remind students that they are primed to do very well in this new environment of the test. And this rollout over the next two years is a significant rollout. We're not going to see any surprises in the next iteration of the SAT in a couple of weeks. We know that it is going to be a metered approach, and for that, I give applause to the College Board.

President Joe Biden says the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free of charge to people to use at home. But despite the high public demand for tests, it will still be several more weeks before these kits are available to be shipped. The administration is still working on details for how the program will work.

DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE TESTS?

Not yet. As of this week, the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services were “executing on what's called an ‘accelerated emergency contract,'" the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said. A contract is expected to be signed soon.

WHEN WILL THE TEST KITS BE DELIVERED?

The first delivery is expected in early January. All 500 million kits will not be delivered at the same time but instead will arrive in batches.

MY DRUGSTORE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TESTS. HOW CAN I GET A FREE KIT FROM THE GOVERNMENT?

You'll go to a new government website to request a kit, but the site won't be functional until after the first batch of test kits have been delivered, Psaki said. She said the process was being handled that way to avoid creating more confusion for the public. But the idea is that anyone who wants a test kit would log onto this website to request one.

“We’re obviously not going to put the website up until there are tests available,” Psaki said.

WHICH HOME TEST WILL I GET?

It's unclear. But Psaki noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several different brands of rapid home tests.

WILL I BE LIMITED TO ONE TEST OR CAN I REQUEST MULTIPLE?

To be determined, Psaki said.

WHY IS BIDEN BUYING THESE TEST KITS?

It represents an acknowledgment by the president that the administration needs to do more to increase access to COVID-19 testing, which is an important tool to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

In cases where infected people show symptoms or not, testing is the only way to find out if they have the virus so they can avoid being out and about and potentially spreading the disease.

But demand for test kits soared as the holidays neared and people grew eager to test themselves and their families before traveling, and as the easily transmissible omicron variant spread rapidly in just a few weeks to become the dominant strain in the U.S.

Biden's promise of 500 million test kits is in addition to the administration's earlier pledge to send 50 million rapid tests to community health centers across the country.

IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO GET A TEST KIT FOR FREE

Biden said in a speech Tuesday that, starting in January, private insurers will cover the cost of at-home testing. So people will have the option of buying tests at a store or online and then seeking reimbursement from their health insurance provider.

The government will also provide access to free at-home tests for people who may not have health insurance, Biden said.

MANASSAS, Va. — The science unfolding inside this one lab is breathtaking.

“We were starting to get into human breath analysis and we were starting to look at, ‘What kind of diagnostics can we get from that?’” said Dr. Robin Couch. “And then COVID came.”

Dr. Couch is a professor of biochemistry at George Mason University. Along with Dr. Allyson Dailey, they have developed a potentially new way to detect COVID in someone who is infected.

All it takes is breathing into a bag.

“We're able now to differentiate between those who have been confirmed COVID positive from those who are COVID negative,” Dr. Dailey said. “And so, it's been a pretty exciting time for us.”

With help from Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, a nearby hospital, they collected samples of patients' breath to see if they could detect whether or not someone had COVID.

“You're just kind of blowing into an airtight bag,” said Sentara’s Heather Casseaux. “And so, our nurses were trained to do that at Sentara as part of the study.”

She said nurses there also administered FDA-approved nasal swab tests for later comparison.

“This is just another alternative and it's not an invasive test to do,” Casseaux said of the test developed at GMU.

Researchers say the test is also easy for those who are taking it.

“It's quick,” Dr. Dailey said. “It takes about two minutes to blow up our bags. That's just like blowing up a balloon.”

And the results?

“We found that from the exhale, we could actually tell the difference between patients that do not have COVID from those that did,” Dr. Couch said.

The test had an accuracy of 100%, they said.

While it’s not FDA-approved yet, researchers are now looking into whether this type of breath analysis could be used to detect other diseases, like lung cancer.

“Others have done diseases, even such as schizophrenia. You can actually, in Parkinson's disease, even have been implicated in scent profiles,” Dr. Couch said. “So, really, a lot of surprising diseases you might not have thought of, can actually be detected using breath or exhale.”

They are now working on a full-body, patent-pending device, where much more of a person’s scent could be captured for a wider analysis of diseases.

“Even growing up in the era of CSI and things like that, you're always excited about coming in and trying to figure something out and learn new techniques,” Dr. Dailey said. “We're able to try to push the science forward, and we're able to find new ways and new creative ways then to help people in the end.”

Their test is a potentially powerful tool that may be just a breath away.

CINCINNATI —

A Silverton dad said he spent hours on Wednesday in search of a COVID-19 test for a child, but he said it was no easy task.

He said many places were busy, with lines, and some had no appointments.

Derek Drifmeyer said he offered to help a friend whose 11-year-old daughter was feeling pretty lousy.

Little did he know, it would turn into an hours-long trip for a test.

"I felt bad for her. We're driving all over town trying to find a place to get a test and she's sick, just wants to be at home resting," Drifmeyer said.

He said finding a COVID-19 test for his friend's daughter took more than four hours, starting at about 10 a.m.

"Went to Walgreens to buy a test. Found out that they were sold out of the take-home tests. Tried to schedule a test with CVS. Every location I tried, it was booked up. Same with Walgreens," Drifmeyer said.

After trying an urgent care, where people were waiting in line for a test, Drifmeyer said they were eventually able to get a test at her primary care provider in a garage.

The Ohio Department of Health said it is expanding testing as demand soars.

"We also continue to see rising numbers of Ohioans tested for COVID-19 and increasing positivity rates now hovering at a seven-day average 13.3 percent. Testing is an important strategy to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. If you're concerned that you might have COVID there are many options for testing," Ohio Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said. "In addition to being able to get a test at many pharmacies and community providers, we've also partnered with many of our libraries and local health departments, where you can pick up a free, rapid BinaxNOW test, which can be administered from the comfort of your home with the help of a telehealth provider."

Vanderhoff said demand for testing is high, so he urged everyone to make sure a test is available by searching a map on the Ohio Coronavirus website to find a provider.

At the same time, officials warn that emergency rooms are not for routine testing.

"We need to be able to provide our community with the very best, efficient and quick care for acute conditions," Premier Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marc Belcastro said.

Drifmeyer said the entire COVID-19 situation is frustrating.

He said people should wear masks, get vaccinated if they can and keep trying for a test.

"We were doing well with COVID the numbers were down and people got pretty lax and now they're shooting back up," Drifmeyer said.

He also said he recovered from a breakthrough case himself about a month or so ago.

Walgreens did not respond to our request for comment.

CVS Health told us testing has been in high demand, but stores have been able to keep up with it in most locations.

A spokesman told us people can purchase at-home COVID-19 tests over the counter, limited to six per person, or they can be purchased online and delivered to their door in 24 to 48 hours.

CVS Health provided this statement to WLWT:

"Daily COVID-19 testing volume is currently running ahead of average daily volume year-to-date, and significantly ahead of average daily volume in the second quarter. COVID-19 home test kits are the top-selling item in our stores.

We continue to be able to meet the demand for COVID-19 testing in most locations, even with increasing numbers of patients seeking out tests at one of our nearly 5,000 CVS Pharmacy locations across the country offering testing with same day and future day appointments in most geographies. Patients are encouraged to schedule an appointment on CVS.com or the CVS Pharmacy app, where they have the option to seek either a rapid COVID-19 test, with results available within hours, or a COVID-19 test at the pharmacy drive-thru windows. The self-swab collected at the CVS Pharmacy drive-thru window is processed by an independent, third-party lab and those results are generally available within 1-2 days."

CVS Health said it has also established a new partnership to expand the availability of at-home COVID-19 testing kits in 7,000 of its stores as of last week.

According to CVS Health, it is partnering with Quidel Corporation to make its "non-prescription QuickVue® At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test" available at thousands of locations across the United States and online.

CVS said the packages contain two self-administered rapid antigen tests.

Vermont, USA —

Vaccinated Americans who want to take a trip to Canada starting on Aug. 9 need to follow a list of requirements.

Anyone over the age of 5 needs a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of travel.

Make sure to bring the test with you when you cross the border.

Travelers must also upload vaccination details on the ArriveCan app, which is required to cross the border.

The app will ask several questions about travel plans and give people a receipt once everything checks out on the app.

It's important to note that when returning to the U.S., the Vermont Dept. of Health is strongly encouraging travelers to get tested again.

"We would recommend that within three to five days after someone comes back from any international travel that they be tested three to five days after they return. and also just self monitor for any symptoms," said Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner with the Vermont Dept. of Health.

The Vermont Dept. of Health said it's seeing an increase in testing over the past several weeks.

The organization said it doesn't know if it's because more people are traveling or if it's because of the delta variant.