A Recap of This Week’s Top News – December 9, 2022

Changes to policy, scientific discovery, and expert recommendations and opinions all have the power to rapidly influence the landscape of a sector. Whether you’re a leader at a non-profit, a member of a university’s marketing department, or a stakeholder for a public health agency, being informed about the latest industry happenings can be the difference between exceeding and falling short of organizational goals. At Hager Sharp, our experts vigorously scan media coverage to identify areas of opportunity. And now, with the introduction of the Sharp Round-Up, you too can review what we consider some of the top news of the week.

Below you will find a compilation of news spanning the health and education, labor, and economy sectors. This list includes mainstream, DC-focused, and trade publication coverage from Saturday, December 3, to Friday, December 9. Let these clips serve as a resource when developing thoughtful strategies and use them to further foster organizational innovation and adaptability.

Here’s what you need to know.

Mainstream News:

• COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise again in the U.S. after Thanksgiving. Last week they reached their highest level in three months. Public health authorities are concerned that increased COVID hospitalizations will overstrain hospitals already struggling with increased numbers of patients due to upticks in flu and RSV cases.
• This year, we’re seeing the worst flu outbreak in more than a decade. After Thanksgiving, flu-related hospitalizations almost doubled, hitting those over 65 and under 4 years old especially hard. Despite this, 4 in 10 Americans say they don’t plan to get a flu shot this year.

Health News:

• A new JAMA analysis of COVID clinical trials found that women were underrepresented in studies of drugs used to treat people with COVID. It also found that Black and Asian participants were underrepresented in trials for COVID vaccines.

Education News:

• According to an analysis of the testing data by the nonprofit NWEA, pandemic-related achievement gaps in reading and math are shrinking for students in grades 3–8. However, for some students, especially Black and Hispanic students and students from high-poverty schools, learning recovery could take over five years.
• Major U.S. teacher unions lost more than 59,000 members during the 2021–22 school year. However, these declines can’t be attributed to district staffing levels; between September 2021 and September 2022, local schools added 95,000 employees. The decline in membership comes after an 82,000-member loss the previous year.