More Cities are 'Following the Data' to Improve Lives of Residents
Bloomberg Philanthropiesannounced Wednesday that 16 U.S. cities have achieved 2021 What Works Cities certification, which evaluates the degree to which city leaders are using data to inform policy and funding decisions. Since the outset of the pandemic, data proved crucial to guiding city responses to COVID-19 to recover and save lives.
“During the pandemic, using data to inform decision-making was more important than ever for cities – it helped them respond directly to the needs of their residents and deliver essential services as the situation on the ground constantly changed,” said Mike Bloomberg.
“By putting data at the center of their COVID-19 response efforts, these cities saved lives and helped residents recover – and they now have a chance to come out of this crisis stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for the next one," Mike added.
The 16 newly certified cities this year include: Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Bellevue, Washington; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Detroit, Michigan; Fort Collins, Colorado; Gilbert, Arizona; Glendale, Arizona; Irving, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Norfolk, Virginia; Portland, Oregon; San Antonio, Texas; and Syracuse, New York.
The newly certified cities are among the 254 local governments that have participated in What Works Cities since Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the initiative in 2015.
Over six years, What Works Cities participants have benefited from more than $84 million in training, coaching, and technical assistance to enhance their use of data and evidence in decision making.
The European Union rolled out an ambitious climate plan on Wednesday to transform every corner of its economy.
Every industry will be forced to accelerate its shift away from fossil fuels in order to cut pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
To achieve that, the bloc will bring new industries such as shipping into what’s already the world’s largest carbon market; ban new combustion-engine cars by 2035; impose new costs on dirty home heating; and force the aviation industry to emit less and pay more.
“Nothing we presented today is going to be easy. It’s going to be bloody hard,” European Commission climate chief Frans Timmermans said. But he said the “existential threat which is the climate crisis” called for radical steps.
"The rest of world needs to match this ambition if we are to beat climate change. The 700+ cities and mayors that are part of the Race to Zero are key to delivering on these goals," UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions Mike Bloomberg posted on Twitter.
New Push for Vaccine Requirements Among Healthcare Workers.
Since the start of June, there continue to be roughly 150 deaths per week in the U.S. among nursing home residents due to Covid-19.
Nearly 80% of nursing home residents have already been vaccinated, well above the 70% or so threshold most experts cite for achieving herd immunity. The problem appears to be low vaccination rates among staff.
Nationwide,only 55% of these staffers have received the Covid-19 vaccine, and great variability exists from one nursing home to the next.
In New York state, 85% of nursing home residents have been vaccinated, while in many facilities less than 40% of staff have been vaccinated, including one in Oneida County where only 16% of staff were vaccinated.
The vaccines currently available in the U.S. are as safe and effective as any vaccine available — and are a whole lot safer than getting Covid-19. The FDA will likely grant full approval for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines within a month or two. Read the full editorial here.
The overwhelming majority of those coming in sick with Covid are unvaccinated, Dr. Sergio Segarra, the chief medical officer with Baptist Health's Baptist Hospital in Miami, said. Many are young people in their 20s and 30s who are getting "extremely, extremely sick" and some of whom are dying.
Driven by unvaccinated Americans and fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, Covid-19 hospitalizations are climbing in other parts of the country, too, and hospitals are again bracing for another round of devastation.
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lift Covid restrictions in England, making mask wearing optional in all settings. But authorities in Scotland, Wales and London are planning their own rules in which face coverings will remain compulsory.
In her last visit to the White House as Germany's Chancellor today, Merkel wants to send the message that, bruised by the antagonism of the Trump administration, Europe's days of automatically following the U.S. lead are over, even with a more collaborative president in the White House.
“There should be a united front. This is not the time to score brownie points,” said Manny Diaz, a Cuban-American former Miami mayor who is now chairman of Florida’s Democratic Party. “The people in Cuba are the main actors here.”
The speed with which Moderna and its primary mRNA competitor, a partnership between Pfizer and BioNTech, devised their shots has made a major contribution to the fight to end the pandemic.
With strong efficacy, steady supply, and no show-stopping safety scares, mRNA shots have become the vaccines of choice, at least in countries that can get them.
For Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel, the Covid vaccine is just the beginning. He’s long promised that if mRNA works, it will lead to a giant new industry capable of treating most everything from heart disease to cancer to rare genetic conditions.
The ES-19, a four-engine turboprop with 19 seats being developed by a Swedish startup, would fly without emitting carbon and offer a range of 250 miles (400 kilometers).
In April, just 52% of unvaccinated adolescents aged 13-17 and 57% age 12-17 said they intended to get the vaccine, according to data released last week by the CDC.
Best of Late Night.
"Olivia Rodrigo went to the White House to team up with President Biden and Dr. Fauci about getting vaccinated. When his staff suggested bringing in popular music artists, Biden was like, 'Great idea. How about Glenn Miller or The Andrews Sisters?'"
-- Jimmy Fallon
"The Biden administration has reportedly run out of ideas to encourage more people to get the coronavirus vaccine. Luckily, the virus is coming up with new ideas all the time!"
-- Seth Meyers
"Speaking of vaccines, yesterday a record number of French citizens booked appointments after President Emmanuel Macron said you need to be vaccinated to go to cafes. French people, while smoking, were like 'If it's for health, we will do it.'"
-- Jimmy Fallon
"French people were like, 'Get vaccinated to protect my family? No. To eat goose liver with strangers? Oui.'"
-- Jimmy Fallon
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