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u.s. news Diamars 22 December 2020

More than 70 West Point cadets accused of cheating on exam

(AP) — More than 70 ca- The remaining cadets ac-
dets training at the U.S. cused of cheating face ad-
Military Academy to be ministrative hearings to de-
Army officers have been termine if they've violated
accused of cheating on a the honor code and recom-
math exam taken online mend penalties, which could
when they were studying include expulsion.
remotely because of the
coronavirus pandemic. The cheating scandal is the
biggest at West Point since
Lt. Col. Christopher 1976, when 153 cadets re-
Ophardt, spokesman for the signed or were expelled for
academy at West Point, said cheating on an electrical en-
Monday that 73 cadets were gineering exam. The 1976
accused of cheating on the case is considered more se-
calculus exam in May after rious, Ophardt said, because
instructors noticed irregular- it was upperclassmen who
ities in answers. All but one planned, collaborated and
were freshmen, or plebes, in executed the cheating. "The
a class of 1,200. The other whole system broke down,"
was a sophomore. Ophardt said.

"West Point honor code and In the 1976 cheating scandal,
character development pro- the secretary of the Army ap-
gram remains strong despite pointed a select commission
remote learning and the chal- honors committee made up ing 67 cases, 55 cadets have of their time at the academy. headed by former astronaut
lenges brought by the pan- of trained cadets, two cases admitted cheating and have Three more cadets admitted Frank Borman to review the
demic," Ophardt said. "Ca- were dropped for lack of evi- been enrolled in a six-month cheating but weren't eligible case and more than 90 of
dets are being held account- dence and four were dropped rehabilitation program fo- for the rehabilitation pro- those caught cheating were
able for breaking the code." because the cadets resigned, cused on ethics. They will gram. reinstated and allowed to
After an investigation by an Ophardt said. Of the remain- be on probation for the rest graduate, Ophardt said.

California hospitals discuss rationing care as virus surges

(AP) — California's over- CVS plans to make three vis- flights from the U.K. because
whelmed hospitals are its to each site to give resi- of the emergence of a new
setting up makeshift ex- dents and staff their initial strain of the virus in that
tra beds for coronavirus shot and then a booster. It country.
patients, and a handful of expects to complete the pro- Scientists are working to de-
facilities in hard-hit Los gram in about three months. termine whether the strain
Angeles County are draw- Also Monday, President-elect spreads more easily, said
ing up emergency plans Joe Biden received his first Moncef Slaoui, the chief sci-
in case they have to limit dose of the vaccine on live ence adviser for the U.S. gov-
how many people receive television as part of a growing ernment's COVID-19 vac-
life-saving care. effort to convince the Ameri- cine effort.
can public the inoculations Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on
The number of people hospi- ery life, their goal could shift placements, that might take are safe. Sunday announced new so-
talized across California with to saving as many patients as up beds that could soon be Biden took a dose of Pfizer cial gathering restrictions
confirmed COVID-19 infec- possible — meaning those needed for COVID-19 pa- vaccine at a hospital not far while still refusing to imple-
tions is more than double the less likely to survive would tients. from his Delaware home, ment a mask mandate despite
state's previous peak, reached not get the same kind of care. Nurses say the crush of cases hours after his wife, Jill pleas from front-line health
in July, and a state model "Some compromise of stan- means they have less time to Biden, did the same. The care workers. Tennessee, one
forecasts the total could hit dard of care is unavoidable; spend with patients, many of injections came the same of a dozen states without a
75,000 patients by mid-Jan- it is not that an entity, system whom are sicker than they day that a second vaccine, mask mandate, is experienc-
uary. or locale chooses to limit re- have ever been. produced by Moderna, will ing the highest new cases per
Plans for rationing care are sources, it is that the resourc- "The more patients we have, start arriving in states. It joins capita in the country.
not in place yet, but they need es are clearly not available the more there's a risk of Pfizer's in the nation's arsenal Instead of a mask mandate,
to be established because "the to provide care in a regular making a mistake, especially against the COVID-19 pan- the Republican signed an ex-
worst is yet to come," said manner," said the document if we're rushing," said Wendy demic, which has now killed ecutive order limiting pub-
Los Angeles County's health obtained by the Los Angeles Macedo. a nurse at UCLA more than 317,000 people in lic gatherings to 10 people.
services director, Dr. Chris- Times. Health Santa Monica Medi- the United States and upend- However, places of worship,
tina Ghaly. Many hospitals in California cal Center. "Obviously we're ed life around the globe. weddings and funerals are
While shipments of the vac- already have implemented trying to avoid that, but we're But with vaccinations in exempt.
cine are rolling out to many emergency procedures to only human." limited supply until spring With more than 2,300 virus
health care workers and nurs- stretch staff and space. CVS and rival Walgreens or summer, political leaders patients hospitalized in Ala-
ing homes across the country, Corona Regional Medical started providing shots last continue to urge people to bama and cases increasing
it could be months before the Center southeast of Los An- week at some long-term care stay at home and wear masks. steadily, health officials is-
shots are available to the gen- geles has converted an old locations in Connecticut and New York Gov. Andrew sued new pleas to take pre-
eral public. Until then, four emergency room to handle Ohio, and both companies Cuomo has asked airlines cautions.
hospitals run by Los Angeles nearly double the usual num- said they would expand their flying into his state from the "Our ICU is full and I am
County are weighing what to ber of ICU patients. It's also programs in 12 states start- United Kingdom to make all praying for a Christmas mir-
do if they cannot treat every- using two disaster tents to tri- ing this week. Those states passengers take a coronavirus acle," Dr. James Boyle, a pul-
one because of a shortage of age ER patients. include Florida, Kentucky, test before they get on board. monologist in Decatur, said
beds or staffers. Overall, the state's ICU ca- Maine, Maryland, Nevada, At least one airline, Brit- Monday. "I hope the forecasts
A document recently circu- pacity was just 2.1% on Sun- New Hampshire, New York, ish Airways, has agreed, the models are wrong. I pray the
lated among doctors at the day. Some hospitals have Oklahoma, Oregon and Democrat said. numbers of infection and
four hospitals proposed that canceled non-essential elec- Vermont, CVS Health said Cuomo wants the U.S. gov- death go down after Christ-
instead of trying to save ev- tive surgeries, such as hip re- Monday. ernment to temporarily halt mas."