Dropping the school mask mandate and rise in Covid cases - looking at local data

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mask mandates don't work.

Masks (good, well-fitting ones) do work.

+1

Thank you. It's really very simple.

OP here. Yes, this was my point, and I said it in my post. We know that a well-fitted N95 works. But people are right, it is too soon to tell. I just wish someone would actually study this data, since we have the fortuitous (form a research standpoint, not for the charter kids) situation of having schools of relatively similar demographics within the same community following different policies.

Nobody will study anything. It’s just what they “feel” is safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS give it a rest.

But also, here's an ACTUAL study: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/mandatory-masking-schools-reduced-covid-19-cases-during-delta-surge

+1 aren’t you tired of this?

That's from the government so OP won't trust it.

She'd rather rely on her own anecdotes, gut feelings, and 'research'.

OP here. Where do you get that from? Your gut feeling about "anti-maskers"? I posted no anecdotes, just raw data, which I see isn't granular enough to draw conclusions. My post made it clear that I am relying on actual, high-quality research from Finland and Spain. Yes, I trust their public health establishment more than those of the US at this point, because the latter have thoroughly squandered the trust they once enjoyed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mask mandates don't work.

Masks (good, well-fitting ones) do work.

+1

Thank you. It's really very simple.

OP here. Yes, this was my point, and I said it in my post. We know that a well-fitted N95 works. But people are right, it is too soon to tell. I just wish someone would actually study this data, since we have the fortuitous (form a research standpoint, not for the charter kids) situation of having schools of relatively similar demographics within the same community following different policies.

I think the point is more than an N95 mask works. The point is that what you give up by wearing one may or may not be worth what you give up in exchange. That's the disucssion that has to happen in schools, particluarly when the risk to kids from covid is so low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mask mandates don't work.

Masks (good, well-fitting ones) do work.

+1

Thank you. It's really very simple.

OP here. Yes, this was my point, and I said it in my post. We know that a well-fitted N95 works. But people are right, it is too soon to tell. I just wish someone would actually study this data, since we have the fortuitous (form a research standpoint, not for the charter kids) situation of having schools of relatively similar demographics within the same community following different policies.

I think the point is more than an N95 mask works. The point is that what you give up by wearing one may or may not be worth what you give up in exchange. That's the disucssion that has to happen in schools, particluarly when the risk to kids from covid is so low.

Yes, I completely agree. That's why I think the last thing we need is an N95 mandate for kids (if that was even possible). I also believe that even if mask mandates in schools did actually reduce the spread (and so far the evidence for that is very weak), it would still not justify a mandate, given how low the risk of Covid is to children, and to adults as well given the availability of vaccines and treatments, and given that one-way masking does work. But aside from that, I would like to see a high-quality study done in the US that determines what the effect size is if there is any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mask mandates don't work.

Masks (good, well-fitting ones) do work.

+1

Thank you. It's really very simple.

OP here. Yes, this was my point, and I said it in my post. We know that a well-fitted N95 works. But people are right, it is too soon to tell. I just wish someone would actually study this data, since we have the fortuitous (form a research standpoint, not for the charter kids) situation of having schools of relatively similar demographics within the same community following different policies.

I think the point is more than an N95 mask works. The point is that what you give up by wearing one may or may not be worth what you give up in exchange. That's the disucssion that has to happen in schools, particluarly when the risk to kids from covid is so low.

Yes, I completely agree. That's why I think the last thing we need is an N95 mandate for kids (if that was even possible). I also believe that even if mask mandates in schools did actually reduce the spread (and so far the evidence for that is very weak), it would still not justify a mandate, given how low the risk of Covid is to children, and to adults as well given the availability of vaccines and treatments, and given that one-way masking does work. But aside from that, I would like to see a high-quality study done in the US that determines what the effect size is if there is any.

Well, its officially too late if it hasn't happened already.

[Anonymous]

Ger your kid vaccinated, and lets all just move on. Our family just had COVID as have most of the families we know in the last 4 months. Its a minor cold. Are kids going to start wearing masks full time forever to avoid a cold?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ger your kid vaccinated, and lets all just move on. Our family just had COVID as have most of the families we know in the last 4 months. Its a minor cold. Are kids going to start wearing masks full time forever to avoid a cold?

This. It's insane that we're back to masking mandates. This is why I opted out of asymptomatic testing for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ger your kid vaccinated, and lets all just move on. Our family just had COVID as have most of the families we know in the last 4 months. Its a minor cold. Are kids going to start wearing masks full time forever to avoid a cold?

Minor cold or not, Covid still means your kid stays home and misses 5-10 school days and I miss work. Or if their teacher gets sick, the kid has a week with the PE teacher as a substitute.

But you’re right, it’s just a minor cold! Who cares???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the DC Schools Data, it doesn't seem like dropping the school mask mandate is the cause for the rise in cases. There is no discernible difference between DCPS schools (no mandate) and charters that are still requiring masks. In fact, Capital City, which still has a mandate, has almost as many cases as Wilson, despite having much fewer students.

So here is our real-life, "observational study" with control group, right here in DC, confirming the recent, formal studies out of Spain and Finland. Mask mandates in schools don't work. (Which doesn't mean that protecting yourself with a tightly fitted N95 doesn't work.)

Or am I reading the data wrong?

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/dc-schools-data

How can you tell though - since the mask mandate only was removed a few months ago.

The CDC says that by February 80 percent of kids in DC already had coronavirus. So apparently the mask mandate didnt accomplish much.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_dc&stream=top#national-lab

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the DC Schools Data, it doesn't seem like dropping the school mask mandate is the cause for the rise in cases. There is no discernible difference between DCPS schools (no mandate) and charters that are still requiring masks. In fact, Capital City, which still has a mandate, has almost as many cases as Wilson, despite having much fewer students.

So here is our real-life, "observational study" with control group, right here in DC, confirming the recent, formal studies out of Spain and Finland. Mask mandates in schools don't work. (Which doesn't mean that protecting yourself with a tightly fitted N95 doesn't work.)

Or am I reading the data wrong?

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/dc-schools-data

How can you tell though - since the mask mandate only was removed a few months ago.

The CDC says that by February 80 percent of kids in DC already had coronavirus. So apparently the mask mandate didnt accomplish much.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_dc&stream=top#national-lab

Sure, because it's 100% guaranteed that every last one of them got COVID during a masked encounter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the DC Schools Data, it doesn't seem like dropping the school mask mandate is the cause for the rise in cases. There is no discernible difference between DCPS schools (no mandate) and charters that are still requiring masks. In fact, Capital City, which still has a mandate, has almost as many cases as Wilson, despite having much fewer students.

So here is our real-life, "observational study" with control group, right here in DC, confirming the recent, formal studies out of Spain and Finland. Mask mandates in schools don't work. (Which doesn't mean that protecting yourself with a tightly fitted N95 doesn't work.)

Or am I reading the data wrong?

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/dc-schools-data

How can you tell though - since the mask mandate only was removed a few months ago.

The CDC says that by February 80 percent of kids in DC already had coronavirus. So apparently the mask mandate didnt accomplish much.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_dc&stream=top#national-lab

There is NO WAY that figure is accurate. Especially as our data in DC is crap.

[Anonymous]

My super-risk averse family avoided COVID until DCPS dropped the mask mandate, so in my opinion the mask mandate worked!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ger your kid vaccinated, and lets all just move on. Our family just had COVID as have most of the families we know in the last 4 months. Its a minor cold. Are kids going to start wearing masks full time forever to avoid a cold?

When your family had COVID, how much work and school was missed? How many times a year do you want to do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the DC Schools Data, it doesn't seem like dropping the school mask mandate is the cause for the rise in cases. There is no discernible difference between DCPS schools (no mandate) and charters that are still requiring masks. In fact, Capital City, which still has a mandate, has almost as many cases as Wilson, despite having much fewer students.

So here is our real-life, "observational study" with control group, right here in DC, confirming the recent, formal studies out of Spain and Finland. Mask mandates in schools don't work. (Which doesn't mean that protecting yourself with a tightly fitted N95 doesn't work.)

Or am I reading the data wrong?

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/dc-schools-data

How can you tell though - since the mask mandate only was removed a few months ago.

The CDC says that by February 80 percent of kids in DC already had coronavirus. So apparently the mask mandate didnt accomplish much.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_dc&stream=top#national-lab

There is NO WAY that figure is accurate. Especially as our data in DC is crap.

Actually, it's *far* better data than D.C. has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My super-risk averse family avoided COVID until DCPS dropped the mask mandate, so in my opinion the mask mandate worked!

Talk about relying on anecdotes.