APS parent and doctor on masks
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
I agree that these masks are in ample supply and that's a very good thing. You should feel very protected if you're vaccinated and wearing an n95. Let the rest of us get some normalcy while we can. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/01/yes-more-variants-may-emerge-future-thats-why-we-should-lift-restrictions-now/ As the omicron blizzard recedes, and as more Americans itch for pandemic restrictions to be lifted, a vocal segment of the country is pleading for caution. As with omicron, they argue, the possibility of an unforeseen variant remains a serious threat. They’re right; new and possibly dangerous variants are likely to emerge. But it is precisely because of this future threat that we need to allow normalcy now. Many areas are already seeing a steep decline in infections. New York City’s case numbers are about seven times lower than just three weeks ago, and hospitalizations are down. Others in the throes of the omicron wave are expected to emerge by the end of February. A new sub-variant — the so-called stealth omicron — could complicate recovery due its heightened contagiousness, but vaccinated and boosted people still appear to be protected. Between the vaccinated and those with at least temporary immunity due to recent infection, we should have enough population immunity to experience a lull in the coming months. So while the much-hyped “hot vax summer” of 2021 famously did not materialize, thanks to the delta variant, maybe this time we can enjoy a "hot vax spring.” Sign up for The Checkup With Dr. Wen, a newsletter on how to navigate the pandemic and other public health challenges That would mean, in areas where hospitalizations are declining, the rapid removal of restrictions with the understanding that they may need to come back if new threats emerge. Doing so could give weary Americans much-needed respite while also preserving public health authority for when it’s needed again. The most important step is to have a quick off-ramp for masking. While many people do not see masking as a major inconvenience, plenty see it as a symbol of the pandemic. Mandatory masking, especially in schools, has engendered major opposition, and a reasoned conversation about when to lift mask requirements is overdue. There are two approaches here. One is gradual and based on case numbers and test positivity. Communities can identify two thresholds for transmission. At the higher level, there should be two out of three protective measures: vaccines, testing or masking. Workplaces and schools that require vaccines and that have regular testing can already do away with masks. At the lower level, one out of three is enough, such that vaccines or testing alone can replace the need for masks. Another approach, which I am beginning to favor, is to state that every person 5 and older can be vaccinated, and high-quality masks can protect individuals well. Therefore, masks can be optional, not required, even at high rates of community transmission. The threshold for re-implementing indoor masking would shift from case numbers to hospital capacity. (Of course, masking could also return if a deadlier variant arises that evades prior immunity.) Your questions about covid-19, answered by Dr. Wen Along with mandatory masking, other precautions should also go, including venue capacity limits and pre-departure testing for international travel. The one pandemic restriction I wouldn’t change is the vaccine requirement. In fact, I’d encourage municipalities, businesses and the federal government to embrace it even more. That’s because the single biggest threat to resuming pre-pandemic normal is the strain on our health-care system. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that unvaccinated people ages 65 and up are 52 times more likely to be hospitalized from covid-19 than those who are vaccinated and boosted. For those between ages 50 and 64, the difference is 46 times. Another analysis found that nearly half of coronavirus hospitalizations this winter could have been prevented if the United States had comparable vaccination rates to leading European countries. So keep vaccine requirements and drop everything else. The vaccinated, who have done everything right, should not have any restrictions placed on them; it’s not fair to them and it disincentivizes vaccination. Since last May, I’ve argued that reopening should be tied to vaccination. We lost that opportunity then but have a new one. Provide proof of vaccination, and you don’t need to mask, quarantine when exposed or test before traveling. There would be little preventing you from returning to pre-pandemic life. You could still contract covid-19 — there’s no such thing as zero risk, including from long covid. But your symptoms will likely be mild and similar to a bad cold. To be sure, I am not advising that we throw all caution out the window. There will be many who cannot let their guard down, including the immunocompromised and parents of young children. Officials will still choose to be careful and voluntarily limit their activities. The Biden administration needs to speed up anti-viral treatments and expedite authorization of pediatric vaccines. They should closely monitor when additional boosters are needed and provide free testing and high-quality masks to those who want them. But it’s time to allow — even encourage — most Americans to enjoy their “hot vax spring.” An effective public health response depends on knowing when to end a state of emergency. Vaccinated people should enjoy the months ahead and appreciate this period of relative calm while we can, before another variant threatens to upend our lives again. |
Anonymous
| At this point everyone is aware of people who have caught covid from an unmasked social gathering, maybe a sleepover or a family dinner, etc. I'm not aware of any trend--even in the time of omicron--of one positive classroom case turning into 3-5 cases in APS. It just isn't happening and that seems to be because of masks. |
Anonymous
THE SAME IS TRUE IN SCHOOLS WITHOUT MASKS! There are lots of schools open around the country and world and now the state and there is limited spread in classrooms. We are now vaccinated and Omicron is generally mild (especially for kids!). Not all kids are doing well masks. Your kid can wear an n95 and have significant protection. I'm starting to feel that this is about FOMO and parents are worried their kids won't want to keep wearing masks if other kids start to opt-out. Shouldn't be an issue if you're kids enjoy wearing a mask! Oh, you're worried they will be peer pressured to remove their mask......sort of like how all the kids are pressured to not complain about wearing them now, huh? |
Anonymous
Your feeling that it is because of masks isn’t enough to justify the statue quo. It could be because of our highly vaccinated community, improved ventilation in schools, stricter enforcement of sick kids staying home, etc. |
Anonymous
Doesn't matter. They are completely irrational. Don't worry, nut jobs. Masks will come off in the spring - after CDC changes guidelines. |
Anonymous
Sounds like her DH is military and they have been all over - mostly recently he was posted at the Pentagon. Military + 4 kids? Not your average Arlington mom. |
Anonymous
+1 Vaccinated staff/students should be able to opt-out of the mask mandates. |
Anonymous
It's coming. Numbers are coming down. CDC will probably change guidelines in the next month or two. |
Anonymous
Do we really think the school board is going to make masks option even when the CDC changes guidelines? i think not. |
Anonymous
We can address that issue then. Right now we are just coming off historically high case peaks, and this flavor of COVID, while mild for the vaccinated, is still deadly serious for those who are not, and those people aren’t all out of the hospital yet. Let’s give ourselves a little breathing room before we ramp back up, hmm? |
Anonymous
Interesting, at least it’s not an obvious astroturfer, although it’s possibly Youngkin’s team is catching on after their last high profile failure with the wife of Trump’s OMB guy. But It does kind of remind me of the nurses that refuse to get vaxxed because of fertility concerns. People assume they have some sort of special information or training that they do not have. An adult internist would not have special information regarding pediatric COVID, mask efficacy, or epidemiology. They are reading scientific articles same as you and me. |
Anonymous
So you are saying the school board would not trust the CDC but instead insist that they actually know more about this than the CDC. Yep, sounds about right. |
Anonymous
I think the anti-mask movement has been hamstrung by the fact that they started in the middle of the omicron surge. Our family relaxed masks last summer during the lull before delta; it felt tone deaf to me to see APE members arguing against masks when the entire country was in a surge. It’s great if you’re vaccinated and not worried, but if the unvaxed are taking up health care resources, what happens if you need heart surgery. Or cancer surgery. If they had waited until now to start, I think it would have been better received. Similarly, why are parents dictating school policy? If the message came from health care workers, ie hospital workers, not random “mom and internist”- or from teachers, I would be more supportive. I realize this is Arlington we’re talking about but really, parents need to stay in their lane. |
Anonymous
She is affiliated with the VA state IG office? It’s unclear whether that’s an appointment or what exactly her role is )why does the IG need a doctor?) |
Anonymous
Exactly. |