Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My preschooler had very few illnesses between spring 2020 and spring 2021. In summer of 2021, the constant colds started coming back. Fall of 2022 was a nightmare as it was not just colds but also RSV which got us all really sick. 2023 was much better. We pretty much got through September through February unscathed.

Two factors that had absolutely no impact as these periods of illness were not remotely correlated with these policies being taken away?:

- Masking requirements in daycare
- Quarantine or isolation requirements recommended by CDC and implemented by daycare

how old were the kids? were they all unmasking to eat snack, lunch and then nap 2 hours? if so, then yes masks won't do much

Kids are in one spot when they eat snack, lunch and nap. So, yes the kid who is closest to a contagious kid will be exposed. But it's different from free play or circle time when kids are circulating and interacting with one another.

No one ever claimed that masking eliminates transmission. It reduced it, and when there is transmission it reduced viral loads.

My DC was diagnosed with asthma recently and I asked the pulmonologist at Children's National if DC could have lung damage from COVID. He said the increased incidence in pulmonary illnesses (RSV, pneumonia, etc.) are caused by increased virulence of those germs due to something related to the pandemic (I don't remember if he said what exactly), not because of lower lung function or immunity from the people getting sick. He also said the timing of the asthma diagnosis was coincidence and would have happened with or without COVID. No clue if there's research to support that, but a pulmonologist at Children's seems like a reliable source to me.

So no, I don't begrudge a teacher with limited leave returning to school. It would be great if they wore a KN95 when they came back, but I also know they were already in the classroom during their most contagiousness, so it is what it is.

They want us afraid; that's what opens us up to further illness. No need to fear!