Masking Approaches in Healthcare Should Be Reconsidered, Experts Say
Healthcare facilities should reconsider their approaches to masking, a group of public health experts argued. “As health care systems navigate this next phase of the pandemic, different approaches could be considered that place patient safety first and integrate masking as part of routine health care policies,” wrote Eric Chow, MD, MPH, of the University of […]
ID Experts Urge Healthcare to Shed Universal Masking
The time for COVID-inspired universal masking in healthcare “has come and gone,” even if only for now, infectious disease specialists argued in Annals of Internal Medicine. Expanded use of facemasks — for clinicians, staff, patients, and visitors — was implemented as a “critical protective measure” during the pandemic, but it was done so in the […]
Experts Clash Over Masking Kids in Schools During House Hearing
Expert witnesses offered conflicting perspectives on whether masking children in schools prevents transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during a hearing of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Wednesday. Several Republican committee members said that protecting children from the virus has had unintended consequences for their overall well-being. Cathy […]
The Unvaxxed and a History of Cynicism
The vitriol that characterizes discussions about vaccines, masking, and school policies has been deeply disturbing. I am a physician who is concerned about COVID. At first, I thought that everyone would want to be vaccinated. I thought that the pandemic would cause everyone to isolate and socially distance to protect themselves, their families, and their […]
Masks Limited COVID Transmission in Unvaxxed College Kids
Masking worked, along with fewer exposure encounters, to help limit the incidence of COVID-19 infection among largely unvaccinated university students in Missouri, researchers found. Among nearly 400 close contacts of students who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of a positive test result was more than five times higher in situations where at least one […]