#16,213
Long before COVID became a blip on the world's radar screen I was writing about how face masks - both homemade and commercially manufactured - would likely become an integral part in society's fight against the next serious pandemic. A few (of many) examples over the years include:- In the mid-2000's the CDC’s Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases offered plans for making a simple homemade reusable mask made out of Tee-shirt material (see 2009's The Man In The Ironed Mask).
- Another study, which appeared in PLoS One in 2008 (see What Everyone Will Be Wearing During The Next Pandemic Flu Season), found that homemade masks – while not as effective as N95s – could offer some degree of protection against viral infection.
- And in 2014, in MERS: Are Two Surgical Masks Better Than One?, we looked at the available evidence on the practice of doubling up surgical masks for better protection.
- In Asia, where influenza rates are surprisingly low given how densely packed many of their cities are, mask wearing during the winter respiratory season is highly encouraged and largely adopted (see 2019's HK CDW: Surgical Masks For Respiratory Protection).
While we've discussed past government and public health agency reservations in recommending facemasks in a pandemic over the years, I confess I never anticipated the public backlash against the simplest, and least invasive, protective measure against COVID (or any other respiratory) infection.
While masks don't offer complete protection against COVID, the anti-mask propaganda machine on the internet often portrays them as being completely ineffectual - and potentially dangerous - to the user. And nothing could be further from the truth.
We've seen numerous studies (see here, here, and here) showing that, when properly worn (and not as a `chin diaper'), well constructed (3-ply cloth, surgical, or N95) masks can substantially lower your risk of infection.
And while they may not always be comfortable (particularly in the summer heat), or convenient, there is no evidence that wearing a mask endangers an adult, adolescent, or child's (> 2 yrs) health.
While it probably won't convince anyone who is adamantly anti-mask, yesterday the CDC's MMWR published 3 new studies on the effectiveness of mask mandates in schools in reducing outbreaks of COVID.
First, the CDC's summary of these findings (with links to each article), after which I'll return with a postscript.
Studies Show More COVID-19 Cases in Areas Without School Masking Policies
For Immediate Release: Friday, September 24, 2021
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
Today, CDC released three studies in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that highlight the importance of using layered prevention strategies including universal masking to stop the spread and minimize disruptions to school operations for safe in-person education. These studies found that school districts without a universal masking policy in place were more likely to have COVID-19 outbreaks. Nationwide, counties without masking requirements saw the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases increase nearly twice as quickly during this same period.
One report from Arizona revealed that schools in two of the state’s most populous counties were 3.5 times more likely to have COVID-19 outbreaks if they did not have a mask requirement at the start of school compared with schools that required universal masking on day one. Universal masking is an important component in the recommended layered prevention strategy for schools, and this study continues to demonstrate that facemasks when used as part of the larger strategy can reduce spread of COVID-19 and prevent outbreaks in schools.
Another report found that during the two weeks following the start of school, the average change in pediatric COVID-19 case rates was lower among counties with school mask requirements (16.32 per 100,000/day) compared with counties without school mask requirements (34.85 cases per 100,000/day). This highlights the impact that universal masking policies can have on the communities that surround these school districts, as the impact of the policies can reduce the burden on the health care systems that support these school districts.
A third report studied COVID-19-related school closures and found that despite an estimated 1,801 school closures so far this school year, 96% of public schools have been able to remain open for full in-person learning. The continued focus on providing students with a safe environment for in-person learning is one of the main priorities for CDC’s guidance, and can be best achieved by following a layered prevention strategy.
These studies continue to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of CDC’s Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools to help districts ensure safer in-person learning and stop the spread of COVID-19. Promoting vaccination of eligible persons, mask wearing, and screening testing are all proven methods to continue to work towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even as fall and winter respiratory viruses have begun to enter the mix (see UK: `Worst Cold Ever' Trending On Social Media), and many local hospitals and EMS services are slammed with COVID cases, I'm seeing fewer and fewer people wearing face masks out in public here in central Florida.
While pandemic modelers have recently forecast a downturn in COVID cases over the winter, their track record to date hasn't been exactly stellar, and no guarantees are offered.
The possible return of influenza - aided, and abetted by a dearth of face mask wearing - could complicate matters considerably. As we've discussed previously (see Cureus: A Case Series of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Co-infection), as bad as COVID is, you don't want to have it and influenza at the same time.
While I suspect it is going to fall on many deaf ears, this fall and winter is the time we ought to be doubling down on both COVID and Flu vaccines - and NPIs like face masks - if we want to have the best chance of ending this nearly 2-year-long pandemic.
