This isn't the time to raise masks necessities for California school rooms.
No, we’re not there but.
For the previous few weeks, Californians have been witnessing a politically fueled nationwide push to raise masks mandates not solely in crimson states but additionally in blue ones. Maybe most annoying is the misguided insistence by some on abandoning masks in our kids’s school rooms, which solely exacerbates an already difficult effort to maintain colleges open.
The talk amongst public well being consultants is just not over whether or not to raise indoor masks mandates, however when. The info point out that, regardless of the political push, now could be a time to point out persistence — to maintain sporting masks in public indoor areas.
“Each time after a surge we are inclined to loosen up a bit of too quickly, so we depart ourselves at the next stage of circumstances than earlier than the surge began, and we maintain constructing on that,” says Dr. John Swartzberg, a medical professor emeritus at UC Berkeley’s College of Public Well being. “And I see the identical factor occurring proper now with omicron.”
We’ve repeatedly seen that untimely rush to loosen restrictions from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose lifting of indoor masks mandates for vaccinated folks in public areas takes impact at present. Fortuitously, some native jurisdictions, reminiscent of Santa Clara County, the place well being officers are exercising cheap warning, are conserving masks mandates in place for everybody.
Regardless of the political push, the information present the frenzy to ditch masks is untimely. Omicron hospitalization charges in California are nonetheless 17% greater than throughout the peak of the delta period. Deaths are 37% better.
Whereas California is witnessing a steep drop within the variety of COVID circumstances from the unprecedented omicron peak final month of 735,000 circumstances in only one week, the most recent weekly counts are nonetheless 2½ instances as nice as throughout the delta surge and are on par with the height of final winter’s onslaught.
The present case numbers are undoubtedly undercounts due to the ramp-up of unreported house testing. However, the trendline is pointing in the correct course. However we’ve acquired a big strategy to go earlier than we must be easing up.
And there’s no assure the downward pattern will proceed. As examples, think about the leveling off of circumstances in South Africa and the United Kingdom, the place omicron surges hit earlier than the US. They skilled sharp declines in case counts after the height, however then noticed that abruptly finish.
In the meantime, in California, 4 UCSF docs are conducting a misguided push to return to pre-COVID regular in school rooms by dropping masks necessities for teenagers. It’s mind-boggling. And it has created a break up on the prestigious medical educating facility, with a number of the high UCSF consultants pushing again, saying such a transfer is untimely.
“In comparison with sending all people house each time there’s a case, masks are a a lot much less intrusive form of intervention,” says Dr. George Rutherford, UCSF professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Our high two defenses towards the coronavirus stay vaccinations and masks. Solely 65% of California youngsters ages 12-17 are vaccinated, and solely 29% are vaccinated and boosted. As for teenagers ages 5-11, solely 28% are vaccinated.
That leaves masking for about half the state’s Okay-12 college students as the first protection towards the unfold of the virus. This at a time when, for causes that aren't totally understood but, youngsters make up a bigger share of COVID-19 hospitalizations than at another time of the pandemic.
For now, Newsom and his well being secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, have postponed a call on faculty masking till Feb. 28. For the sake of our children, their academics and their households, let’s hope that the governor and Ghaly present extra resistance to political stress on faculty safeguards than they did when prematurely lifting indoor masking for the overall inhabitants.