Yes, America — it’s that time of year, again. Making Christmas lists, decorating the house with holiday cheer, and watching the anticipation grow on the faces of the little ones as Santa’s arrival draws near. Oh, and dusting off the COVID masks, and firing those bad boys up, again.
What’s that you say? Bah, humbug!?
Au contraire, according to the never-wrong, always-right Centers for Disease Control. CDC Director Mandy Cohen released a video on Wednesday recommending masking this winter for those who are sick, or prone to getting sick, and who want to take extra precautions amid rising respiratory illnesses.
People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public.
Cohen said respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases are “elevated” this season, with COVID and pneumonia cases especially on the rise.
Virus season is here! Hear the latest. https://t.co/4jNWBWWzzl pic.twitter.com/RkMVttAygw
— Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) December 6, 2023
So, you in or you out?
To be sure, I’m neither offering medical advice nor suggesting that those needing to take necessary precautions should ignore the CDC’s latest masking recommendation. That said, medical opinions on the efficacy of over-the-counter masks preventing or lessening the effects of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, are all over the map. Several examples:
- The surgical mask is a bad fit for risk reduction
- No, That New Study Doesn’t Show that Masks Are Useless
- Face masks made ‘little to no difference’ in preventing spread of COVID: study
- Don’t believe those who claim science proves masks don’t work
- A major new study shows that masks don’t stop the spread of COVID. Will the mandaters apologize?
See what I mean?
Here’s more:
There has been a 1.2 percent increase in Covid test positivity in the most recent week, and a 10 percent increase in hospital admissions, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that people take additional precautions to protect themselves against viruses, like getting the Covid vaccine, the flu vaccine, and the RSV vaccine for those over the age of 60.
Cohen said other layers of protection include washing your hands, improving ventilation, and wearing a mask.
Masking recommendations eased up over the summer, but the CDC seems to be tightening guidance on mask wearing this winter as viruses spread.
Yeah, I’m gonna sit this one out. Just like I sat out every other masking recommendation or mandate I could get away with. But, hey — to each his or her own, right?
