<
https://time.com/6231516/universal-masking-in-school-works-new-data-shows-how-well/>
"In many schools across the U.S.—consistent with trends across the country—the
only masks that have been seen recently were those on Halloween costumes. Mask
requirements generally went by the wayside in the spring of 2022, when the
first Omicron wave subsided and the CDC modified its recommendations around
masking, replacing universal masking with masking triggered by high case and
hospitalization rates. Since that time, even when masking has been recommended
by the CDC given a high Community Levels category, schools and other indoor
facilities have rarely reinstated the requirement. Sustaining kids’ health and
learning is foremost on parents’ and educators’ minds. But clearly a persistent
central question has been the simple one: Do universal school masking
requirements actually work?
A new study in the
New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light on this
question. The authors examined COVID-19 case rates in districts in the Boston
area after the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
(DESE) lifted statewide school masking requirements in February 2022, in
accordance with CDC guidance. What followed was a natural experiment in the
impact of mask requirements, as school districts removed the requirement at
different points in time or not at all. Two school districts (Boston and nearby
Chelsea) retained the requirement throughout the study period.
The authors found that COVID-19 rates were similar among districts before the
mask requirement was rescinded, then diverged quickly, with higher case rates
in districts immediately following the removal of the mask requirement.
Approximately 12,000 cases, or 30% of all cases during the study period, were
attributable to rescinding the mask requirement. The resulting illnesses led to
substantial loss of in-person school days— an estimated minimum of 17,500 days
of school absence in students and 6,500 days of staff absence—arguing for masks
as a critical component of optimizing learning."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: November 10, 2022
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-74473054
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
