Thread by @LazarusLong13

This is a 🧵 that cuts through this CDC school guidance like the thread used in Netflix show "The Three Body Problem."

Their guidance will cut down the kids just like were cut down in the show.

Let's start with their tweet. It provides a framework to evaluate their actions against their words.

- preventing spread of infectious diseases.
-benefiting ALL students.
-maximize school attendance.

Let's start with preventing spread.

The single most efficacious way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is wearing respirators, as they stop both near and far field aerosols.

Are they mentioned in the intro page linked to? No. Masks are, but are buried.

People are logical.
cdc.gov/media/releases…

They do the bullet points first.

Masking is not even in the bullet point sections.

PPE is in the 2nd group- for staff taking care of sick kids. Of course, this ignores the 58% presymptomatic transmission rate for SARS2, 38% for influenza.

Masks for kids are buried in the

"If illness activity is elevated, schools can consider implementing additional strategies"

section. Look at the action words...

Schools CAN CONSIDER implementing additional strategies.

Whoa! Your principal will be RUNNING to implement mask mandates. (Not mentioned).

"These additional strategies depend on several considerations, but include actions such as:"

What considerations? This is just such bad public health writing.

You don't say "there are several things" - and then not actually talk about those things.

Wearing masks are included with increasing space and distance between students and cohorts.

Really? The ONLY time that has been used in the US was during pandemics. (This does not include whole school closure for temporary outbreaks).

So, prima facie, the most effective NPI (NonPharmaceutical Intervention) is only listed in the pandemic section. And not even an effective version, masks, or the fact that mask mandates are necessary for wide uptake.

Especially in schools which are EVEN MORE subject to peer

pressure than adult society. (Mandates work by removing peer pressure).

But hey!

You can applaud the CDC because they actually mentioned the word masks.

✅ Everyone applaud the CDC for dropping the word into a page

You can. Not me.

Let's move on. Maybe it gets better?

Intro page here, but let's look at the quick (the fact) sheet



"Fact Sheet: Help Your Child’s School Prevent the Spread of Infections"



No masks found. Not in the pics.... cdc.gov/orr/school-pre…
cdc.gov/orr/school-pre…

Not in the words

Instead it is respiratory etiquette, which....

does not work.

Do little fingers magically stop aerosols from spurting from between them?

No. Neither do elbows.

And we DO NOT USE RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE when WE BREATHE.

The @CDCgov is being so STUPID on this point.

In between the coughs? We all

still breathe. And we breathe about 11,000 liters of air every day.

A cough is about 2.3 liters of air. That is 5,000 coughs per day for respiratory etiquette to be used - if it actually worked, which it doesn't.

RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE DOES NOT PREVENT OR SLOW TRANSMISSION.

But it is part of their main page to prevent or control the spread of infection.

cdc.gov/orr/school-pre…

As is Handwashing and Cleaning, Sanitizing.

Let me ask you a poll on this topic

Do we magically ooze viruses through our skin?

WHERE DO PATHOGENS PRIMARILY COME FROM?

Our mouth, nose, and anal orifices.

The anal orifice is covered by underwear and pants. A cloth mask.

The mouth and nose are not covered.

So, AFTER you wash and clean? Guess what gets dirty again from the uncovered mouth and nose?

Taking Steps for Cleaner Air leads off that page. Great. But masks should lead it off.

Oh SACRED BLEU! How dare I say that?

Ever hear of a hospital? Yeah, they have GREAT ventilation and filtration.

And they are still infecting lots of folks.

In fact, when you

take the same hospital and put in place universal masking? Infection rates go down.

And this is part and parcel of what the CDC recommends for all of our hospitals.

But not for our schools, WHICH HAVE WORSE VENTILATION.

(Vaccinations also on this page...good ).

Let's jump to the actual page with masks. Sorry, the Additional Strategies page.

Mandates are not mentioned. Despite that being one of the CORE lessons we have all learned is crucial.

Back when Biden first began to demask America?

cdc.gov/orr/school-pre…

Masks had 84% or so support. But 84% of America sure wasn't masking.

👇 Masks recommended - as only an antimasker could recommend them.

Kids don't wear N95s in general. So, next best- KN95s? The counterfeited KN95s from Amazon?

You would think the CDC would mention KF94s,

from Korea with their much better regulatory process.

And most of all ? Why not mention elastomeric respirators for kids?

DISPOSABLE RESPIRATORS (N95, KF94, KN95) LOSE FIT!

Sure, @flo_mask is the best game in town for elastos in town, but at least mention the genre.

I assume someone from the @CDCgov reads the NYTimes?

web.archive.org/web/2024012403…

The CDC goes on to recommend possibly adding masking to anti-bullying programs - acknowledging the issue with not having mask mandates. While not mentioning the word.

And a bit later, they point out that immunocompromised children should not be segregated...while ignoring the

fact that not having all in masks? Segregates those in masks.

These CDC guidelines are a touch better than what they had before, but it not only continues to hurt the kids? But the CDC and public health.

/Continued...

Which brings us to maximizing school attendance.

THE NEW CDC GUIDELINES WILL NOT MAXIMIZE ATTENDANCE, and hurt the public's view of the CDC.

That's right - the CDC is hurting public health. Hurting themselves. Hurting the kids. Hurting America.

With this guidance.

/Cont

I will say /fin when done.

Will infectious disease transmission be reduced by the new guidance?

Well, they already had handwashing, cleaning, sanitizing, formally before.

Ventilation was already there before, informally, thanks to Covid.

And infectious disease transmission

has only gone up since the end of public health emergency.

RSV, influenza, etc.

The Zeitgeist has Americans feeling constantly infected. Reddit, Facebook, x/Twitter, etc .

And this new guidance was already in place.

Let's take a simple example, "Jack and Diane".

They see the CDC guidelines. They think, "Yay! The CDC is stepping in to help keep Burt and Ernie from being sick nonstop."

But Burt and Ernie keep getting infected because nothing amhas actually changed since the end of the PHE.

Will Jack and Diane look favorably upon

public health? Or are they more likely to think, "Hey - maybe it IS the vaccines making our kids sick."

Because they already knew their kids school HVAC had been improved.

It is truly ironic that the CDC continues to hurt public health.

While trying to help public health.

If you enjoyed this thread, please give it a retweet.

@adelbrown - ask and ye shall receive.

I almost forgot to close out on the maximize attendance point.

The CDC is "trying" to maximize attendance. This ostensibly is to be done by preventing the spread of the flu, norovirus, strep throat.

Interestingly, covid not mentioned there.

And even more interesting?

All of those are airborne. But as Covid has shown, near field aerosol dominates transmission of airborne diseases.

The CDC is putting fomite and far field aerosol strategies at play.

MASKING is the THE near field aerosol NPI, and is shoved into the back of the closet.

(Note: far field improvements will result in small improvements in near field. Distancing as listed in Alternative strategies is also a near field aerosol NPI)

By ignoring the PRIMARY form of transmission in their HIGHLIGHTED NPIs?

The CDC WILL NOT MAXIMIZE ATTENDANCE.