Thread by @CathJSweeney

We're hearing from the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition. We're starting with an update on CDC recommendations from Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

Monks: The CDC is now recommending masks outside if you can't distance. Also, you should wear them within your own home if someone does have COVID in the home. Masks protect the wearer as well as the people around them.

Monks: About 1.9 million people live in a jurisdiction with a face mask mandate. That's about half the state.

Aaron Wendelboe, Ph.D., epidemiologist and professor at the OU College of Public Health: Covid has become the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Oklahoma's infection rates continue to show a steep increase. We're expecting a peak of hospitalizations in January.

Wendelboe: With mitigation efforts, we could prevent 10 deaths a day, or about 200 between now and the end of the year. We can bend the curve until the vaccine is here.

Wendelboe: We need to track where the disease is spreading and be nimble. "We're not talking about shutting down the economy." We're talking about focused mitigation efforts.

Dwight Sublett, M.D., president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics: We've got two vaccines that are ready to go. They were vetted so well. There were about 74,000 people involved in the trials. "That's good stuff."

Sublett: There are some side effects. Pain at the site of the vaccination, some fatigue that might make people need to stay home. "This is not Covid that you're experiencing. This is a reaction; your body is making antibodies."

Sublett: "The vaccine does not contain in any shape or form... live virus... You're not going to get covid from taking the vaccine."

Sublett: In terms of in-school quarantine, I have come out against the use of quarantine room. There are several reasons. "No other state has even looked at this at this point. It does not follow CDC guidelines at all."

Sublett: "This really is not a step forward and has some risk involved with it." We do need kids in school. Following current CDC guidelines is the best way to do that.

Sam Ratermann, M.D., president-elect of the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians: I've been treating covid since the pandemic began. "I've personally seen how severe and how deadly this disease can be."

Ratermann: Our hospital system have never been this overwhelmed. I've personally seen patients suffer at the lack of specialty care availability. People are waiting in the ER for 16 hours, a day, two days waiting for care.

Dr. Jean Hausheer, past president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association and leader of the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition COVID-19 Task Force: There's a vocal minority of people who have chosen misinformation over science. "It's essential that we keep politics out of science."

Hausheer: While we all want our economy and schools to stay open, we all want to protect our families and community from the pandemic.

Ratermann on whether masks other than N95s etc work: We use paper surgical masks, and we are not seeing spread to staff.
Sublett: There is a 70-80 percent decrease in spread when everyone around you is wearing a mask.

Ok I'm hopping off for another call.