Thread by @HuffmanLabDU

Really important for students, parents, & educators to understand current COVID risks -- especially for all unvaxxed individuals (incl. kids <12 yrs).

#Masks, #ventilation *still* critical components.

Interview w/ @DrLeanaWen & thread w/ some quotes 👇.
us.cnn.com/2021/07/15/hea…

"Here's where the layered mitigation strategy is so important. Think of it like wearing layers. If it's not very cold outside, having 1 or 2 layers of protection is enough. If it's very cold, you need multiple layers. If you remove one layer, you could replace it with another"

"... other mitigation measures, too, such as an investment in improved #ventilation using federal Covid relief funds & keeping students at home when they are having any possible symptoms of Covid-19. All ... added together will substantially reduce transmission risk in schools."

"If the vax rate in a community is very high & the level of coronavirus is very low, it's conceivable that indoor masking no longer needs to be enforced. However, we are not there yet as a country, & that's why the CDC is saying that masks are required indoors for unvaxxed ..."

"The Delta variant is the most contagious variant we have seen, which may mean that unvaxxed children are more likely to transmit and to get infected with this variant than before. It's not clear that children become more ill ..."

"if few others are going to wear masks, you should consider whether your child could still do it. If they can, it would still protect them, but it's possible that peer pressure is such that they might not keep their mask on. In that case ..."

"... you should be asking about what other mitigation measures are in place. If there are -- say, the schools have improved ventilation, and they also implement once- or ideally twice-weekly testing for unvaccinated students and teachers -- I'd feel better"

This discusses the recent #CDC guidance more directly, with some additional opinions and analysis linked in the brief thread.

https://twitter.com/HuffmanLabDU/status/1414679382170472453

This was a similar conversation with @DrLeanaWen about #masks from last week, focused on when, where, why to wear them at this stage in the pandemic.

https://twitter.com/HuffmanLabDU/status/1414587982472826883