Thread by @kidsunmasked

MASKS FOREVER! The CDC's Failure to Understand Children - a 🧵 in stupidity:

According to the @CDCgov:
1. Delta is as infectious as chicken pox😬
2. Vaxed may be as infectious as unvaxed, 😬😬
3. Therefore...masks??? are the only solution. 😷🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

1/15
washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07…

The leaked CDC doc says "the war has changed."

No, the war IS OVER.

It was over on May 1 when anyone at risk* from COVID had access to a vaccine that prevents severe disease and death. COVID became the flu, and life should have returned to normal.
2/15
whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

*We say anyone "at risk" from COVID because children are not eligible for the vaccine, but are also not at risk. In fact, their risk is lower than that of a vaccinated adult...
3/15

https://twitter.com/JenniferSey/status/1421216472010010632?s=20

...or to put it another way, are at no greater risk than the flu, which killed ~600 kids in 2017-18 and ~434 in 2019-20 with millions fewer infections.

(~332 kids have died from C19 in 18 months, out of 26M infections)

4/15
cdc.gov/flu/spotlights…
cdc.gov/flu/about/burd…

Delta has not changed their risk, as the incidence of COVID in school age kids the UK remained low, where kids have been in school all during Delta WITHOUT MASKS *gasp* OR VACCINES for 12-17!
5/15

https://twitter.com/apsmunro/status/1418550657854939140?s=20

And just like their incredibly low mortality risk, their risk of "long covid" is minimal as well.

In fact, the number of kids hospitalized "for COVID" may be vastly overcounted.
6/15
nymag.com/intelligencer/…

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/2…

So what is the CDC still "at war" with? The only reason to continue fighting a "defanged" virus would be if you intend to "eradicate COVID," which no legitimate epidemiologist believes is possible.

7/15
washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07…

The question then becomes: "to what end are we wearing masks for?"

Once the virus was "defanged," there is no longer any reason for anyone to wear a mask.

8/15
usnews.com/news/health-ne…

https://twitter.com/MonicaGandhi9/status/1361860355027132417?s=20

Of course, it's just as important to note that there is still no evidence that wearing masks in schools is effective at reducing transmission.

In fact, there's plenty of evidence that masks make no difference in schools and are in fact harmful.
9/15

https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/1419452377510420485?s=20

SO...if kids aren't at risk, and we can't eradicate COVID, any restrictions to reduce transmission are pointless.

"You accept transmission will occur, but with substantially reduced levels of morbidity or mortality." "You stop caring about cases."
10/15

https://twitter.com/apsmunro/status/1421049567685058562?s=20

Should we abandon all restrictions? No, just those which negatively affect a child's education:
1. Masks cause a host of psychological and physiological issues.
2. Also, they suck. Who LIKES masks?

11/15

bmj.com/content/370/bm…
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
cugmhp.org/five-on-friday…

2. Quarantines remove kids from class for weeks and set them further back in school, despite no evidence that they prevent transmission.
(and remember, we've accepted that transmission WILL occur, particularly with Delta acting like chicken pox).
12/15
bbc.com/news/education…

3. Asymptomatic Screening Programs and PCR tests of asymptomatic kids are costly and also keep non-infectious kids home.

13/15
usnews.com/news/health-ne…

So why would the CDC, in the face of a defanged endemic virus, mandate masks again?

If the CDC thinks kids need to be in masks now, they will be wearing masks FOREVER.

They either really hate kids, or they're not that smart. Hoping its the latter?
14/15

https://twitter.com/ianmSC/status/1421172315971211265?s=20

In sum, the costs of all these restrictions on children far outweigh the benefits. They always did, but Delta makes it all the more clear, as even 100% vaccination will not end infection or transmission.

Instead, maybe we should #letthembreathe !
15/15

https://twitter.com/kidsunmasked/status/1409146832328880133?s=20

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