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"
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.
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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.
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Imagine if an asbestos worker, or a tech working in BioSafety Lab was complaining about this.
But somehow, doctors making over $200,000 get carte blanche and and a piece in the @NEJM Voices.
And he does have a loud voice.
This is Dr. Sax, Clinical Director, Division of Infectious Diseases (ID), at THE Harvard hospital. In 2014, he wrote about how ID docs only make $174,000.
"Brain Mitochondrial dysfunction, known for ~20 years is finally recognized as a central upstream driver of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), not just a downstream effect."
And SARS2's targeting of mitochondria is well-known.