Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles Masking up is one of the first things we did to slow the spread of COVID-19. And it worked. Study after study has shown that when we implemented and followed mask mandates, cases fell. But now, those mandates are being lifted and guidance from public health experts is changing. For many of us, it feels like we're headed towards a new phase in the pandemic, but it's not over. Not yet. So, as we weather the third year with COVID-19, what do we do with the mask? Now, the ideal risk mitigation is to have everyone wearing masks. But, of course, we're not going to wear masks all the time for the rest of our lives. Moving forward, it will be left more to individuals, in most settings, to decide whether they feel like they're at higher risk or it's a higher-risk setting where they wanna wear a mask. Fortunately, evidence shows that masks still offer protection even if you're the only person wearing one. Especially N95 or KN95 types, which have proven to be exceptionally effective. This applies even if you're vaccinated and boosted. Layering your protection can reduce your chance of a breakthrough infection. What I would hope is that people would view masks as a wonderful, inexpensive medical intervention. So, when you're deciding whether or not to mask up, consider the weather. Not the real weather; pandemic weather, which can rapidly change from week to week. If it's looking bad, you might want to bring an umbrella, as in, wear a mask. We're in an evolving situation; we have been since the beginning of 2020. But there are some principles we can follow here. Starting with assessing the case rates or hospitalizations around the community. So, looking at cases per 100,000, you really want it to be at least under 10 per 100,000, ideally in single digits. And not just for one day, but you could look at something like the 7- or 14-day average for an area. Luckily, you can find that data on a variety of websites, including the CDC, New York Times, Johns Hopkins, or even simply by searching on Google. These numbers will change depending on the location, and also, over time. There's some evidence that COVID could eventually be seasonal like the flu, which means cases may drop in the spring or summer, only to spike again in the fall and winter. Next, it's important to consider the environment. Being outside is a really good start. We're heading into spring, and I think there will be less tendency to be indoors in crowded spaces, poorly ventilated spaces, for example. So that also helps with reduction of transmission. But if you're indoors, you should take a few things into consideration. Ventilation and the number of people, the size of the space, and then the times that you spend in that space ⏤ those are the main factors. A packed, indoor concert, for example, is going to be higher risk than going to a grocery store where the people are more spaced out. And events or locations that are checking vaccination status or requiring a negative test are an even lower risk. But even then, you should consider one other factor: yourself. That includes assessing your own risk of severe disease and hospitalization and, possibly, even death. And that has to do, of course, with your underlying medical conditions ⏤ whether or not you're immunosuppressed, or whether or not you've been vaccinated and boosted. Even if you yourself are low-risk, you should also consider how dangerous an infection would be for people closest to you. We've learned a lot since the beginning of the pandemic, and you've heard it a thousand times: We're all in this together. Your actions and decisions will continue to affect those around you. If you are in one of those lower-risk categories and don't have to wear a mask in all those settings, understand that if the risk rises again, you might need to. We're not trying to stop every runny nose in the country. We're really trying to prevent people from going to the hospital, and we're trying to prevent our healthcare system from falling apart. In the meantime, be mindful and show some compassion for other people who may be masking up while you're not. Because your cloudy day may be someone else's hurricane.
B1 US Vox risk mask higher risk wear mask wear Are we done with face masks? 27395 486 たらこ posted on 2022/06/08 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary