The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 469 (969)

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light on the value of mask mandates in schools. The researchers looked at case rates in districts in the Boston area after school mask mandates were lifted in February of this year. Two of the districts maintained the mask mandate for the course of the study. Before the mask mandate was lifted, the case rates for all the districts were very similar. When the mandate was lifted, case rates went up quickly, and about 30 percent of all of the cases during the study period were attributable to the dropping of the mask mandate. Interestingly, the districts that kept the mask mandate in place on average had buildings in poorer condition, more crowded classrooms, and a higher proportion of individuals with underlying risk factors. Dropping mask mandates, therefore, was not in the best interests of the children or staff. In other words, masks offered protection even with conditions that otherwise would be expected to lead to more cases. 

Another new study compared initial COVID infections with repeat ones. Hospitalization and death rates were more likely to rise with repeat infections; long COVID was also more likely. In other words, "...cumulative risks and burdens of repeat infections increased according to the number of infections."

A New York Times virus briefing discussed planning for the upcoming holidays. For people believing the pandemic is over, this is a moot point. For the rest of us, planning for holiday events should center around the highest risk person attending. A week-long mini-quarantine period is also useful staying in as much as possible for the week preceding an event. Finally, a person who has any symptoms at all should stay at home. One Times reader offered the following: "I will not travel or interact if not feeling well. I will home-test if there are adults over the age of 65 attending any gathering. I will not attend any event in which a mask is required." The last thought might mean that the person will not attend any event risky enough that the organizers are requiring masks. At least I hope that is how the statement is intended and not as an anti-mask thought.

JAMA Network Open has a report on research being done at Northeastern University. So far, that research suggests that women are at higher risk of long COVID than men are. As one of the researchers put it, "You're almost twice as likely to get long COVID just being a woman, controlling for everything else." Now that's a cheery thought. That said, the only person I know who has suffered from long COVID is a woman. If not, it would be fascinating to know why. I wonder if men simply ignore or repress symptoms more than women do so that their cases are not recorded.