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Democratic-led Philadelphia has announced a mask mandate in public schools next month to limit the spread of viruses during the holiday mix-up.
The city school district announced yesterday that it will require all K-12 students to wear masks in classrooms and hallways from January 3-13, the first ten days after the return from winter break.
Officials across the country fear that the first normal Christmas since the pandemic began more than two years ago will fuel the spread of covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which are already overwhelming hospitals across the United States. .
It comes after mask recommendations were recently implemented in New York City, Los Angeles and Washington state, but officials fell short of implementing the mandates.
The United States mostly phased out masks in late spring after the Omicron surge was brought under control and studies increasingly showed face coverings have little impact on transmission.
There is growing evidence that masks hinder children’s social development and education.
Philadelphia public schools will require students and staff to wear masks in the classroom for the first ten days after winter break, January 3-13. Officials cite ‘triple epidemic’ of Covid, RSV and flu why masks are needed (file photo)
Flu cases reached a seasonal high in Philadelphia during the week ending December 3. More than 1,600 cases were recorded, far exceeding the usual peaks of previous flu seasons.
While RSV cases are still unusually high in Philadelphia, even though cases are on a significant decline after peaking in early November
“In an effort to be proactive in supporting healthy environments and maintaining in-person learning after students and staff return from winter break, the District will implement mandatory mask wearing,” officials wrote in a statement. press.
The City of Brotherly Love was one of the last places in America to still require masks in schools earlier this year, with mandates taking effect in May.
However, the covid has receded in the city of 1.5 million inhabitants. It is registering 220 new cases each day, only 14 per 100,000 members of the population.
This is a far cry from the 655 cases per day the city was recording in mid-December 2021.
The city is also recording only one death caused by the virus on a daily basis.
RSV cases are also declining after the city suffered a massive annual virus surge in early November.
The city confirmed about 240 cases of the virus during the week ending Dec. 3, the most recent data available.
While this is significantly higher than a typical RSV season, where cases will peak at around 200 per week around the new year, it is a far cry from the 650 cases recorded for the week ending November 5. .
However, flu cases in Philadelphia are skyrocketing. In its most recent weekly report, the city recorded 1,600 confirmed infections.
In previous years, flu season peaked at around 300 cases a week.
It’s not clear if masks in a school setting really help combat the spread of viruses.
A spanish to study of more than 600,000 children published earlier this year found that, on average, schools without mask mandates had higher rates of covid transmission than those that did.
Other studies, including Stanford University to study April last year, found that masks had little impact on Covid transmission in schools.
Philadelphia isn’t the first city to flirt with bringing masks back as the three viruses circulate this winter.
Last week, New York City Health Department Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan encouraged New Yorkers to wear face coverings in indoor public places.
Flu cases are beginning to plateau after a rapid increase in recent months. The Americas recorded 35,704 new influenza infections during the week ending December 3, nearly matching the number from the previous week.
RSV is beginning to decline, with 14,348 cases recorded during the week ending November 26 and 6,253 cases the week ending December 3. Experts say that while RSV is still a danger, it is no longer at its peak and cases will continue. to decline in the near future
Also citing recent increases in RSV and flu cases, a dozen county-level officials in Washington state have also begun urging residents to wear face masks indoors.
Over the weekend, Los Angeles County Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer announced an indoor mask recommendation for the weekend.
“If you go to an event like a concert or a big Christmas party, there is now a higher chance that one or more people at the event will be infected,” he told a news conference.
“They could unknowingly infect you, and you, in turn, could unknowingly infect your friends, co-workers or family.”
The CDC has even increased its rhetoric about masks in recent weeks, saying it “encouraged” people to wear “high-quality, well-fitting” masks to prevent seasonal bugs, not just Covid.
Nationwide, the United States recorded 35,704 confirmed cases of flu during the week ending December 3.
This is a slight decrease from the 35,993 recorded a week earlier, the first time weekly cases have declined since the start of the flu season.
The agency also reports that 25 percent of flu tests are coming back positive, matching the previous week’s total.
Experts have warned that this is the worst flu season the nation has faced since the 2009 swine flu pandemic more than a decade ago.
Federal officials recorded 6,253 RSV cases during the week ending December 3. During the week ending November 26, 14,348 cases were recorded.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid response coordinator, said during a briefing today that RSV is “undoubtedly” starting to decline.
These surges have been attributed to an ‘immunity gap’ thought to have built up during the pandemic when Covid restrictions excluded seasonal insects.
Experts say these types of mask advisories and other pandemic-related orders likely played a role in this recent spike in viral illness.
These orders come as the flu and RSV continue their rampant spread in the US, but some are hoping their momentum will soon run out.