UCSF chair of medicine, 65, says he will wear a KN95 mask FOREVER at large gatherings
>
A medical professor in San Francisco revealed that he intends to wear a face mask to protect against COVID-19 in crowded spaces for the rest of his life, describing his decision as “taking reasonable steps to avoid infection.”
Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), detailed the steps he was taking in a lengthy Twitter thread.
Wachter told his 275,000 followers that he was fully vaccinated and boosted, and had not had COVID, but was concerned about the potential for Long COVID.
‘Some people continue to ask what I’m doing about Covid behaviour…’ he began.
‘Answer: I am changing my behavior.
‘In the Bay Area, I am now OK with indoor dining and mask removal for small group gatherings. I have not changed, the risk has.
Dr. Bob Wachter is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Last week he updated his 275,000 followers on the COVID precautions he was currently taking.
The number of COVID cases and deaths is declining, and Wachter noted that they were particularly low where he lived, in the Bay Area.
He said that, in the region where he lives, the risk of COVID has gone down “considerably.”
The latest data shows that there are currently fewer than 500 new cases per day, with the CDC classifying the transmission rate as “low.”
Wachter noted that the low case rate is partly due to fewer people getting tested, and there was no exact way to tell.
“Sewage is an excellent and unbiased measure of virus circulation trends in a population, but it doesn’t really give a good answer to, ‘What are the chances that a person at my table in a restaurant has covid and is infectious?” he said.
But Wachter added that he intended to wear a face mask when in a large indoor space full of people forever and on public transport.
He said his approach was flexible and based on common sense.
Wachter said that he intends to continue wearing a face mask in crowded public places.
The professor, along with his dog Newman, said he would make his assessment based on his own risk analysis.
“I’m going to have dinner inside with my wife and kids tonight in San Francisco,” he said.
‘But see you with older friends in Palm Springs this weekend – we’ll eat al fresco and taste before you get there. The same will happen when I visit my 87 year old mom in FL next month (case rate in FL is twice that of CA and rising).
‘Public transport, theatres, other large gatherings – plan to wear a mask (always a KN95 – why not wear a good mask if you’re going to wear one?), probably forever.
“I’m comfortable taking it off briefly to eat on a long flight, but I’ll try to keep it on when I can.”
He said he was comfortable indoors with a group when he knew everyone was fully vaccinated.
For his regular poker games with friends, he said: ‘I will push (until I get kicked out) to keep the doors/windows open during the game. I’ll do the same for other small indoor gatherings (eg, friends over at the house).’
Wachter said that when he was walking through a busy supermarket, he would wear a face mask: when he was running in and out of a bodega, he probably wouldn’t be bothered.
“As always, I don’t tell anyone what they SHOULD do,” he said.
“Perfectly reasonable people have looked at all of these probabilities (or have chosen not to) and have chosen to live life as if it were 2019.
“Most will do just fine – they’ll be more likely to get Covid than I am, but few will get very sick (especially if they’re up to date on vaccinations) and most won’t get Long Covid (either with prolonged symptoms) or fall victim to it. of an elevated long-term risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, or cognitive decline).’
Wachter said he knew there was “joy in getting back to ‘normal'”.
But he concluded: ‘I’m still guided by current risk, so I’ll continue to track case rates and other metrics.
And if warranted, I’ll redouble my precautions.
“Just because we’re all tired of this doesn’t change the risks and therefore doesn’t change the way I think about managing them.”