Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fauci: Double-Masking Makes 'Common Sense'
Fox News: Fauci Backs 'Double-Masking' In Coronavirus Fight, Says 'Likely More Effective'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser on COVID-19, said two face masks are likely more effective than one against the novel coronavirus, despite significant uncertainty on the subject. "If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective," Fauci told NBC News on Monday. Infectious disease experts from Stanford Health Care, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University recently told Fox News there is little to no evidence on the issue. Neysa Ernst from Johns Hopkins University, where she serves as nurse manager of the Biocontainment Unit, agreed, though she proposed that anecdotal evidence suggests additional layers could offer "psychological safety" to some. (Rivas, 1/25)
CNBC: Dr. Fauci: Double Mask During Covid Makes Common Sense, More Effective
Although the Centers for Disease Control has not recommended double masking yet, the practice generated buzz when people were seen wearing two masks at president Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday. Viewers noted that poet Amanda Gorman and Pete Buttigieg, who is Biden’s nominee to run the Transportation Department, wore surgical masks underneath cloth masks. (Stieg, 1/25)
In related news —
NBC News: What Do Coronavirus Variants Mean For Your Masks?
Which mask should you wear? The key is to strike a balance between comfort and effectiveness. "If you put three or four masks on, it's going to filter better because it's more layers of cloth," said Dr. Scott Segal, chair of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "But you'll be taking it off because it's uncomfortable." (Edwards, 1/26)
CNN: Which Mask Is Best For You, And When To Use It
Think of masks as the newest trendy accessory that can save your life -- and the lives of those you love. But instead of what pattern, logo or slogan you display, choose your mask based on its effectiveness against the deadly coronavirus in the environment you are in. Guidelines on how to help you make that choice should be out by midspring, according to Jonathan Szalajda, deputy director at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, which is part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (LaMotte, 1/25)
CBS News: Where To Find An N95 Or High-Filtration Mask For Biden's 100-Day Challenge
Megan Ranney, an emergency physician at the Rhode Island Hospital, ranked generally available mask alternatives from most effective to least effective, noting that typically, any kind of face covering is better than none at all. N95s provide the most filtration, according to Ranney, followed by so-called KN95 masks. Regular surgical masks are the next best option, followed by double-layer cloth masks with a filter worn in-between the two layers. Double-layer and single-layer cloth masks without filters tend to be the least efficient, she said. (Cerullo, 1/25)
In other news about masks —
CIDRAP: Fewer Stayed Home, More Wore Masks As Pandemic Wore On
Self-reported adherence to such coronavirus-curbing behaviors as physical distancing fell substantially—while mask wearing rose significantly—from spring to fall 2020, regardless of US Census region, according to a research letter published late last week in JAMA. The study, led by scientists from Johns Hopkins University, analyzed responses to 16 waves of the national Coronavirus Tracking Survey from Apr 1 to Nov 24, 2020. The respondents were recruited from the University of Southern California's Understanding America Study, an ongoing nationwide panel of US residents. (Van Beusekom, 1/25)
CNN: Portland Mayor Tells Police He Pepper-Sprayed A Man Who Harassed Him Over Mask Policies
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told police Sunday night that he used pepper spray on a man who had been harassing him about Covid-19 mask policies outside of a restaurant. "He had no face mask on and got within a foot or two of my face while he was videoing me," Wheeler said in a voluntary statement to the Portland Police Bureau. (Holcombe and Rose, 1/26)
KHN: ‘We’re Not Controlling It In Our Schools’: Covid Safety Lapses Abound Across US
Computer science teacher Suzy Lebo saw covid-19 dangers frequently in her Indiana high school: classes with about 30 students sitting less than 18 inches apart. Students crowding teachers in hallways. Students and staff members taking off their masks around others. “I’m concerned,” said Lebo, who teaches at Avon High School in the Indianapolis suburbs. “We’re not controlling the virus in our county. We’re not controlling it in our state. And we’re not controlling it in our schools.” (Ungar, 1/26)
