Outdoor Mask Wearing May End Soon: Biden To Unveil New CDC Guidance
Ahead of his congressional address, President Joe Biden will announce revised guidance on mask wearing for vaccinated people, CNN reports. Meanwhile, an MIT study says the 6 feet social distance rule is inadequate compared to reducing overall time indoors, and another study shows double-masking is unsupported by science.
CNN:
Biden Will Announce New CDC Mask Guidance Tuesday, Sources Say
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for wearing masks outdoors, three people familiar with the expected announcement said. Ahead of his first address to Congress on Wednesday, the President will give remarks on the state of the pandemic Tuesday. The three people familiar with the expected announcement said Biden will announce new CDC guidance on whether vaccinated people need to wear masks outdoors, though the final language of the expected announcement is still unclear. (Collins, 4/26)
Fox News:
Fauci Acknowledges Outdoor COVID-19 Transmission 'Low,' Expects Updated Mask Guidance
Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the Centers for Disease Control will soon provide updated COVID-19 guidance on using face masks in outdoor settings, calling it "common sense" to do so. Face masks have taken an increasingly central role in debate lately as many question the continued and widespread use of masks even as vaccinations continue to soar nationwide. A Georgia mother went viral this week after she sounded off on her local school board continuing its mask mandate through next year. (Aitken, 4/25)
CIDRAP:
Double Masking Amid COVID-19 Not Backed By Research, Experts Say
A study concluding that wearing a disposable medical procedure mask under a reusable cloth face covering protects the wearer against COVID-19 infection better than a mask alone has some scientists worried that it could inadvertently lead to a false sense of security, risky behaviors, and infections. The study, one of a series on pandemic face coverings funded partially by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was published on Apr 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The CDC used the studies as a basis for its Apr 6 updated face covering guidelines, which call for the use of a multilayered cloth mask or a disposable mask under a cloth mask to press the edges of the disposable mask against the face. (Van Beusekom, 4/22)
Fox News:
MIT Study Challenges Indoor Social Distancing, Finds 'No Difference Between 6 Feet And 60 Feet'
A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology challenges the widespread social distancing guidelines, asserting that the "six-foot rule" is "inadequate" in mitigating indoor transmission of COVID-19. MIT professors Martin Bazant and John Bush found that people who maintain six feet of distance indoors are no more protected than if they were 60 feet apart – even when wearing a mask. The peer-reviewed study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, focused on factors such as time spent indoors, air filtration and circulation, immunization and variant strains. (Aitken, 4/25)
In other covid news —
The New York Times:
Florida Family Indicted For Selling Toxic Bleach As ‘Miracle’ Coronavirus Cure
Leaders of a business masquerading as a church sold a toxic bleach solution as a religious sacrament and marketed it as a “miracle” cure for Covid-19, cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and more, federal prosecutors said. A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Mark Grenon, 62, and his three sons, Jonathan Grenon, 34; Jordan Grenon, 26; and Joseph Grenon, 32; all of Bradenton, Fla. Prosecutors said on Friday that they violated court orders and fraudulently produced and sold more than $1 million of their “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a dangerous industrial bleach solution. (Morales, 4/25)
CBS News:
United Airlines To Fly Largest Flight Schedule Since Before The Pandemic
United Airlines is preparing to fly its largest flight schedule since before the pandemic started to accommodate the nation's growing demand for summer travel, the airline announced Friday. In June, United will restart 16 flight routes, add more than 480 daily U.S flights and add nine completely new routes to more than 240 total destinations. (Powell, 4/23)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post:
Ticks Carrying Lyme Found Near Beaches In California
Disease-carrying ticks, commonly associated with wooded areas, are also abundant near beaches in Northern California, according to a study. They weren’t found on beaches themselves, but in the brush and vegetation beachgoers may walk through to get to the sand. Daniel Salkeld, a research scientist at Colorado State University who led the study, said researchers wanted a “bird’s-eye view” of where ticks are found in Northern California and what they are infected with, such as bacteria that causes Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. (Firozi, 4/25)
CIDRAP:
CDC: New Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Cashew Brie
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today it is reinvestigating an outbreak of Salmonella linked to a brand of vegan brie cheese made from cashews .So far, five people in three states—California, Tennessee, and Florida—have been sickened from Jule's cashew brie, including two people who were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. (4/23)
