Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #108

[anneg]

The pros and cons of appealing the judge's decision

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...planes-still-needed-appeal-of-ruling-striking

That link didn't work for me (apparently incomplete), but this does work:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...d-appeal-of-ruling-striking-it-down-is-likely

 

[Lilibet]

That link didn't work for me (apparently incomplete), but this does work:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...d-appeal-of-ruling-striking-it-down-is-likely

I agree with David Axelrod in your link. Can you imagine the uproar at airports and on planes if they win an appeal! Not to mention the other issues mentioned in the article. I’ve always believed that we are essentially on our own to protect ourselves. So we would wear masks on planes. In fact, my husband wore one in 2018, much to the amusement of the friends who were with us (including a nurse).

"The country clearly wants to move on," David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist and senior adviser to President Barack Obama, told the Times. "Mandatory masking is a volatile issue. So, my instinct is that the path of least resistance would be to stand down, on the grounds the clock is quickly running out anyway."

 

[anneg]

Update on friend with Covid: he finally tested negative yesterday on home antigen test after a week of testing. I thought taking Paxlovid might make him test negative sooner. His wife has remained negative and healthy, and as far as I know, she hasn't been wearing a mask around him.

New: My grandson's girlfriend was feeling ill this past weekend and tested positive, and now GS is positive too. Both are doing well, I hear. They work in food service.

 

[sds71]

The CDC has formally requested the Department of Justice to **appeal** mask mandate ruling, bringing masks back to transit nationwide:

To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al. It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.

CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings. CDC’s number one priority is protecting the public health of our nation. As we have said before, wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor. When people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over their nose and mouth in indoor travel or public transportation settings, they protect themselves, and those around them, including those who are immunocompromised or not yet vaccine-eligible, and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone.
CDC Newsroom

 

[ilovewings]

That link didn't work for me (apparently incomplete), but this does work:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...d-appeal-of-ruling-striking-it-down-is-likely

Thanks!!!!

 

[musicaljoke]

The CDC has formally requested the Department of Justice to **appeal** mask mandate ruling, bringing masks back to transit nationwide:

To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al. It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.

CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings. CDC’s number one priority is protecting the public health of our nation. As we have said before, wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor. When people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over their nose and mouth in indoor travel or public transportation settings, they protect themselves, and those around them, including those who are immunocompromised or not yet vaccine-eligible, and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone.
CDC Newsroom

I'm happy to hear that the CDC is asking for an appeal. Otherwise a precedent would be set, making it burdensome to ever have public health safety measures put in place. One would think that this is a national security matter.

It boggles my mind to think that one person, completely untrained in public health, can make this ill-informed decision which impacts the entire nation.

 

[Lilibet]

I'm happy to hear that the CDC is asking for an appeal. Otherwise a precedent would be set, making it burdensome to ever have public health safety measures put in place. One would think that this is a national security matter.

It boggles my mind to think that one person, completely untrained in public health, can make this ill-informed decision which impacts the entire nation.

You’re right about the precedent set if the ruling is not appealed. I’m concerned about an even worse precedent if the Supreme Court ends up ruling on this. Either way, the administration is caught between a rock and a hard place. And so are we.
JMO

https://wapo.st/3jVbWCA

If the decision is allowed to stand, Gostin said, the CDC “will always be looking over its shoulder, always gun shy about exercising its powers.”

But an appeal could tee up a battle at the Supreme Court, which has already dealt several blows to the administration’s coronavirus policies and could issue a new ruling that further constrained CDC’s attempts to fight future virus surges.

 

[Lilibet]

At least the courts can’t/won’t make it illegal for individuals to wear masks. We still have the right (and the responsibility) to choose how to protect ourselves. JMO

You asked, we’re answering: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines

Q—How protected am I from Covid-19 if I wear a mask in public places but others around me don’t?

A—While face masks offer the most protection against the spread of virus-carrying particles in the air when everyone wears them, masks can protect the wearer alone, research suggests, by acting as a barrier between particles and their nose and mouth.

One-way masking — when one person is masked and others are not — depends mainly on two factors: how well your mask fits and how effectively the mask material filters out particles that can carry viruses, said Chris Cappa, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Davis who studies aerosol particles and masks.

Masks like N95s and KN95s will generally be more protective than surgical masks or cloth masks because they can make a tighter seal against your face, he told CNN. So, “a well-fit N95 can reduce the amount of potentially infectious particles that you inhale by more than a factor of 20 times,” Cappa said.

In addition to wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask, taking steps including getting vaccinated, testing yourself for Covid-19 and making sure spaces you’re in are well-ventilated can make it safe for people — even those at higher risk for more severe illness — to travel, said Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

 

[ilovewings]

You’re right about the precedent set if the ruling is not appealed. I’m concerned about an even worse precedent if the Supreme Court ends up ruling on this. Either way, the administration is caught between a rock and a hard place. And so are we.
JMO

https://wapo.st/3jVbWCA

If the decision is allowed to stand, Gostin said, the CDC “will always be looking over its shoulder, always gun shy about exercising its powers.”

But an appeal could tee up a battle at the Supreme Court, which has already dealt several blows to the administration’s coronavirus policies and could issue a new ruling that further constrained CDC’s attempts to fight future virus surges.

Which is why the administration had to think long and hard about this appeal. There is a lot at stake for the CDC and for us, the people.

 

[Sundog]

I'm happy to hear that the CDC is asking for an appeal. Otherwise a precedent would be set, making it burdensome to ever have public health safety measures put in place. One would think that this is a national security matter.

It boggles my mind to think that one person, completely untrained in public health, can make this ill-informed decision which impacts the entire nation.

I haven't read the judge's ruling, but I thought I heard on the news that the ruling was based on the constitutionality of the decision, and whether or not Congress was required to make the decision, and that didn't happen. I may be wrong, I haven't read anything about it, just what I heard on the news. If it is the case that Congress would need to approve the mask mandate on public transportation, then perhaps Congress will take it up. The appeal, if it happens, I assume will be based on the argument regarding the CDC's authority to make such mandates. I don't think it was based on public health policy or science, but on the constitution. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[SouthAussie]

In her ruling, Judge Mizelle adopted a narrow interpretation of the authority Congress granted to the C.D.C. to issue rules aimed at preventing the interstate spread of communicable diseases.

The law says the agency may take such measures as it deems “necessary,” and provides a list of examples, like “sanitation.” The judge wrote that this power was limited to things like cleaning property — not requiring people to take hygienic steps.

“If Congress intended this definition, the power bestowed on the C.D.C. would be breathtaking,” she wrote. “And it certainly would not be limited to modest measures of ‘sanitation’ like masks.”

If the government’s broader interpretation of the agency’s powers were accurate, she added, the C.D.C. could require businesses to install air filtration systems, mandate that people take vaccines, or even require “coughing into elbows and daily multivitamins.”

Federal Judge Strikes Down Mask Mandate for Planes and Public Transit
(You can sign up for a free account to read the article - it also gives a link for a pdf download of the 59-page decision)

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Should people wait until the fall for a second booster? CDC panel weighs in. (nbcnews.com)

Despite previous recommendations that people ages 50 and older get a second Covid-19 booster shot, advisers to the CDC suggested it may be reasonable for some to wait.

Just weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a second Covid-19 booster dose for people ages 50 and above, independent advisers to the agency are seeking to clear up confusion over which people in that age group may truly need that shot now and who could possibly wait until the fall for another dose...

 

[Niner]

I was at my doctor's today - and there is no 2nd booster here in Latvia. I told her about the U.S. giving 2nd boosters - and she was surprised!

 

[MimosaMornings]

Mask-optional prom leads to nearly 100 students testing positive for COVID — ABC News

Okay, so 90 students had mild cases that did not require hospitalization and none of the students died. That’s good news!

And these 90 students did not spread it to anyone else?

 

[MimosaMornings]

Update on friend with Covid: he finally tested negative yesterday on home antigen test after a week of testing. I thought taking Paxlovid might make him test negative sooner. His wife has remained negative and healthy, and as far as I know, she hasn't been wearing a mask around him.

New: My grandson's girlfriend was feeling ill this past weekend and tested positive, and now GS is positive too. Both are doing well, I hear. They work in food service.

Hope everyone has recovered and feeling better!

 

[Sundog]

Mask-optional prom leads to nearly 100 students testing positive for COVID — ABC News

Okay, so 90 students had mild cases that did not require hospitalization and none of the students died. That’s good news!

And these 90 students did not spread it to anyone else?

Sounds like about the same number of people who got Covid from the Washington, D.C. dinner super-spreader event. I guess we can expect this from B.A. 2 and large events.

 

[MimosaMornings]

What The End Of The Mask Mandate Means For The Pandemic — And High-Risk Travelers : Consider This from NPR

“MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Well, let's start by talking about air travel because airplanes themselves have really good air filtration systems when they're in flight, but the ventilation isn't so great on those tightly packed tunnels you use to get on the plane. And the same goes for when you're sitting on the tarmac. I've seen aerosols experts post photos on Twitter of their own air travels. They're using carbon dioxide monitors to show just how poor the ventilation can be on a plane just before takeoff. The good news is that once you're in the air, that filtration system is on.”

———
Everyone is talking about how great the air filtration system is on a plane but no one is talking about the crowded scenarios to get to the plane.

Crowded long wait in security line.
Same at the gate, heaven forbid your flight is cancelled and you have to get in another crowded line at customer assist/customer services.
Plus a crowded line to get food.

It’s not like you walk out of your house and immediately sit down in your seat on the plane that is already running at full tilt.
JMO

 

[LadyL]

Mask-optional prom leads to nearly 100 students testing positive for COVID

 

[Mo Thuairim]

The requirement to wear masks was dropped here (Ireland) in February but in my experience most people still wear them in public places. I continue to wear mine and I'm grateful that most others do. I would find it a bit stressful to be in a place where most people were unmasked. But they still provide decent protection even if others aren't wearing them. We still have to wear masks on most airline routes here as far as I know although that is up for debate now due to the recent US decision and I think the UK no longer requires them. It's hard to keep up with the changes but most people seem to err on the side of caution and just wear them.

 

[jjenny]

Mask-optional prom leads to nearly 100 students testing positive for COVID

Mask optional prom-so how many people opted to wear masks? I bet it was very few, if any.