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KEEPING BACK TO SCHOOL SAFE
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JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT THINGS WERE GETTING
BACK TO NORMAL...HERE COMES DELTA
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The COVID Delta variant has become widespread
in the US, accounting for 83% of new cases.
In numerical terms, Delta is 60% more contagious
than the original strain. But what's that mean in
practical terms? A (frightening) example of how
easily the Delta variant spreads was captured on
CCTV in a mall in Australia. The video shows two
people walk past each other, facing one another
in close proximity momentarily. Genetic analysis
now confirms that during the encounter one of
the strangers infected the other. CDC director
Rochelle Walensky announced this week that
delta is “one of the most transmissible viruses we
know about. Measles, chickenpox, this — they’re
all up there.” Because the viral load is 1000 times
higher in people infected with the Delta variant,
if you are unvaccinated and in a room with
someone who has it, you are very likely to
get infected.
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The vaccine offers the best available protection
against the delta variant, but breakthrough
infections may be more common than we realize.
Given only half of kids over age 12 are vaccinated,
and kids under 12 aren’t yet vaccine eligible,
keeping kids safe is a top priority. The American
Academy of Pediatrics agrees the best way to
keep kids safe is to make sure they are wearing
masks - especially indoors and in crowded
places. While all masks work, experts agree, it’s
not just whether or not your child wears a mask
that’s important - whether they're wearing a good
mask matters too. A mask that filters out 60% of
particles may have been good enough before
Delta, but given how contagious Delta is, masks
that filter out closer to 95% of particles are a
much safer choice.
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