CLEVELAND — Doctors say a new approach to the CDC’s pandemic guidance is a welcome change.
“I’m happy that we’re in a position where we can at least recommend seeing people’s faces on a routine basis indoors,” said Dr. Kenneth Remy in an interview with 3News. Dr. Remy is a pediatric and adult critical care physician with UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.
“You can tell parents, this is a dynamic process. It could change in a month or two. I’m optimistic if we continued to see vaccinations and younger children are able to get vaccinated, that perhaps we don’t need to go back to some of the things that we saw with Omicron, Delta or precursor variants,” said Remy.
In a telephone briefing Friday afternoon, CDC Director Rachelle Walensky said they'll now categorize community spread in low, medium or high-risk areas.
Instead of just case numbers, that category is based on three data points: new cases, new hospitalizations and the number of beds currently occupied with coronavirus patients.
Only in high risk or orange counties will masks be universally recommended, including in schools. The only exception is public transportation. CDC said it is still reviewing a federal requirement that requires masks on airplanes, trains and buses.
For most people, this is welcome news. For others, it causes a bit of anxiety. “Just because the recommendation is that people can now take their masks off indoors, doesn’t means you have to,” said Dr. Remy. “If you would prefer to keep a mask on, undeniably you will protect yourself likely from spread of not only COVID disease, but also from other viruses.”
Research has shown high-quality masks, such as N95 or KN95, can keep you very protected even if everyone around you is unmasked. Staying up to date with your vaccination is still the best defense for everyone eligible.
In medium risk areas, those who are immunocompromised or at risk of severe disease are encouraged to talk to their doctors about masking and other risk prevention strategies. For children too young to be vaccinated, Dr. Remy says cocooning, or surrounding them with vaccinated and boosted adults is shown to be very protective.
The changes do not mean a new variant of concern or new surge can't pop up, but the CDC says we're in a better position to respond than ever before.
Dr. Remy said this is a good place to be in after so much disease, loss and struggle over nearly two years. He put it this way: “If anybody tells you that they’ve got a Magic 8-ball, they’re just telling you not something true. I don’t have all of the answers, and this is largely unclear in both the scientific community and in the medical community. But where we sit right now, is an opportunity for us to at least re-engage seeing each other without masks,” he said.
Previous Reporting: