~ Submitted by Ann Kiessling, Ph.D. [Dr. Kiessling holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Biophysics]
Public Health Messaging Has Fueled Covid19 Fears.
Children and parents have paid a high educational and social price for the nation’s SARS2/COVID19 fears, fueled by incomplete public health messaging. By summer of 2020, mountains of data (covid.cdc.gov, mass.gov) revealed the virus is not a significant threat to healthy children and adults younger than 65. The likelihood of death if infected by SARS2 is ten-fold less (0.5%) than originally reported; 67% of deaths are folks over 75 and deaths of people under 30 are negligible (0.002% of infections). Months ago, public health messaging could have reassured school communities that positive tests were not life-threatening so children could return to pre-COVID normality, while putting safeguards in place for vulnerable people.
Further evidence that school and day care communities are safe from COVID19 comes from contract tracing (Mass DPH COVID Dashboard). MA DPH defines a “cluster” of SARS2 cases as two or more cases with a common exposure. Dec 12, 2021 to Jan 8, 2022, there were 55,531 clusters state-wide, 55,174 (99%) of which were households. There were zero clusters in offices, industrial settings, restaurants, cultural venues, social gatherings and travel/lodging. The remaining 1% of clusters included 251 (0.45%) in long term care and senior living facilities, 40 (0.07%) in child care facilities, 19 (0.04%) in hospitals, and 10 (0.02%) in K-12 schools.
Because of wide-spread vaccinations, 97% of persons over age 16 in MA have antibody to SARS2, but that immunity has not halted the spread of the virus. According to the MA Dept of Public Health (COVID-19 Response Reporting), 131,200 MA residents tested positive for SARS2 the week ending Jan 8, 2022 (20% of total PCR tests performed, three times more than Jan 8, 2021), average age of 34, with 63% fully vaccinated. Only 4% of the fully vaccinated, but 30% of unvaccinated folks were hospitalized. However, 112 (40%) of the 276 total deaths, average age of 73, were also fully vaccinated, demonstrating SARS2 can be a danger to the elderly and to persons with obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney, liver and lung diseases.
The concepts that vaccinating everyone and universal masking would prevent spread of SARS2 have been proven wrong, the incidence of positive tests has surged country-wide, including in Bedford with its high vaccination rate and strict in-door mask mandate. As of Jan 13, Bedford leads the six surrounding towns (Burlington, Lexington, Lincoln, Concord, Carlisle, Billerica) in positive SARS2 tests/100,000 at 272 in comparison with no mask mandate Burlington at 246. (Figure 1).
Bedford parents should be reassured their healthy kids are safe from COVID19 even if they test positive for SARS2, mask mandates should be dropped as in other MA communities with high levels of vaccination, and school community members should stay home if sick, but not have to quarantine if not sick. Vulnerable folks should have access to sufficient testing capacity to know in real time who around them is SARS2-infected. Positive tests should no longer be the metric to judge disease risk in Bedford. Our children, our most precious resource, deserve the best education possible, free of fear of a virus unlikely to affect them at all.
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Thank you, Dr. Kiessling. You have already and will continue to be countered by statistics that others will find to bolster their position. However, there are no valid studies to indicate this endemic has ever been a critical threat to children and we should return to normal in the schools. If parents want to mitigate the risk to their own child, they have the means to do that with vaccines, masks and basic hygiene.
Am I reading between the lines correctly? The Bedford Board of Health has voted for the mask mandate. Ann Kiessling is on the Board of Health. And because she didn’t get her way, she’s writing to the Bedford Citizen to try to convince everyone that her colleagues on the Board of Health are wrong?
That’s distinctly uncool.
I am concerned that some information provided by Dr Kiessling is misleading. For example, during the 2 weeks before January 15, 2022, there were 2,347 people under the age of 60 hospitalized with Covid in Massachusetts, including 262 under the age of 20. She has stated that 97% of vaccinated persons in Massachusetts over the age of 16 have antibodies to Sars-Covid. No such data exist. Finally, looking at the prevalence of Covid in Bedford versus nearby towns and concluding that mask mandates have failed is erroneous. There is no way to determine from these data where Bedford residents became infected or how well they adhered to mask wearing . Since there has not been universal vaccination or mask wearing, one cannot conclude these have failed to prevent the spread of Covid.
However, to her credit, I agree that the fear of Covid in school children has been overblown and it is critical they remain in school.
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Weinstein MD (board certified in infectious diseases)
Dr. Weinstein, with all do respect, can you tell us why you think a 10 cent paper mask wearing loose on our face provides any protection against this virus. And more importantly, if you think these masks are affective in filtering this virus, what happens to the virus that is deposited/captured on the surface of this mask, and the virus that is captured inside the mask of someone infected with this virus.
As an infectious disease expert, I assume you know how masks work and how different masks provide protection against different particles and in this case viruses. As you know, there are different types of masks designed for specific applications, some have special filters that filter out specific particles, like chemicals, pesticides, radiation, etc. So in order for face masks to be affective protecting us, we need to wear the proper mask and to wear them correctly. And for any mask to provide any level of protection against this airborne virus, the mask must make a positive seal around your face, nose and our eyes. Otherwise, the mask will not provide much protection. For example, facial hair will not allow for a positive mask seal around your face and will negate the effectiveness of a mask, even when wearing a proper mask for the application.
So if we really think that everyone must wear a mask to prevent the spread of this virus, then let’s recommend everyone to wear a proper mask, a mask with proper filters and with positive seal around their face. Otherwise, we are providing false sense of protection when we tell people wear these paper masks to protect themselves and protect others.
Dr. Weinstein,
The seroprevalence data for persons over 16 was sourced from “Nationwide COVID-19 Infection- and Vaccination-Induced Antibody Seroprevalence” on covid.cdc.gov. Similar percentages are posted on the Mass DPH website. I, too, was surprised by the high percentages, which is why I thought it important to report.
ann k
Thank you Dr
Well said and very well written. If you want to wear a mask go ahead but let’s drop the mandat.
Thank you Dr. Kiessling, I’ve appreciated your data driven discussions throughout all of this despite the constant comments of people trying to downplay your very legitimate and thought provoking suggestions.
Thank you Dr. Kiessling, the majority of the residents of this town have great respect and appreciation for all you do and your detailed research to help all of us have a better understanding of this virus along with all of your past efforts advising us about the threats from mosquito born virusus. We are all very fortunate to have a person with your background and accomplishments serving our town.