COVID-19 News and Updates
Hello all,
Nina Duggan here with the latest COVID-19 news and updates. his week we will be discussing the low vaccination rate among young children, recently published research regarding the efficacy of HEPA filters against COVID, and shedding a little light on a common piece of misinformation around masking in schools.
COVID Communication:
Vaccination Rates Among 2-4 Year Old Age Group Low
Children under 5 years old sit at a very low vaccination rate. As of August 17, only 1% of children 2-4 years old are fully vaccinated (a little under 6% having their first dose), and only 0.6% of the 6 month-2 year age group is fully vaccinated (with a little over 3% of this age group having their first dose).
Experts are urging increased communication with parents about how to get their youngest vaccinated and sharing the safety and efficacy of the vaccines for this group.
Informational post made by Dr. Zachary Rubin, American Academy of Pediatrics Article on Children and COVID-19 Vaccination Trends, NYT Opinion Piece on Low Toddler Vaccination Rate and Health Policy in the United States
COVID in the News:
State of COVID-19 in Maine
Case numbers appear to be plateauing nationwide, with BA5 being the dominant variant in Maine and the United States as a whole. Though numbers are better than in January of this year, experts are still likening current case numbers to that of the Fall of 2021, and continue to recommend masking in public spaces. Deaths from COVID-19 nationally still sit at roughly 300-500 per day, with a projected 200,000-400,000 deaths from the virus for 2022.
Though the pandemic is not over, the bivalent vaccines (vaccines that target the initial strain as well as the emerging variants) expected to be available as early as September show great promise at limiting the spread and damage of the virus.
Efficacy of HEPA Filters Against COVID
Good air circulation and filtration have long been recommended as a way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in indoor spaces, recently published research is coming in to add to this claim. A study published through the American Society for Microbiology showed that after just five minutes of run time an appropriately sized HEPA filter removed 85% of aerosolized virus from the air, 96% after ten minutes of operation, and 99.9% after about 35 minutes of run time.
One important note in this study is that this was from a single exposure to a room and does not mimic continuous high-volume exposure (if say an infectious person were to be standing and continuously coughing or talking unmasked in a room). Regardless, the results show that the filters are a very useful tool to improve the health and safety of closed indoor spaces.
Important takeaways when purchasing your own HEPA filter are:
· Make sure you have an appropriately sized filter for the volume of the room
· Keep your HEPA filter continuously running for proper efficacy
· Make sure to change the filter when needed
Links and Sources: @hotsciencesummer summary of the data for social media, Full published study through mSphere, Sample UK Compliance Guidelines for HEPA Filters in Dine-In Premises
Explaining a PPE Myth: Masking and Language Development in Children
A common myth that has been circulating among schools is that if caregivers are wearing masks around young children, it will impair their language development. As school is starting up again, the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on the issue.
They stated that there is no evidence of this, further citing that children who are visually impaired develop speech and language at the same rate as other children their age. Hearing appears to be the more important factor during a child’s early years: reading, talking, singing, and playing are all important educational mediums.
Mask usage does however remain an important tool to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, and schools that have had masking policies throughout the pandemic have shown less spread over the last few years.
Links and Sources: Article shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics: Do Masks Delay Speech and Language Development?
Featured in the Field:
Jessica Malaty Rivera
Jessica is an infectious disease epidemiologist who runs an informative and well-designed presence on social media.
You can find her here on Instagram
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If you or anyone you know have questions or concerns about COVID-19 or the available vaccines please call or text our COVID-19 Peer Support Line at 207-271-6023, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.