Infectious disease specialists say return to masking not needed
By Elie Cantin-Nantel
Two prominent Canadian infectious disease specialists say mask mandates, including for schools and hospitals, do not need to be re-implemented this fall – amid concerns about new variants.
In recent days, legacy media outlets have reported on calls to bring back mask mandates, including from a group of BC healthcare professionals who have signed an open letter demanding masks, as well as testing and giving priority eligibility to children for Covid shots.
Other physicians, including Ottawa family doctor Nili Kaplan-Myrth, have also been calling for masks. The hashtag “#BringBackMasks” also trended on X (formerly Twitter) Friday morning.
However, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Medical Microbiologist Dr. Neil Rau and Infectious Diseases Physician Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti told True North the current situation does not warrant a return to mask mandates.
“I completely disagree with their perspective (and) with the idea that resorting to masks again at a population level or even a focus group level is the answer to controlling Covid,” Rau told True North.
Chakrabarti echoed Rau’s sentiments, and added that “what we’re seeing now is the vast majority of the population has immunity, whether through vaccination or exposure to the virus, or both. So you have great protection.”
“I see patients in the hospital and while we do still see Covid occasionally, the vast majority, even people who are older, and even people who have different comorbidities, they do fine with the virus,” he said.
Rau added that “the best we can do with Covid now is to vaccinate with a booster the highest risk people, give the antiviral medications to the highest risk people who come down with the disease… and then keep updating the vaccine if possible.”
“Let’s stop trying to stop the spread of Covid. Let’s focus on preventing the outcomes from Covid. We can’t stop the spread of covid.”
Both doctors are also not recommending that parents mask up their children for school this fall.