Protecting Yourself During The Continuing CoVid Pandemic

Look…there is much confusion about what CoVid protective measures we all should take. The messaging from the medical community, government scientists, and the politicians who pay them has been more than confusing and conflicting.

As an MD who follows the science on CoVid very closely, I’m going to pass on to you the precautions I take for myself and my family.

Get vaccinated against CoVid. I prefer the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines as they are statistically the most effective with the fewest potential downside risks. Get both doses.

What about masks? With the very contagious delta variant spreading, use an N95 or a KN95 mask when indoors or even outdoors walking through crowds or on mass transit. Even vaccinated persons can symptomatically contract CoVid, especially the variants, and pass it on to you via an aerosol gust in a closed space.

It’s safe to be maskless outdoors if you are vaccinated, at a distance from others, and there is good air circulation and wind. That’s why I continue to only eat a restaurants with outdoor seating.

You can obtain N95 certified masks that are sold for industrial use such as paint sanding without taking them off the faces of our heroic first responders. I use a 3M 8511, and I seal the exhalation valve with duct tape. Since I’m in NYC, I add a KN95 outside the N95 when I’m on the subways or buses.

What about kids in school? I continue to recommend that all children, vaccinated or not and attending indoor classes, wear multilayered and, if available, KN95 masks or N95 grade masks. Even kids and young adults can become deathly ill.

I adjust my CoVid protective measures depending upon where I am, the level of circulating virus as measured by %age of positive tests, the hospitalization numbers, and the death rates. You should too.

As more of us are vaccinated and the variants are under control, we can relax our measures but not yet.

#CoVid #vaccine #masking #distancing #aerosols #school

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