Tag: 210225

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The latest recommendations for proper mask use

State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan gives an update on best mask-wearing practices.

What types of masks are the most effective?

If people can find masks that are two or three layers, that’s preferred over single-layer masks. Oftentimes, we see homemade masks being one piece of fabric, so we encourage people to … double up on the fabric they’re using, or to look for store-bought masks, most of which are made of multiple layers. … If you’re using a neck gaiter and it’s only a single layer, folding the neck gaiter in half is a very simple way of adding another layer of fabric … but we would go even further and say that neck gaiters are probably not the best type of mask to use. … The other key point is that masks should be well-fitted. … The whole goal of wearing a mask is to not let your respiratory drops escape, and to not let somebody else’s respiratory drops come in, so if there are gaps, that’s going to cause the mask to be less effective. Ideally, all of the air you breathe out and breathe in should be filtered through the fabric.

How can people ensure a good fit with their masks?

I think the first and easiest way is to simply use masks that have a nose wire so it can be pinched and cinched down around the nose to prevent any gaps that can occur between somebody’s nose and cheek area. … To eliminate gaps on the sides of the mask, there are different mask fitters and mask braces that can be used to better form the mask to the face. … Double-masking is another strategy. … Its primary purpose is to get a better fit [by] eliminating the gaps … but there’s also the added benefit that it has multiple layers.

What is double-masking?

When we’re talking about double-masking, we’re talking about wearing a reusable cloth mask and a disposable mask. … The way it’s being promoted and recommended by CDC … is that people should wear the disposable mask against the face, and then the cloth mask over that, so the cloth mask helps to compress the disposable mask against the face. … CDC does not recommend combining other types of masks.

Are two masks always better than one?

We’re not universally recommending that everybody should be walking around wearing two masks. What we are recommending is that … they upgrade their mask to one that’s better-fitting … and double-masking is just one option for people to get a better fit with their mask.

Is it safe for kids to double-mask?

I think the goal here is to focus on getting kids to wear at least one mask. … For young children two years of age and older — we and CDC continue to recommend that masks not be put on children under the age of 2 — wearing masks can take some training and some practice … but it can be done.

What’s the deal with N95 masks?

N95 masks are generally medical-grade masks that should be reserved for health care providers caring for sick patients and patients with Covid-19 in the hospital, and for people in health care settings. There are over-the-counter [KN95] masks that may be constructed of comparable material to an N95 mask … but aren’t appropriate or certified for medical use. … A KN95 mask is certainly an option … but we’re not recommending that … over another well-fitted procedural-type mask.

Is there any reason someone should not wear a KN95 mask?

One of the downsides of KN95 masks and some of those thicker types of masks is that there’s more resistance to breathing in and out, which can make it harder for some people to breathe. That’s part of the reason we’re not universally recommending that everybody wear KN95 masks.

At what point should a mask be thrown away?

It partly depends on … how long they’re wearing it during the day. [It’s different], for example, for somebody who is in school and wearing their mask all day … [than for] someone who wants to run into a grocery store for a half an hour. … The general recommendation is that when the mask is soiled or saturated, or the person is having a hard time breathing through it … and the fabric has lost its filtration efficacy, it should be discarded and replaced. … If you wear a disposable mask for an extended period of time, use a new one the next day. If it’s a reusable cloth mask, make sure you’re taking it home and washing it.

Is it really necessary to wear a mask outdoors?

It’s still recommended that people wear masks outdoors if they’re going to be around other people … but there’s some discretion involved. … If … there are two people sitting down 10 feet from each other, then it’s probably not necessary for them to wear a mask the whole time, but if you’re with a group of people mingling or moving around, absolutely [wear a mask].

Is there anything else you want people to know about proper mask-wearing?

I think the focus right now should be, one, that people wear at least one mask … and two, that people upgrade their single-layer masks to ones that are better-fitted. … A CDC study … showed that, if two people are together and one of them has Covid-19, when both people are wearing masks [that] are well-fitted, exposure can be reduced by more than 95 percent. — Angie Sykeny

Featured photo: Dr. Benjamin Chan, MD.

News & Notes 21/02/25

Covid-19 updateAs of February 15As of February 22
Total cases statewide71,01773,665
Total current infections statewide2,9532,883
Total deaths statewide1,1351,154
New cases2,518 (Feb. 9 to Feb. 15)2,648 (Feb. 16 – 22)
Current infections: Hillsborough County922807
Current infections: Merrimack County217232
Current infections: Rockingham County678650
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Feb. 16, Gov. Chris Sununu announced that the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services received nearly $20 million from the federal government to support child care programs in the state, as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds, according to a press release, will be distributed to family child care providers, child care centers and licensed-exempt providers.

During a Feb. 18 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said the daily number of new infections of Covid-19 in New Hampshire has been on a slight increase, due in part to those at colleges and universities in the state. Hospitalization rates, he said, have continued to be stable over the last several weeks.

Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, also said during the press conference that the state is expected to receive about 27,740 first doses of Covid-19 vaccine this week, an increase of more than 5,000 doses from the week prior. “In addition to state allocation, additional vaccines are coming into the state through the federal retail pharmacy partnership with Walgreens,” she said. First-dose appointments for people in Phase 1B of the state’s vaccine distribution plan are still available.

A recent change in federal unemployment policy, according to a Feb. 18 report from WMUR, has rendered hundreds of Granite Staters ineligible to receive their weekly benefits. Those who are temporarily laid off or whose hours are reduced but who have employers that remain open are no longer eligible. According to the report, U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan said they are working to get the policy reversed.

On Feb. 19, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 85, an order mandating that Granite State schools offer in-person instruction to all students for at least two days a week starting March 8. “It isn’t just so the kids come back and have a more full, robust learning model,” Sununu said during the Feb. 18 press conference. “It really is for the behavioral and mental health, the isolation issues that so many of our students have been bearing with.” Under the order, a K through 12 school may transition to required full-time distance learning for students for up to 48 hours without state approval if officials deem it necessary to address Covid-19 concerns related to infections or staffing shortages. But if a school wishes to transition to fully remote learning for more than 48 hours, it must receive approval from the Commissioner of Education. Virtual Learning Academy Charter Schools are not impacted by the order. All K through 12 staff will be able to receive their first vaccine dose in Phase 2A of the state’s vaccination plan, which is expected to be between March and May.

Details of Sununu’s emergency orders, executive orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

House lawsuit

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty ruled that Republican House Speaker Sherman Packard does not have to use remote technology for the two House sessions scheduled for this week, according to a report from WMUR. On Feb. 16, Packard released a statement following a lawsuit filed by Democrat state representatives against him, which argued that Packard was refusing to provide remote accommodations for House members with disabilities. “We are reviewing the complaint and working with counsel on our response,” Packard said. He pointed to the House sessions that have been held at the Whittemore Center, “where we had high attendance levels by legislators, numerous legislative and UNH employees, police, paramedics, contract employees, firefighters and others. No one contracted Covid-19 at the Whittemore Center indoor events in 2020.” He said the new venue for this week’s meetings, NH Sportsplex in Bedford, has more than double the usable area of the Whittemore Center and assured “an accessible, risk-mitigated and secure environment for all members and staff in attendance.” McCafferty wrote in her ruling that Packard is “immune” from the Democratic lawmakers’ suit “challenging his enforcement of a House rule that is closely related to core legislative functions,” according to WMUR’s report, and she based her ruling on the argument on legislative immunity. After the ruling, Packard issued a statement thanking the court and saying, “We were confident in our position that remote participation could not be reasonably accommodated at this time.” Democratic Leader Representative Renny Cushingreleased a statement saying, “Unfortunately, this case has exposed the callous indifference of House Republican leadership toward our most vulnerable members during the Covid-19 crisis that has taken the lives of a half a million Americans.”

There is now a bobblehead of the nation’s 14th president, Franklin Pierce, who was born in Hillsborough. The bobblehead is part of the “Neglected Presidents” collection, according to a press release, produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and available for purchase at store.bobbleheadhall.com.

On Feb. 18, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan visited small businesses in downtown Laconia, speaking to owners about the pandemic-related challenges they are facing, according to a press release. Hassan helped get the Employer Assistance Coordination Act included in the end-of-year funding bill that was passed in December, so now small businesses can participate in the Paycheck Protection Program and also claim the Employee Retention Tax Credit, the release said.

The Granite State Leathers Superfund Site in Nashua, also known as Mohawk Tannery, will be cleaned up and eventually redeveloped to include mixed-use commercial space and residential housing, according to a press release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which will share remediation costs with local developer Blaylock Holdings and the City of Nashua. The cleanup will address hazardous substances in soils, sludges and contaminated waste originating from the site.

The Palace Theatre in Manchester has a new performing arts series sponsor. According to a press release, St. Mary’s Bank has made a three-year, $180,000 commitment, having given an initial gift of $30,000 at the end of 2020 to support the Palace’s virtual shows, which are streaming during the theater’s intermission.

We are connected

I’ve been hearing and thinking about annual cycles lately including Black History Month, the Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and the last day we worked in person — or the day our lives changed dramatically — due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At our house, this one-year mark coincides with my 89-year-old mother getting her second Covid vaccine and that’s a really big deal for us. For the last year, we have been working so hard to keep her safe in the midst of this pandemic. Her health has been our primary motivator to keep wearing masks and physically distance when our longing for social connection was pulling us to congregate with friends – she is the reason we’ve been so cautious. We’re really grateful that she was able to get the vaccine.

Many people who are vulnerable and at risk are waiting eagerly for their turn; others are more hesitant for a variety of reasons. We know that this virus has disproportionately affected some populations at higher rates because of the unique combination of factors that make certain groups more vulnerable — being older, having multiple chronic medical conditions, or being a member of certain racial/ethnic groups. These differences, known as health disparities, arise not because of any biological differences between groups as we are all part of the same human family. Rather, it is for reasons such as being more likely to be employed in essential work settings and thus at greater risk of being exposed to the virus, and more likely to be uninsured and have less access to health care with more chronic medical conditions. These factors are called the social determinants of health, where longstanding underlying inequities have been revealed by the pandemic. That is why some of us say that everything contributes to health, and health contributes to everything — because good health is requisite for our ability to be successful in school, to be productive workers, to enjoy time with our families, and to live long, fulfilling lives.

As a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel begins to shine with increasing numbers of people vaccinated, and hospitalizations and deaths finally beginning to decline, we can dare to look forward to resuming the in-person celebrations we had to cancel or put off. And I imagine that even the mundane activities of our daily lives will seem celebratory — going to work and chatting around the water-cooler, convening in person, exchanging handshakes and hugs.

The infectious nature of this pandemic has illuminated how we are all connected, that any one of us is only as healthy as others in our community, that we are all in this together — and that at heart, we all want the same thing.

Dr. Trinidad Tellez is a family physician and health equity strategist, community advocate, and consultant.

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