“Short-term mask requirements, based on clear metrics and targets, and the provision of high-quality masks to families will keep kids and staff in school and parents at work.” - Excerpt from “Universal Masking in School Works. New Data Shows How Well” Behind the V-Flex N95 from @3M is Jon Levy, ScD, Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, @BUSPH, one of the authors of the @TIME article that amplifies an @NEJM study that shows the clear-cut benefits of universal masking. The study by scientists at @HarvardChanSPH, @MassGeneral Hospital, @BUSPH & Boston’s Public Health Commission shows rescinding mask requirement in the #Boston region alone caused ~17,500 days of school absence in students and 6,500 days of staff absence from March to June. “Strategic use of masks should be referred to as a primary means of increasing learning—not the opposite—because kids cannot learn when they are at home sick, in the hospital, or when their instructors are out sick.” Protecting children from Covid and #LongCovid is among the many benefits the article highlighted. Today, our nation is back in crisis mode, with long waits at ER and shortages of staffed pediatric ICU beds due to the surge in respiratory viruses. We need to bring back masking, in addition to contact tracing, physical distancing, COVID testing and reporting. High quality masks should be provided for students and staff in lower-resourced districts where school buildings don’t have proper ventilation, classrooms are crowded, and a higher proportion of individuals are more vulnerable to harmful health outcomes, including those with disabilities. The TIME article also emphasizes that “Lower-resourced schools deserve to have a central voice in policy decision making.” We cannot agree more. To address the greater burden on lower-resourced schools, the authors urge tangible and immediate investments in those schools. In addition, one of the urgent needs is universal paid sick leave, which will allow more people to take time off to get a booster or to stay home when they are sick or if they need to care for their family members. Link in bio: http://bit.ly/3u8q7sU

Take Care Of Yourself! @cdcgov and @hhsgov both recommend wearing masks in all indoor public transportation settings. The #immunocompromised, #elderly & #spoonies are counting on us! #HolidayTravel ✈️ Tips for High Risk Travelers: -Wear N95 for check points/body searches -Wear elastomeric respirator on flights for comfort, breathability -Turn ventilators on after seated -Check CO2monitor before eating or drinking -Sanitize hands before and after unmasking if you must drink or eat -Unmask only when air circulation is fair ( CO2 <1000ppm ) -Mask up 😷 ASAP after you are done! Thank you @AbbadFreimann for this beautiful song! Support #publichealth and our #frontlineheroes #VentilationMatters #MaskTogetherAmerica #APandemicStoryByMTA #thanksgiving2022

Behind the KN95 is Kim, who lost her dad to COVID-19 in 2020. Her twins, Justin and Melody, was recently assaulted for wearing their masks. Inside a bar, with a band performing live, a man punched Justin, a pharmacy technician who is autistic. The man also poured beer down the back of Melody’s shirt. @CBSNews reported the incident that happened on Nov. 10, 2022. Justin and Melody always #MaskUp whenever they are around others because they are well aware of the serious outcomes of getting COVID-19 and spreading it. The pain from the traumatic loss of their grandfather stays with them and everyone in their family. “My 25-year-old son who is in the spectrum and my 25-year-old daughter went with a friend to see a band. They were the only ones in the bar wearing masks. This big stocky muscle head comes up behind my son and says: “What the F— are you trying to prove?” My son replied, “Nothing. It’s my right to wear a Mask if I want to” and walked away. This man sucker-punched him from behind for no reason (Other than he was wearing a mask.) The man also poured beer down the back of my daughter’s shirt.” Mom @kimmy_silpada wishes the police will find the man. Kim and her family needs support from our #MaskTogetherAmerica community. “People who wear their masks, whether by choice or due to lower immunity, or working with #elderly and people who are #immunocompromised, or dealing with Trauma and PTSD from losing their loved ones in this pandemic…like our family, shouldn’t feel intimidated or threatened for protecting themselves or their loved ones. Violence cannot be tolerated. There should be a LAW against THIS type of HATE Crime!” Watch full coverage from @cbsnewyork @cbsnews (Link in bio) https://cbsn.ws/3UbkZPx #EndBullying #CBSNews #APandemicStoryByMTA

We ❤️#COVIDSMART Superboy in KN95 📸👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam with @dccomicsjustice @newyorkcomiccon @dcnewsfeed . . #documentaryphotographer #maskedhero #masktogetheramerica

Heather is getting ready to join Halloween Zoom Meeting at 6:00PM EDT (Tonight) Register to join: https://bit.ly/46GJhrm #MaskTogetherAmerica #halloween 🎃

Why did governments drop the C19 emergency phase instead of using a three or four phase stepdown to help the people live with the virus? In response, biomedical scientist Dr. Corthals @drangeliquecorthals, @cunyedu @johnjaycollege & @doctorswithoutborders consultant, talks about how divisiveness hurts mitigation. On YouTube: 👉 👉 https://youtu.be/lqg1KodNBdw Mitigation needs collective action. Join #MaskTogetherAmerica to embrace the layered approach: 😷+💉+🔄+👃🏻+🧴Let’s urge the CDC to embrace ALL the tools and support the development for better tools. Join Petition 👉 https://t.co/PcVWUPpz49

“I am boosted and would like to get my children the new C19 shots but @walgreens and @walmart won’t take Medicaid. We haven't had COVlD yet, and would like to reduce our risks of getting #LongCovid,” Behind the KN95 is Jaclyn @dashofthis -wearing a 💜purple color “migraine ice hat” to help relieve the pain in her head. She had taken her daughter to the ER, also for severe migraine. “We were the only people wearing masks, but thankfully they were not busy. We kept our masks on the entire time because staff did not wear masks. I had a migraine, and the mask helps block hospital fragrances, so that's a bonus.” Jaclyn is married to a disabled veteran. They have two teenage children in public school. Jaclyn got the C19 and Flu shots at @krogerco 2 weeks ago, but she is having trouble getting their kids the new C19 shots in Tennessee. “My kids have had 4 C19 shots, but they haven't had the new one yet. They got their 4th shots at the health department last year. Unfortunately, the health department is only offering free #flushots at some of the public schools, not the C19 shots. I need to call them. I got mine 2 weeks ago. Although the pharmacist offers the flu shot to everyone who picks up their prescriptions, I have to ask for the C19 shot.” We are grateful to Jaclyn for reporting about the discouraging issues Medicaid Enrollees are facing in Tennessee. Privatization of lifesaving mitigation tools exacerbates #inequality in #publichealth. “Between the four of us, we have multiple chronic illnesses and we find it very important as a family to v•ccinate, wear masks, and maintain good hygiene.” 👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam Be a #MaskedHero #MaskTogetherAmerica #KeepMasksINHealthcare Image Description: A person, sitting inside a car, wearing a KN95 and a purple ice hat to help relieve pain in her head from migraine.

“I’m #immunocompromised, so I always wear my masks in crowded places. Got it twice, can’t recover fully. I can’t recover my taste.” Behind the KN95 is GiGi @mta subway rider 🚇 #longhauler 📸👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam 💔 Sharing #documentaryphotography to support #masktogetheramerica. Stay #COVIDSMART. 😷+💉+🔄+👃🏻+🧴Mitigation is about Love. Protect each other.

Sars-CoV-2🦠 loves poorly ventilated spaces ( @mta buses ) & people who are #immunocompromised. I wear N95s to protect my fragile kidneys— determine to dodge its invasion of my health. And I am not alone. Sitting behind me is Joaquin Ebratt, a kitchen designer who wears @3m N95s for work long before the pandemic. “I’m planning to wear mine forever. The virus is here to stay and I don’t want to catch it.”Joaquin was able to have the protection of high filtration masks at the start of the pandemic because he works in construction, and he shared the limited supply with his family and friends. Valved respirators are not for source control but offer excellent protection. Joaquin is aware that a valved N95 only protects the user and should not be worn if you have symptoms or test positive for C19. “My issue is I wear glasses and have a big nose. Glasses steam up. Only fix is washing in green liquid dish soap and not rinsing. It needs extra polish to get rid of residual soap streaks.”—Besides sharing tips on how to get rid of fogging on glasses, Joaquin also told me how his family made masks out of shipping foam and old bra cups when they ran out of supply in 2020. “Personal protection has always been my thing. Dust masks, vinyl respirator with replaceable cartridges and eye protection. Construction is physically dangerous and a hazard to your respiratory system. I always have my mask and goggles in my kit. That's the reason I'm not dragging an Oxygen bottle around or being led around by a Guide Dog. Lots of new heartbreaking cases of young workers getting really sick and disabled fabricating quartz countertops.” Joaquin said that COVlD is another hazard we need protection from. Coincidently, we both just visited @nyphospital and we saw clerical staff not masking in the highest risk work environment. Health workers and patients should be protected. We must #KeepMasksInHealthcare. 👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam 💔 #MaskTogetherAmerica Image description: Two riders wearing N95 masks on a bus. Julie was holding a CO2monitor. The CO2 level was 1331ppm on the bus. 800ppm is CDC’s acceptable level.

"I wear my Handanhy FFP3 not only because I am clinically vulnerable and also to protect my friends and family during a time when there are woefully inadequate protections against COVlD in society at large.” Robert, @robert_edi , an East Lothian painter + modelmaker, is holding Beulah Hare, who’s wearing a duckbill style Valmy FFP3 in the #maskedportrait. Robert, who has a quirky sense of humor, bought his first 3D Printer in 2020. Since then, he has been making toy-sized respirator masks and HEPA filters for his stuffies and models from miniature masked protestors to plague doctors. He shares pictures of them on his @instagram account: @beulahandfriends —to connect with fellow #covidconcious people. What a delightful surprise to find COVlD awareness perfect for all ages: 2nd Image: Protesting safely 🪧 3rd Image: #KeepMasksInHealthcare 4th Image: A Mass Disabling Event “Besides making these models purely for my own pleasure, I am looking into the possibility of making the models available to the larger #Coviding community during this ongoing pandemic.” I bet @Barbie can also use an air purifier and an elastomeric respirator when she dances with Ken. Let’s cheer for all the miniature #MaskedHeroes! 👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam #MaskTogetherAmerica

“COVlD spreads through the air like smoke and has been shown to cause multi-system damage in individuals of all ages, including kids.” Behind the KF94 is Lauren, @midcoastmama , who is an education professor and parent. “We can reject an individualist, ableist approach to the pandemic and instead protect each other by taking simple, common-sense precautions like wearing a mask. We can also advocate for local businesses, workplaces, medical facilities, and schools to implement research-based mitigations. As a parent and scholar activist, I hope to use my presence on social media and in my local community to promote masking for community care and to push back against the normalization of mass infections.” We completely agree with Lauren! Mitigation requires collective action. #PublicHealth awareness also requires collective action. We are grateful to all the #MaskedHeroes for supporting #MaskTogetherAmerica. 👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam Image description: An AFAB parent is wearing a KF94 mask at a farmer’s market.

Privatization of a critical mitigation tool exacerbates #HealthInequalities. Inaction to publicly address issues with the rollout and not promoting other mitigation tools: ventilation + masks will result in tragic outcomes: more preventable deaths + #LongCovid cases. 💔 #MaskTogetherAmerica community is grateful to @kffhealthnews for reporting the confluence of problems Pediatricians are struggling with in this rollout. https://bit.ly/3FtZ0hQ Author Jackie Fortiér reports that even though the CDC announced on Sept. 12 that the ONLY recommended mitigation tool should be available within days across the country, the shots for 6 months to 11 yr-old are still highly inaccessible a month later due to technicalities about who can give the shots, lack of info on availabilities & resources, reduction in supply & holding back on outreach. Though VAC ( V•ccines for Children Program ) is run by the CDC, @cdc.director was unaware of any supply & ordering issues! KFF article: https://bit.ly/3S8ttcG We learned from many families, inclu Anne Hamilton, mom of 5, member of #MaskTogetherAmerica community that health insurance issues also add hassles to families looking for providers. Anne could only get the 💉 for Jimmy & Katie (4 & 11) from a pop-up clinic run by LA County. @ameracadpeds just posted this statement today: “AAP calls for sweeping changes to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to provide more consistent and equitable coverage and ensure children can access the care they need to grow and thrive.” https://bit.ly/46H9QwR Medicaid & CHIP insured >50% of all US children & youth prior to the ending of public health emergency. As a result of the nationwide Medicaid disenrollment of children, millions of children lost health coverage. Dr. Kusma from AAP proposes combining Medicaid & CHIP to strength equity in healthcare access. See her proposal: https://bit.ly/403Omb3 Our gov’t needs to take action to ensure equitable health coverage for all the children. Image Description: Reposting articles from KFF Health News & AAP and proudly sharing the picture of C19-boosted Katie & Jimmy, whom we recently featured to support the rollout.