Will CDC’s Recommendation For Masks in Schools Lead to a Renewed Mandate in Central NC Classrooms? – July 27, 2021
The CDC now recommends everyone in school buildings wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, as the more contagious delta variant spreads. Most school districts in central North Carolina said they are reviewing recommendations from the CDC. One big question: will the CDC’s announcement change the guidance Gov. Roy Cooper issued last week?
David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, reported UNC is not seeing more children in the hospital due to the delta variant, but some places are.
“There’s reports from around the world, especially Indonesia lately, that young kids are getting really sick with delta,” Wohl said. “In southwest Missouri, they’ve talked about infants getting really ill in the hospital.”
Even if children don’t end up in the hospital, some develop lasting symptoms.
Watch or read the CBS-17 story.
Medical Groups Push For More Places in NC to Require COVID Vaccines – July 27, 2021
The Department of Veterans Affairs is requiring all medical personnel to be vaccinated, which includes employees such as dentists and nurses. It’s the first federal agency-wide mandate, joining a growing list of places requiring their medical staff to be vaccinated.
“Unfortunately, it’s not just a personal choice. This has implications and ramifications for those around you if you’re not vaccinated, and I think more and more companies and cities and towns are understanding that,” said David Wohl, MD.
Watch or read the CBS-17 story.
NC COVID-19 Case Count Not Likely to Let Up Until Fall – July 27, 2021
More than 5,400 new cases of COVID-19 were reported since Friday. Numbers from Saturday alone are the most reported on a single day since April 30. David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, predicts the numbers won’t be slowing down any time soon.
“It’s not like we didn’t tell you so. We knew this was happening. We saw it happening across the world,” said Wohl.
Watch or read the CBS-17 story.
Potential COVID-19 Boosters May Be Focused On Immunocompromised Population – July 23, 2021
Some who are fully vaccinated are now wondering if they need another dose of their COVID-19 vaccine. This comes after North Carolina reported 6% of new infections are in fully vaccinated people. However with a steady drop in vaccination rates since their peak in April, public health experts want initial doses to be the priority right now, rather than boosters.
Infectious disease expert David Wohl, MD, told CBS-17 that it is not something that can be totally ruled out for the future.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a tremendously huge amount of people but I think there may be a subset of the population for whom vaccination in standard doses doesn’t work,” said Wohl.
Watch or read the CBS-17 story.
As COVID Cases Surge, Will Mask Rules Return to NC? – July 21, 2021
With COVID-19 cases rising, will mask mandates return to North Carolina? Los Angeles and several California cities have gone back to mandatory mask wearing. Lawmakers in Arkansas and Missouri are also talking about reimposing the restriction.
David Wohl, MD, said he believes it’s time for mask mandates to return. He said they should be required for vaccinated and unvaccinated people in places where vaccination status is unknown, like in stores and restaurants.