Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

   Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/c4Ol1ZINFo0   Primary CoVid infections occurred half as often and secondary transmission was 72% lower in schools that mandated universal masking vs those where masking was optional.  This the conclusion of a multistate observational study led by Duke University researchers during the last 6 months of 2021.  Data from 1,112,899 students and 157,069 school staff in 9 states were included in the study.     In schools with universal masking, the incidence of primary CoVid infections was 2.7 per 1000 students.  Compare that with the incidence of 4.3 per 1000 in schools with partial masking and 5.4 per 1000 in schools with optional masking.  The inescapable conclusion: school masking keeps kids healthy.   Good public health requires rules driven by science and data and citizen teamwork.  Personal rights and freedoms become secondary to public safety since your individual precautions or lack of them affects all of us. This principle applies not only to masking but also to vaccination,