Letter to the editor: Facts and data should drive mask decisions

Facts, hard data needed before making mask mandates

In the Aug. 19 edition of the Sewickley Herald was an article entitled “Experts support return to class.” In the article, the reporter quotes Dr. Andrew Nowalk of UPMC, stating that pediatric covid-19 cases remain in the low single digits. Dr. Nowalk declined to give a specific figure as to how many children are hospitalized with the virus.

It is clear from the article that UPMC is the regional central repository for pediatric cases. At the end of the article, Dr. Nowalk says that he believes local school districts should institute mask mandates for all students, regardless of vaccination status.

So, a doctor at the division of pediatric infectious diseases for the regional center for pediatric covid cases tells the public that there are between one and nine kids hospitalized with covid in the entire region. Based on that, he makes the statement that thousands and thousands of kids should spend the entire school day wearing a mask. His statement is unsubstantiated numerically (between one and nine), and completely disregards all science concerning both the efficacy of masks and the detriment to children resulting from masking.

Sadly, his statement will be relied upon by professional educators and parents.

The fact that according to the CDC, as of Aug. 18, there have been 430 deaths in the United States in kids from age 0 through age 18.

In England, the vaccine advisory group did a study of data from the first 12 months of the pandemic and concluded that a child has a 1 in 50,000 chance of being admitted o the ICU and a 2 in 1 million risk of death. Further, the group concluded that “those living with multiple chronic illnesses and neuro-disabilities are most at risk, though the overall risk remains low.”

Parents, administrators, teachers and school boards should have facts and hard data when making important decisions about whether or not to suggest or require masks in schools.

Mike Chutz

Sewickley