Feature

ID experts dole out practical advice to help with mask confusion


 

How to protect toddlers and infants

With masks not practical or recommended for infants and toddlers under 2 years old, Dr. Marrazzo said adults should remember that ‘’those very little kids don’t do poorly at all [even if infected], although there is not a ton of data.”

Adults should still treat young children as vulnerable, especially newborns. Adults not yet vaccinated should wear a mask when around them, she said.

J & J vaccine recipients

With less ‘’real world” data on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, should those who got it think of themselves in a different risk group than those who got Moderna or Pfizer and adjust their behavior accordingly?

“The J&J vaccine, based on everything we know, does provide a great deal of protection,” Dr. Marrazzo said. ‘’We don’t know as much about prevention of transmission in the asymptomatic cases in the J&J.”

Most of that data, she said, is from the mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna. “I think it’s an important area to study and learn about.” But all three vaccines, overall, provide a high level of protection, she said.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Pages

Recommended Reading

Omics analysis links blood type to COVID-19
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Less ambulatory care occurred than expected in pandemic, according to study
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Dapagliflozin misses as treatment for COVID-19 but leaves intriguing signal for benefit
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Internists’ patient visits rebound to near pre-COVID norms: Pay down slightly from previous year
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Dr. Fauci: Extraordinary challenges, scientific triumphs with COVID-19
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
COVID-19 in children: Weekly cases drop to 6-month low
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Worse outcomes for patients with COPD and COVID-19
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Pressure on primary care expected to intensify with long-COVID
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
Family physicians’ compensation levels stable in pandemic
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management
HHS to inject billions into mental health, substance use disorders
Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management