(L-r) Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, Senior Fellow, Federation of American Scientists; Dr. Jose Perez, Chief Medical Officer, South Central Family Health Center; Dr. Ben Neuman, Chief Virologist, Global Health Research Complex at Texas A&M University (Photo: Ethnic Media Services)

TL; DR

No, this is not about the song from Future. This is about our future and our resilience against COVID-19. As we emerge from a hibernating economy and new mutations of the Coronavirus start concatenating, experts believe we need to keep our guard up and create a “great wall” against COVID-19.

Here is a recap of a briefing with panelists: Dr. Eric Feigl Ding – Epidemiologist and Health Economist, Federation of American Scientists; Dr. Jose Perez – Chief Medical Officer, South Central Family Health Center; Dr. Ben Neuman – Chief virologist, Global Health Research Complex, Texas A&M University.

An eye-opener: vaccines simply mitigate the spread and assist our immunity. Being fully vaccinated doesn’t equate to masks coming off.

While many misinformed Americans are making masks a political issue, scientists are chiming in with a message, ‘Get vaccinated and wear a mask to curb the spread. Listen to science.’ It’s common sense and straightforward, however, many have a thwarted mindset and believe that “science doesn’t know!” The last time a certain trumpet blared that, we are facing the consequences till date.

Here is a breakdown of why masks should still be worn and why vaccinations should still be a top priority for us.

The ‘Delta’ Variant

Best described by Dr. Eric Feigl Ding, the “Delta” variant is “faster, stronger, higher.” He outlines that the Delta variant is more severe, more transmissible, and more vaccine evasive than the former variants. To add on, Both Dr. Neuman and Dr. Perez highlight rising cases in Texas and LA county, especially amongst unvaccinated communities. The kicker is that these unvaccinated clusters can be a threat to the nation.

How do Masks Protect?

Experts urge everyone to embrace masking. Dr. Neuman says that masks are the one definitive shield that can protect us and everyone around us from COVID-19. The irony is that people are focusing their efforts on curbing an airborne virus by sanitizing surfaces, installing shields, and controlling foot traffic flow which only targets 0-1% of the virus. The easiest solution is to wear a mask, which can reduce 99-100% of the infections.

Dr. Ding says that the science behind masks is proven alluding to a CDC confirming that double-masking can help reduce aerosols inhalation and sourcing by a significant amount.

Dr. Perez believes, “masks are here to stay.” Dr. Perez recommends that vaccinated people should still wear a mask, especially in a crowded setting. He gives an example of his 4th of July celebration where everyone wore a mask and social bubbles were created by age group.

How about Kids and Schools?

Dr. Ding says that kids are not immune to the COVID-19 virus. 1 in 12 kids deal with ‘long covid’ impacting long-term development. Dr. Ding uses a car seat as an example. No one would buy a car seat that has a failure rate of 1 in 12 because it is unacceptable. Yet, parents are pushing for kids to get back to school despite seeing rising cases amongst unvaccinated students.

Our Actions Matter

“There is a very direct relationship between the virus growing and the virus mutating.” Dr. Neuman says that if we can stop the spread of COVID, we can stop the growth of it which would lead to fewer mutations and the virus “eventually dies out.”

Dr. Ding says that we need to build a wall against COVID using the “Swiss Cheese approach.”

“If you layer enough swiss cheese together, you will create a wall. And that’s what we want: a wall against COVID, not just a leaky fence against COVID.”

Dr. Ding says that masking, getting vaccinated, socially distancing, and contact tracing can help tackle COVID-19. 

The Gen-Z South Asian Take

What is alarming is that South Asian parents are heavily misinformed and believe that the vaccine grants them full immunity from COVID-19. What they fail to understand is that they can still be a host for the spread and need to continue wearing masks in a highly crowded setting, whether indoors or out. To further the dissonance, when the Gen-Z counterparts – son and/or daughter – are urging their parents wear masks, the parents go deaf.

Within the South Asian Gen-Z community, there is a consensus for getting vaccinated and an urge to continue masking in highly crowded settings. This statement does come with caveats.

In an informal survey, we noticed a variety of perspectives between the community when it came to masking.

Some believed that wearing the mask is a way for people to be a part of the solution and slight discomfort is a small price to pay for the greater good. Even vaccinated people should be wearing masks whenever possible, regardless of official guidelines.

Others had a more moderate approach where they would wear a mask but would take it off in a restaurant or outdoors, regardless of crowd size.

Some understand the need for masks even though they feel it might be a bit excessive and resort to local ordinances regarding masks.

On the other end of the spectrum, some people believe masking is completely pointless, once vaccinated.

When looking at the demographics, it seems high-school students and female Gen-Z South Asians are more apt to masking and taking more precautions compared to male college students.

When we widen the lens, most people have this misconception that vaccines equate to full immunity. We should know better by now, and it’s time we work towards ending this war once and for all. Masks On – Virus, Masks On!