Dr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

This is going under the radar, but looks like the CDC guidelines for masking are switching back to COVID-19 Community *TRANSMISSION* levels instead of "Community levels."

That means the CDC now recommends universal masking for **71%** of counties in the US, instead of only 9%.

#COVID #COVID19

Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

As a reminder, earlier in 2022, the CDC changed their COVID maps over to "Community Levels", which is more an indicator of whether hospitals are full, rather than transmission alone. It effectively downplayed the amount of COVID spread.

#COVID #COVID19

Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

Here's a good explanation from the People's CDC about why the CDC "Community Levels" map is problematic, and downplays the state of the pandemic, exposing more people to harm.

https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/03/peoples-cdc-covid-guidelines

#COVID #COVID19

The CDC is beholden to corporations and lost our trust. We need to start our own

We’re epidemiologists, nurses and physicians, artists and biologists. We have come together with a common anger at the US government’s handling of Covid

The Guardian
Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

If it's true that the CDC is switching back to COVID community *transmission* for their masking guidelines, that's a good thing because people need to mask when COVID spread goes up, not just when hospitals are full. It also means the CDC is really worried about new variants.

#COVID #COVID19

Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

The other implication of the CDC switching masking guidelines back to COVID Community *Transmission* is that many places can't use the "we are following CDC guidelines" excuse anymore.

Under current CDC guidelines, mask mandates should be in place for 71% of counties in the US.

#COVID #COVID19

Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Dec 30, 2022

SOURCES

CDC tweet recommending masks during high transmission: https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1608875618497867776

CDC Community Transmission Map: http://covidtransmissionmap.com

CDC Community Levels Guidelines and Map: https://cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

CDC on Twitter

“Do your part to help protect yourself, your community, & our hospitals:  -Stay up to date on #COVID19 vaccines  -Test before going to large gatherings  -Wear a mask if you're in an area w/ high community transmission or if you choose  https://t.co/DmfPOAQk9u #XBB.1.5”

Twitter
Show threadElizabeth Loves DEIDec 30, 2022
@luckytran, I just looked up my county (King County, WA: I live in Seattle). The text result says community transmission is "low". The color coded map says "substantial". The color coded map doesn't have a single county that's marked "low" in the entire state. The CDC is so confusing.
Show threadDr. Lucky Tran 
@Dr_Elizabeth97 Yes, they are being intentionally confusing, in part to downplay the pandemic and allow places to justify dropping precautions prematurely. You should go by the transmission map (covidtransmissionmap.com), which shows substantial. (The low refers to community levels, which weights hospital capacity)
Dec 30, 2022 at 10:03pmWeb
Show threadElizabeth Loves DEIDec 31, 2022
@luckytran , thank you! I just assume that I should be masking indoors when in a public setting. I never stopped. I hate the lack of clear guidance from two administrations. Thank you for what you do!
Show threadmindstalkDec 31, 2022
@Dr_Elizabeth97 @luckytran I estimate that 0.5-4% of the population has covid at any moment, pretty much everywhere.