To mask or not to mask? Docs share their own practices

Also: What to know about rising stroke rates among young people [View in browser](    [❤️]( March 16, 2022 Editor's Note: We had a tech glitch and this newsletter never hit your inboxes on Monday. Sorry about that! This newsletter, as always, is filled with interesting stories and insights, so we wanted to make sure you got it – even on a Wednesday instead. Happy reading. Hello CommonHealth reader, Many people are throwing off their masks with joy — but definitely not everyone. We received a couple dozen responses to our newsletter question last week, and the overwhelming sentiment was: I will continue wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. Several readers said they will mask up out of “deference” to everyone else. Others mentioned unvaccinated grandchildren that they’re trying to protect. A few mentioned their own medical preconditions. And some of you expressed concerns about being stigmatized for wearing a mask. I was struck by the number of people who said, after two years, they’ve lost trust in our fellow human beings and don't feel comfortable relying on others to get vaccinated or wear their masks correctly. Janet Green, a newsletter reader, wrote with this interesting idea: “There should be masked hours at grocery stores.” It could be similar to the senior hours some stores offered early in the pandemic. And it seems like it could apply to other places too — certain showings at movie theaters could be masked, or certain days at a museum. I asked a few doctors and epidemiologists what their own mask practices will be going forward. - Jeremy Faust is an ER doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He’s still limiting how much he goes indoors in public places. If he absolutely has to go inside, like for grocery shopping, he puts on an N95. He also wears one while traveling and at work. “I don't just wear an N95 when I see patients, but almost every second I'm on the [hospital] premises,” he said. - His reason is simple: “I have a nearly 4-year-old daughter who is not eligible for vaccination yet. Even though I think that, were she to get the coronavirus, she’d be relatively low risk. I don't feel like gambling with that when we are likely weeks or months — at worst — away from being able to vaccinate her.” - Emily Pond, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and Massachusetts resident, said she feels comfortable without a mask in many settings, including movie theaters. And she’s been to a few restaurants lately. “I'm vaccinated and boosted,” she said. “I think that's the most important tool to protect yourself.” - Bill Hanage has landed somewhere between Faust and Pond. He’s an epidemiologist and co-director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He’ll be keeping his mask on in places where people don't really need to see his face. - As he joked: “When I go to a grocery store, I go to get groceries, not to show off my boyish good looks.” Whether you feel comfortable shedding your mask indoors or decide to keep it on, this next stage of the pandemic is confusing and can cause a lot of anxiety. [This Life Kit episode from late 2021]( talks about this "pandemic limbo" and gives good tips on how to rebound and move forward in a way that feels authentic to you. Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Wheelchairs repairs can take a month, or longer, leaving people stranded]( More than 50% of wheelchairs break down in a six-month period, experts say. And while those in the industry point to many causes, people who use wheelchairs suffer the consequences. [Read more.]( [Wheelchairs repairs can take a month, or longer, leaving people stranded]( More than 50% of wheelchairs break down in a six-month period, experts say. And while those in the industry point to many causes, people who use wheelchairs suffer the consequences. [Read more.]( [Pfizer-BioNTech will seek authorization for second COVID booster for older adults]( Pfizer and BioNTech are planning to ask the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a second COVID-19 booster shot for people age 65 and older. [Read more.]( [Pfizer-BioNTech will seek authorization for second COVID booster for older adults]( Pfizer and BioNTech are planning to ask the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a second COVID-19 booster shot for people age 65 and older. [Read more.]( [Stroke rates are increasing among young people. Here's what you need to know]( Hailey Bieber's blood clot in the brain shows that young people can experience stroke-like symptoms, too. And among young people, stroke rates are on the rise. [Read more.]( [Stroke rates are increasing among young people. Here's what you need to know]( Hailey Bieber's blood clot in the brain shows that young people can experience stroke-like symptoms, too. And among young people, stroke rates are on the rise. [Read more.]( [The White House says it's running out of money to cover COVID tests and vaccines]( The White House asked for more money from Congress to keep its COVID response going. But that hasn't happened, so some things need to be wound down. [Read more.]( [The White House says it's running out of money to cover COVID tests and vaccines]( The White House asked for more money from Congress to keep its COVID response going. But that hasn't happened, so some things need to be wound down. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts highest court considers allowing medically assisted death]( The State Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving profound questions about a person's control over the end of their life and whether a doctor can legally help. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts highest court considers allowing medically assisted death]( The State Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving profound questions about a person's control over the end of their life and whether a doctor can legally help. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 Almost two years ago, in those early days of the pandemic, my friend got COVID. His wife — who continued to share a bed with him while he was sick — did not get it. Later, an antibody test showed she was negative for the immune molecules that would come with even an asymptomatic infection. Over the next two years, she had several more significant exposures. Yet, she’s never gotten infected. Her story is far from unique. Reading [Daniela Lamas’ opinion piece in The New York Times]( I learned that one researcher put out a call for such people and got 10,000 responses from all over the world, from Siberia to Patagonia. Lamas, who is a critical care doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says it is still a big mystery why some people seem impervious to COVID despite prolonged exposure. Genes are likely a key piece of the puzzle. Particularly, there is a genetic variation that impacts the “activity of natural killer cells” in the immune system that might be important. The implications for figuring out why some get sick and others don’t are huge — and not just for COVID. Lamas points out that such variation in how people respond to an infection is seen in many contexts. She writes of fraternal twins who were infected with Zika in utero: one had severe birth defects and the other seemed to be totally spared. There have also been studies about genetic susceptibility to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. But this is the first time there’s been such focused attention on the field. Despite the spotlight, Lamas warns, “it is likely that we will never have a complete explanation.” "If 50% of people had their car break down in a six-month period, they'd probably be pretty upset." — Lynn Worobey, of the University of Pittsburgh, found that [50% of wheelchairs break down]( in a typical six-month period. ICYMI [Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers]( Critics say the Department of Correction is too reluctant to approve the release of seriously ill prisoners despite state law. [Read more.]( [Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers]( Critics say the Department of Correction is too reluctant to approve the release of seriously ill prisoners despite state law. [Read more.]( Did you know... scientists have documented some 800 carnivorous plants? Apparently, they are on the cusp of figuring out how ["mild-mannered flowering plants evolved into murderous meat-eaters."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.