NYC health commissioner sparks fury as he says kids under five should remain masked INDEFINITELY
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New York City‘s new health commissioner sparked outrage after announcing that children aged five and under should wear face masks indefinitely, bucking the national trend of ditching masks and going in the face of vast evidence that kids are at little risk from Covid-19.
‘I think it’s indefinite at this point,’ Dr. Ashwin Vasan said Friday during a COVID-19 briefing in Queens. ‘People who have tried to predict what’s going to happen in the future in this pandemic have repeatedly found egg on their face, as they say, and I’m not going to do that here today.’
The woke commissioner, who has three children including a four-year-old son, argued he wanted to mask children because under fives are not vaccinated.
‘As a father of a two-and-a-half-year old-and two other older kids, I want to keep them as safe as possible. I would love nothing more than to send my son to daycare without a mask,’ Vasan said, according to CBS New York.
‘But as a scientist, and as a doctor, and an epidemiologist, I want to keep him safe because he’s not eligible for a vaccine.’
His comments sparked fear and fury among frustrated New York parents who face having to force their young children to keep wearing a mask in the face of mounting evidence that they are at little risk. It also comes as every state, except Hawaii, has lifted or announced plans to lift masking requirements in schools.
Vasan is the latest addition to new Mayor Eric Adams’ collection of progressive leaders, among whom include District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Although Adams has appointed Vasan to address the pandemic, the pair have seemingly opposing viewpoints on COVID related issues as the mayor indicated Thursday that kids would soon be unmasked.
NYC’s new health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, thinks that children ages five and under should continue wearing face masks indefinitely despite by the nationwide trend to lift pandemic-era mandates
The commissioner, who has a four-year-old son, argued that unmasking is not safe for those who are unvaccinated
Vasan is the city’s 44th health commissioner, replacing Dr. Dave Chokshi, who recently stepped down from the role.
Friday’s remarks were made during his first-ever COVID press conference and have been met with mixed response online.
‘Keep the least vulnerable masked while saying it’s A-ok to have the most vulnerable unmasked,’ Ed Rahfield argued.
‘Do you realize that kids 5 & up are not all vaccinated. It should be us as parents choice if we want our children to wear a mask. Worry about the crime rate in NYC & not our children,’ Kimberly Raimondo stated.
‘Really pathetic these corrupt pols (sic) just can’t let it go already proven to not work and actually makes things worse. But it was never about our health anyway. Like they care so much about us. Please,’ wrote Dimitrios Skaliotis.
‘Enough nonsense. Go to court. There is no more emergency. End the insanity,’ argued Linda Fox. ‘Hopefully the Mets and Yankees will play elsewhere this season, making Adams look like a schmuck.’
‘Leading to such ludicrous events as professional basketball players attending games in the audience but not being able to play in them,’ Dave Redmond echoed.
‘New York just can’t let it go………. they are gonna ride this ship to the bottom of the ocean if they have to. Too much pride,’ added Glen Miller.
Many online slammed Vasan as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘nuts,’ alleging he and the others in power are corrupt and ‘torturing children’.
‘Why are we masking the little ones ? That’s child abuse,’ questioned Dawn Doccola.
Vasan’s remarks were met with criticisms online. He was slammed as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘nuts’ and accused of ‘torturing children’. He is pictured on March 4, 2022
Ashwin Vasan uses social media to advocate for COVID vaccines, CRT, BLM and social welfare
New York City’s new health commissioner Ashwin Vasan has been incredibly vocal online with his apparently liberal views.
On his public social media accounts Vasan has advocated for vaccinating young children against COVID and supplying more resources to people suffering from mental illnesses.
He also defended the teaching of controversial critical race theory and is an apparent supporter of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
‘First they came for Critical Race Theory, now they’re coming for mental health and suicide prevention programs when we are literally in the midst of a national children’s mental health emergency? Absurd doesn’t begin to define this logic,’ he penned in November 2021, sharing a news article about parent activists allegedly targeting mental health programs.
The post echoed his October 2021 argument against jailing offenders with mental illnesses and instead advised that officials focus resources on ‘prevention, sustainable recovery and providing people with the resources they need to thrive in their communities.’
He also cautioned people against using the terms ‘addict’ and ‘substance abuse,’ alleging they are ‘stigmatizing to the lived experience’ of people facing those struggles.
New York City’s new health commissioner Ashwin Vasan has been incredibly vocal online with his apparently liberal views
In May 2021, he made a solemn post in remembrance of George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis one year prior.
‘Today, many of us are also reflecting on the last year as there has been a reinvigorated call for racial justice and police reform across the country, and millions of Americans took to the streets to demand an end to systemic racism and police brutality,’ he wrote.
‘While some progress has been made in the last year, including the conviction of George Floyd’s murderer, it’s not enough. We still have a long way to go to ensure that Black Lives Matter is not just a slogan, but a governing philosophy reinforced by substantive policy reforms at all levels of government.’
Later that year, he called out apparent ‘racist attacks’ that took place in New York City, saying he was ‘absolutely disgusted’ by the actions of the offenders.
‘Absolutely disgusted by the blatant racist attacks that have recently happened at Fountain House’s social enterprise, Fountain House and Body,’ Vasan wrote.
‘What was once a safe space for people living with mental illness has become dangerous because of the hate that resides in our city and in our nation. I’m tired…we’re tired, of this hate. But we’re not giving up the fight. Stand with us in solidarity and in the knowledge that #BlackLivesMatter.’
Additionally, Vasan has spoken out against the homelessness problem that has plagued the nation, alleging the government needs to take steps to provide housing to all Americans.
‘Homelessness is not an individual failing,’ he argued. ‘It is a failure of our government’s responsibility to ensure housing is a human right and to keep our most vulnerable safe.’
Others blasted voters for putting pandemic-focused leaders in power. However, it should be noted that Vasan was appointed to his position by Adams, not elected.
‘Keep voting for these liberal pr*cks,’ Paul Panagiotidis penned.
‘Keep voting for these people,’ said Maria Izzo Schuchmann. ‘You get what you deserve.’
‘Vote Republican governor come November,’ Sal Ferraro said.
Jason Oakley added: ‘That’s why I left New York. Good bye.’
Some people issued support for Vasan, although their comments were the minority.
‘May we all be Blessed with hopeful good news that this is all coming to an end,’ wrote Beverly Behrens. ‘God Bless and keep us all healthy from this awful Covid pandemic we have endured. Thank you for your service.’
‘What an impressive resume Dr. Vasan has,’ said Paola Jordan. ‘Excellent choice to have an epidemiologist at the helm of our DOH; I am confident we are in good hands for the next variant of the pandemic.’
Vasan is a primary care physician, epidemiologist and public health expert. He has been tasked by Mayor Eric Adams to handle pandemic management and recovery. Some social media users have issued support for him, whoever their views appear to be in the minority
The push to rescind mandates comes amid debate over the BA.2 variant of COVID, a sub-variant of the Omicron.
‘Currently there’s no evidence that BA.2 causes more severe illness, increases risks of hospitalization or that our current vaccines offer less protection against it, but we continue to monitor this,’ Vasan said, according to The New York Daily News.
He added: ‘We are tracking these variants very closely.’
He also reiterated the importance of getting the coronavirus booster shot.
‘We need all eligible New Yorkers to get their booster as soon as it’s their time, and for many of you, that time is now,’ the public health expert said.
‘Boosters are especially important for those at high risk of severe outcomes and those 65 and older — of which only 55 percent of New Yorkers have received their booster or additional dose.’
Vasan also said he doesn’t plan to drop the city’s workplace vaccine mandate anytime soon.
However, despite his push for continuing mandates, the woke epidemiologist did note that restrictions are taking a toll on residents and reminded them to prioritize their mental health – a topic the doctor is apparently passionate about.
‘We’ve all been through so much over these past few years and continuing coverage adds to strain of wellbeing,’ Vasan said, encouraging New Yorkers to seek help from mental health professionals if needed.
According to Quinn, the variant accounts for about 30 percent of NYC’s recent COVID cases
Children are less susceptible to COVID, studies show
There is heavy debate surrounding COVID precautions for children as several studies have revealed they face extremely low risk from the virus.
Data from from the American Academy of Pediatrics released this month shows that children accounted for about 19 percent of all COVID cases, but less than 0.26 percent of cases resulted in death.
Last month, researchers from the University of Berlin published a study in The Journal of the Royal Society that found, on average, children release less Covid particles into the air, especially when they are breathing, speaking or singing.
Researchers found that when children (orange) breath, speak or sing, the emit less Covid aerosol particles than adults (blue) do. Particle rates were similar when test subjects shouted, though
Experts believe that people who release lower amounts of aerosol particles when speaking have smaller viral loads, which also means they do not spread the virus at the same level.
The actual implications of this study can not be fully determined, but it does seem to indicate that children have smaller viral loads than adults – and hence spread the virus at lower rates.
A study from October of last year also found that around half of pediatric Covid cases are asymptomatic, and that was before the more mild Omicron variant became dominant in the U.S.
Hospitalizations of pediatric COVID patients are also rare.
Additionally, a study released at the end of February, found the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine has done little to protect five- to 11- year-olds from infection from the Omicron variant.
Researchers at the New York State Department Health found that the two-dose Pfizer shot was only 12 percent effective at preventing Omicron infection in the younger age group only one month after receiving the jab.
The main argument in favor of vaccinating children is to prevent them from spreading the virus, though the recent findings imply that the vaccine does little to prevent that anyways.
Dr. Celia Quinn, new Mayor Eric Adams’ deputy commissioner for disease control, argued during Friday’s briefing that cases of the BA.2 sub-variant have increased in recent weeks.
She said the variant accounts for about 30 percent of NYC’s cases.
‘It may be a little bit more transmissible, and that’s why it’s increasing in proportion to the other circulating omicron strains,’ she stated, according to the news outlet.
‘So we’ll be watching the cases, hospitalizations rates and its impact on our health care system.’
Last weekend, New York saw a spike in positive cases, which experts are attributing to the BA.2 sub-variant.
COVID cases more than doubled across the state this week with the positivity rate jumping from 1.45 percent on March 14 to 3.75 percent a day later.
As of Friday, the state’s seven-day average positivity rate now stands at 1.76 percent. There were 2,089 new COVID cases statewide reported on Friday and 16 deaths.
Overall, New York has reported 4,935,921 positive COVID cases and 67,191 deaths over the course of the pandemic.
Governor Kathy Hochul also announced Friday that COVID hospitalizations across New York – which total at 978 – are at the lowest its been since early August. Only 157 patients were in intensive care.
Vasan, a primary care physician, epidemiologist and public health expert, has been tasked to address pandemic management and recovery.
He also strives to revitalize the city health department’s work on chronic disease prevention, health equity and strengthen the public health business model, as well as establish innovative population mental health approaches.
He comes to the job with nearly 20 years experience focused on improving mental and physical health, social welfare and public policy for vulnerable populations, according to his Columbia University biography.
The public health expert spent nearly a decade expanding HIV treatment access in developing nations and assisting with in-country training, clinical programs and other efforts to improve primary care delivery using World Health Organization Integrated Management guidelines.
Most recently he served as President and CEO of Fountain House, one the largest community-based mental health and public health charities in the world.
During his tenure with the organization, he launched a $75million fundraising campaign that helped create a national mental health policy office in Washington DC and implement a mental health plan across the eight U.S. markets.
He also served on staff at the Columbia University Mailman College of Public Health since 2014, focusing on the implementation of science and global health.
Additionally, he worked at the College of Physicians and Surgeons providing care for low-income, Medicaid/Medicare or uninsured patients from Washington Heights, Harlem, and the South Bronx.
The newly minted health commissioner’s comments comes just one day after Mayor Eric Adams told a group of angry parents the mandate will be lifted.
‘I got this. They’ll be unmasked,’ Adams said Thursday, however he did not indicate when the unmasking would occur.
Adams also chastised a dad who took him to task over ongoing face mask rules.
‘Don’t yell, you’ll send the wrong message to your kids,’ he said, scolding the unnamed dad outside the Pig n’ Whistle pub in Midtown Manhattan. ‘Talk to me, don’t yell. You send the wrong message to your daughter.’
The dad then responded politely to Adams thanking him for answering.
Eric Adams is filmed telling a NYC dad to stop yelling in front of his daughter after being confronted about when under-5s would be unmasked in the city
Maria Kubak, 36, is pictured confronting Adams about her son, who suffers from a speech phobia. He replied by telling the mom that he too is a father – even though his son is now 26 and unaffected by the face-covering mandate
Adams’ visit to the pub was marred by multiple parents demanding to know when their young children would be allowed to remove the face coverings they must still wear at school.
They must continue to wear the face coverings because COVID vaccines haven’t been approved for under-five’s, even though youngsters have been shown to be at extremely low risk from serious COVID infections.
Maria Kubak, 36, a financial professional, and another mom waited inside the Pig & Whistle bar where Adams enjoyed an early morning pint of Guinness before the St. Patrick’s Day parade to put the mayor on the spot about lifting the restriction for tykes and toddlers.
‘You want to be the mayor or you want me to be the mayor,’ he asked the concerned mothers.
‘I would love to hear from you,’ one says back to him.
‘I’m a dad too,’ he said.
Kubak, who has a three-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son, said she wanted to remind him that his 26-year-old son doesn’t have to wear a mask.
But he walked away before she had a chance.
‘I find that’s very condescending because, as a mother of toddlers, I’m asking a very valid question,’ she said.
Meanwhile, daily Covid cases have been falling for weeks in the U.S., but health officials warn that this could soon change based on wastewater data and the situation overseas, and as the Omicron ‘stealth’ variant now makes up 23 percent of all cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Tuesday that one third of wastewater sample sites showed a jump in cases during the first 10 days in March.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that global Covid cases are starting to reverse course after weeks of falling, as well.
These rises are being attributed to the ‘stealth’ variant, or the BA.2 lineage of the Omicron strain, as it is officially known.
The CDC reported Tuesday that the lineage now makes up around 23 percent of sequenced Covid cases in the U.S., up from 11 percent last week and six percent two weeks ago.
The BA.2 Omicron ‘stealth’ variant (pink) now makes up around 23% of U.S. COVID-19 cases, up from 11% last week and 6% the week before. The Omicron variant makes up every single sequence case in America
The stealth variant (pink) is most prevalent in the northeast and New York regions, making up around 40% of cases in each. The lineage is not dominant in any area of the U.S.
The CDC reported Tuesday that the BA.2 lineage of the Omicron strain now makes up around 23 percent of sequenced Covid cases in the U.S., up from 11 percent last week and six percent two weeks ago
It is most prevalent in New Jersey and New York, and Northeastern regions of the U.S., accounting for around 40 percent of cases in both designated areas.
Stealth is not yet the dominant Covid strain anywhere in America, while it has taken over in many parts of Europe.
BA.2 is believed to be around 30 percent more infectious than BA.1, the original strain of Omicron that caused massive surges across the world during the winter months. Experts have found that infection from the lineage is not any more severe than BA.1 infection.
All lineages of the variant combined make up 100 percent of every single sequenced case in the U.S., with the vaccine-resistant strain totally snuffing out the Delta variant over the past few months.
Official case figures are still decreasing despite the rise of the stealth variant. The nation is recording 31,108 cases per day, a 21 percent drop in cases over the past week and a 96 percent drop from the mid-January peak of the Omicron variant-fueled surge.
The CDC is warning that the weeks-long run of dropping cases could soon end, though. The agency launched an enhanced wastewater tracking program last month, and the tracking is showing that cases could rise in some parts of the U.S. soon.
Studies reveal masks negatively impact children’s developmental and social health and are relatively ineffective at preventing the spread of COVID-19
York University in the UK published a study in January showing masks make it difficult for children to recognize faces and, in turn, could affect their ability to socialize and make friends, a fear that is echoed by parents worldwide.
York University researchers studied the psychological impact on students, revealing that face masks make it 20 percent more difficult for children to recognize faces, compared to just 15 percent in adults.
‘[This] could impair children’s ability to navigate through social interactions with their peers and teachers, and this could lead to issues forming important relationships,’ said Dr. Erez Freud, who led the study. ‘Given the importance of faces to social interactions, this is something we need to pay attention to.’
While previous research has found that mask-wearing can hinder facial recognition in adults, this is the first time it has been studied in children.
Freud said: ‘Faces are among the most important visual stimuli.’
‘We use facial information to determine different attributes about a person, including their gender, age, mood and intentions. We use this information to navigate through social interactions.’
The team recruited 72 children aged six to 14, who were presented with images of faces with or without masks, both upright and inverted.
The results showed that children had about a 20 percent impairment rate for recognizing masked faces.
For comparison, previous research has shown that adults have about a 15 percent impairment rate.
Meanwhile, the results also showed that children process faces differently when looking at a masked, and unmasked face.
Usually, humans process faces as a whole, rather than by their individual features – known as holistic processing.
However, the researchers found that when children looked at masked faces, they became more analytical, focusing on individual features.
‘Not only do masks hinder the ability of children to recognize faces, but they also disrupt the typical, holistic way that faces are processed,’ Freud said.
The researchers hope their findings will encourage future research into the effects face masks have on children’s ability to recognize faces and make friends.
Freud concluded: ‘With children back to school with mask mandates once again, future research should explore the social and psychological ramifications of wearing masks on children’s educational performance.’
The York University team recruited 72 children aged six to 14, who were presented with images of faces with or without masks, both upright and inverted
The results showed that children had about a 20 percent impairment rate for recognizing masked faces. For comparison, previous research has shown that adults have about a 15 percent impairment rate
A group of American doctors pushing to de-mask school children released a report in January titled Children, COVID and the Urgency of Normal that outlined why returning to normal operations is critical for children’s psychosocial health.
‘The pandemic and the loss of normalcy are taking a tremendous toll on students, with the data on mental health being particularly,’ the report’s authors claim in a USA Today op-ed, alleging the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared a mental health emergency in children.
‘As the surgeon general recently highlighted, combined analyses of 80,000 children found that symptoms of depression and anxiety have doubled among young people during the pandemic, with 1 in 4 showing depressive symptoms and 1 in 5 showing anxiety.’
Researcher Kristen Walsh, a North Jersey pediatrician who co-wrote the Urgency of Normal report, also argues that mask mandates continue to force children to ‘bear the burden’ of virus-related restrictions, such as masking and social distancing, despite being the least at-risk for severe illness from COVID.
‘It’s a paradox that our most highly vaccinated states currently have the most stringent rules in place for [school] children,’ said Walsh.
‘Everywhere where Omicron is receding, we don’t think it makes sense to be putting additional restrictions on kids when the variants are getting milder.’
She added: ‘Really, also, masking is what people are focusing on. But that’s only one facet of it. We just think that at this point, school should go back to normal for everybody. Like 2019 normal. Stop the quarantine, stop the silent lunches, stop making kids eat out in the cold. It’s not necessary and it’s doing a lot of harm.’
Other experts have argued the precautionary measure of masking children is ineffective without medical grade masks.
‘Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations,’ public health expert Dr. Leana Wen argued last December. ‘My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission.
‘Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask when indoors and around others of unknown vaccination status.’
Dr. Jennifer Knips, Internal Medicine Specialist and mother of four, echoed the assertion in a Time Magazine op-ed last month: ‘More and more experts have concluded that the evidence for masks in schools doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Many students wear cloth masks that provide little to no protection.’
‘There are several studies that show a minimal reduction in COVID-19 transmission with masks in schools, but the results were not statistically significant.’
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