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TORONTO — Introducing a mask mandate when respiratory viruses surged in the fall may not have eased the crush on pediatric hospitals, a Public Health Ontario science brief obtained by The Canadian Press concludes.
"Current evidence suggests that adherence to masking, in addition to other layered measures such as self-screening, staying home when ill, and vaccination, are likely to prevent transmission of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 in children and youth, especially in indoor community settings where transmission is high," the PHO document concludes.
Respiratory viruses led to a massive surge in young patients who needed hospitalization. Intensive care units and emergency departments at the major children's hospitals across the province saw historic volumes from October to December. "We were unable to identify data on the effectiveness of community-level masking in preventing transmission of influenza or RSV," the document says.
The brief references a Public Health Ontario synthesis of research in March 2022, which noted"positive effects of mask mandates in the community setting and reductions in COVID-19 case growth, hospitalizations and deaths. However, there was limited evidence to suggest greater effectiveness of mask mandates when compared to mask recommendations for the outcome of COVID-19 case rate reduction.
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