As communities and schools drop mask mandates, a question that each of us must answer is "Should I wear a mask in school?" Here is the reasoning and evidence for my decision to continue wearing a mask when I teach. Although reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were waning in the spring, they are now rising again with the emergence of Omicron and subvariants. Furthermore, we are only beginning to appreciate the severity of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC, post-COVID or long-COVID) that can affect many body systems and cause neurological (brain fog, headache, anosmia), respiratory (fatigue), gastrointestinal, metabolic (diabetes), and cardiovascular symptoms (e.g., cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, inflammatory heart disease; Xie et al. 2022).
mask mandatespost-acute sequelaegastrointestinal
WILLIAM FOLK
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Biochemistry and Affiliate Professor of Public Health and co-directs the Linking Science and Literacy for All Learners Program at the University of Missouri
NSTL
