Not to mention the recent surge of other respiratory viruses like RSV and influenza, with very young and very old people at the highest risk for serious illness. Ravina Kullar, an infectious-disease specialist, epidemiologist, and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says that the newest COVID variants of concern are “capable of substantial immune evasion,” meaning your last booster shot may not be as effective as it was in the past. In addition, CDC guidance stresses that fabric masks are the least protective against COVID-19, whereas well-fitting N95, KN95, KF94, and surgical masks - which use special non-woven materials with an electric charge to block tiny aerosol particles - do a much better job of stopping the virus’s spread.Īs we’ve seen in the past, infections tend to spike in the winter and around the holidays when people are more likely to travel and spend a lot of time socializing indoors. While masking is optional for children in most schools across the country, the CDC still recommends “universal indoor masking in schools” in communities with high levels of COVID-19 infections.

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