As clear as the old adage, “red sky in the morning, sailors warning,” we can see a perfect storm brewing in Colorado that, if not heeded, will cause our state to regress from COVID-19 recovery. The coronavirus is still potent and ever-changing, yet we continue to see politics getting in the way of sound public health policy. Look no further than the piecemeal policy regarding mask use as we prepare to send our children back to school for such evidence.
Here is what we know. The delta variant is 50% more contagious than the COVID-19 strain we experienced at the start of last school year. Second, children under 12 cannot be vaccinated and remain the largest unvaccinated population in the state. Third, those school-aged children that are eligible for the vaccine have a 50% vaccination rate. Finally, every parent and pediatrician knows, kids are great vectors for disease.
Consider that recipe: a more contagious COVID-19 strain: unvaccinated children, questionable hygiene habits and inconsistent mask use in a classroom setting. That right there is something we all should be afraid of.
As an ER nurse, a father, and a Colorado state Representative, I am scared for my community. I am working on the frontlines during this pandemic and I have seen the devastation firsthand. I bring that perspective with me as a policymaker. I have made it a priority to fight to increase our state’s immunization rates, and I know what it’s like to stand up to those who don’t believe in science and would prefer to put our communities at greater risk.
We are still battling disinformation around the efficacy of vaccines; we cannot afford to let the same anti-science rhetoric gain momentum around another valuable tool in fighting this virus — the simple and humble mask.
Beyond the threat of contracting COVID, failure to require masks poses a very real threat of classrooms or entire schools closing yet again to in-person learning. Remote learning is disruptive, less effective, and has long-term mental health consequences for our children. Remote learning places a burden on all working parents with a dramatic effect on the economy.
The last piece to the perfect storm, and probably the most disheartening, is the lack of courage from those in power to stand up to do what is right. We know that masks work. We’ve seen how they’ve kept communities safer. We as Coloradans rose to the challenge and did a great job following guidance and wearing our masks during the height of the pandemic. Where we are failing today is not requiring our school districts to use this simple tool to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among our kids and our teachers.
Our hospitals are strained. Healthcare workers are tired. Data is showing that we are entering another wave of increased COVID-19 cases. All of this before we even hit flu season, which inevitably puts an increased strain on our hospitals.
Masks will not only help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus but the flu as well. Providing relief to our hospitals and health care workers, protecting our communities, and ultimately saving lives.
I call on Gov. Jared Polis to follow science to ensure all Colorado children are protected from COVID-19 and the adverse impacts it brings.
Kyle Mullica, D-Northglenn is an ER nurse and Colorado state representative in House District 34.
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