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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-03 Board of Health MinutesOrq� Town of Reading 's Meeting Minutes a •rxvonv^°'�� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Health Date: 2022-01-03 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session - Remote Meeting Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: RECEIVED TOWN CLERK / READING, MA q/ 2122 JAN 10 AM 9: 29 Chair Richard Lopez, Vice Chair Kerry Dunnell, Paula Curren; Associate Members: Geri Cramer, Kevin Sexton Members - Not Present: Others Present: Health Director Ade Solarin, Public Health Nurse Shuang Shen, Administrative Specialist Jackie LaVerde Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held remotely via Zoom. Chair Richard Lopez called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm. Review/Approval of Minutes: On a motion by Dr. Lopez, and seconded by Ms. Curren, the Board of Health voted 3-0-0 to approve the meeting minutes of December 2, 2021 and December 27, 2021 as written. Roll call vote: Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Paula Curren -Yes, Richard Lopez -Yes. Review of Toniaht's Agenda and Opening Comments as to whether a Public Indoor Mask Mandate for Reading should be approved: Dr. Lopez provided a history and context for the consideration of a mask mandate. In March of 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, the Board at that time authorized a mask mandate a few days before the state did. This Board rescinded all COVID mandates back in June when it seemed COVID cases were very low and we were getting through the end of the pandemic. In the last three meetings, the Board has discussed mask mandates but has not made any motions or decisions. In October, an emall was sent to food establishments and businesses asking them to post at their entrances a sign advising the Board's strong recommendation to wear masks. During public comment at recent meetings, two residents urged the Board to issue a mask mandate. Currently, the Mass DPH, CDC, and Mass Medical Society, all strongly recommend the use of face masks. The Library mandated indoor masks back in September as the current surge was starting. There is no mandate for masks in other municipal buildings, but it is strongly advised for both employees and visitors. There are currently 232 active cases in Reading. State data of the 14 -day average daily incident rate were down around 20 cases in September and October, but began to skyrocket in November. The MWRA measures viral material in wastewater, which has been shown as a good indicator of future activity, and it has Increased significantly in recent Page I 1 weeks. Dr. Lopez stated that he compared twenty-five communities in the state that have indoor mask mandates and eighteen communities surrounding Reading without mask mandates, and noted that the communities with mask mandates generally have a lower 14 - day Incidence rate. Health Director Ade Solarin provided information regarding a potential mask mandate. Amid COVID case numbers, the Board of Health is discussing whether an Indoor mask mandate should be implemented for Reading. One of the easiest and most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 Is by wearing face masks. Based on data received, It appears that municipalities with indoor mask mandates on average have had case counts that increase at a lower rate than those without mask mandates. Mr. Solarin shared myths about face masks and the facts that do not support the myths. Based on feedback he received from residents, he asked the board to consider the following: could a mask mandate lead to a vaccine mandate; how effective could a mask mandate be If neighboring municipalities do not have a mandate; customers who will not listen when business owners ask them to wear a mask; why is a mask needed with a state-of-the-art air filtration system; and would a mask mandate be Indefinite if implemented. Public Comment: Paula Wiseman asked what is the age range of the study that Mr. Solarin presented and stated that kids aged 5 to 18 do not get that sick, once you get it you are immune, masks are not needed for young people at all, if teachers are nervous they should wear a shield and mask, and the ones that do get sick are unvaccinated people with comorbidities. Rebecca shared that her son and his classmates considered mask wearing as one of the "lows" of the year at their preschool graduation ceremony. She also expressed her disbelief that mask wearing makes a difference or that children should be wearing masks for long periods of time. Joseph White stated that he is a research scientist at Dana Farber. He shared his experience with COVID and opined that a mask mandate makes sense. Grant Salthouse cited OSHA standards of doctors needing to wear hazmat suits when in the presence of a virus, and stated that he believed that the virus will pass through a mask and the mandate does not make sense. Rebecca Liberman stated that she Is an epidemiologist who studies risks to pregnant women. She strongly advised the Board to implement a mask mandate to prevent the burden to overworked healthcare workers, reduce community spread, and protect seniors, immunocompromised people, and pregnant women. She also urged the Board to require all Town employees to get vaccinated, require COVID vaccinations in Schools, and hold more vaccination clinics. Sarah McLaughlin summarized her background In Public Health and stated that though she is a current School Committee member, her opinions are her own as a Reading resident and mother of Reading students, and not as a School Committee representative. She noted that we know more about the virus than we did at the start and now know how to prevent it and strict mitigation measures are critical. She stated that data shows that Indoor mask mandates are hugely effective when used with other mitigation strategies and thanked the Board for considering a mask mandate. Narcissa Lyons stated that she did her own research of communities with mask mandates, mask recommendations, or no mask policy at all, and when factoring in population, found that the difference of 14 -day Incidents was less than .1%. She also noted that no mandate should go against the Massachusetts or Federal Constitution and a mask mandate does so by limiting free speech. Page 12 Barbara Caulfield noted that data can be manipulated to try to convince people one way or another and opined that people who are at risk should be wearing masks, and not healthy people. Nancy Docktor stated that she is a clinical Nurse Specialist and was disappointed that the Board did not enact a town -wide mask mandate last week when it enacted one for the Senior Center. She hopes the Board will rectify that by voting to Implement a mandate this evening. She asked the Board to also focus on promoting more vaccinations, clarifying the importance of boosters, reminding people the correct way to wear masks, and making recommendations that schools consider limiting the number of people at youth sporting events. Lynn Domink stated that she believes strongly in a mask mandate. She cited the "golden rule" of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Caltlin asked that Instead of trying to mandate masks, why we are not encouraging people who are sick to stay home. She opined that mandating masks goes against the "golden rules" as personal liberties should come first. Vicki Fortin noted that though a majority of the population is not affected, there are some who are. She expressed concern about not being able to go to the grocery store without putting her own health at risk. Lori Haverty stated that she is a small business owner and asked the Board to think about small businesses such as hers. Her gym is not open to the public unless they sign up and members who are not vaccinated are asked to stay masked and they do. Laurelle stated that experts have confirmed that COVID is now endemic and not going anywhere. She argued that it is affecting children. Even though masks have been used periodically for the last two years, cases are higher now than they have ever been. She suggested focusing on solutions that work such as air filtration and sanitation, and prioritize at -risk individuals who can wear N95 masks. Jen stated that there are no studies or evidence to show that masks are beneficial and shared statistics and studies that argued that they are ineffective. Rachel argued that masks made for surgical environments are not made for everyday use and do not stop COVID-19, and that it Is on the vulnerable populations to assess their own risk. Madeline Liberman stated that she is strongly in support of a mask mandate. We need to be protecting the people most vulnerable. Masks have been worn in hospitals for extended periods with no negative effects well before the pandemic. If we Increase the education and get people to wear well -fitting masks, they can be effective at reducing transmission. Eva expressed his concern that masks are not helping, means less freedom, and that vaccine mandates might come next. Julie Ilyas stated that no one has the right to tell her to wear a mask citing her own health conditions and natural immunity from having COVID. She expressed disgust at the notion of vaccine passports. Justin Perry noted that vaccines do not work in the way they were originally sold to communities and questioned how they are engineered and whether they will be good enough to do what they say without many boosters. Board Discussion and Vote on Public Indoor Mask Mandate: Following the comments from the public, Dr. Lopez asked board members to share their perspectives. Public Health Nurse Shuang Shen suggested having a balanced approach and Page 1 3 issuing a mask mandate only for municipal buildings. She also noted the Town has ordered additional doses of COVID vaccines and test kits. Vaccination clinics will be offered to the community in the coming weeks, and test kits will be distributed as soon as they are received. Dr. Lopez offered his opinion. Natural Immunity is not foolproof and immunity can wane after infection and after vaccination. Approximately 50,000-60,000 people die every year from the annual influenza virus, which is a significant difference compared to the 800,000 deaths over nearly two years for which COVID has been responsible. He stated that he has been conservative the past two or three months, as Reading's case rate was relatively low, but what has changed is the surge of the omicron variant since Thanksgiving, and hospitals are reaching capacity. Mask wearing is one tool that has been shown to mitigate the spread of the virus and is reasonable to consider as an important mitigating factor. People have expressed concern that following a mask mandate, a vaccine mandate could be next. But Dr. Lopez stated that is not true. The Board has not discussed vaccine mandates or lockdowns because with tools like the vaccine, the situation is much different than it was in March of 2020. While we were sold that the vaccine would prevent Illness, the science can change. The problem continues to be studied, new data arises, and new conclusions are reached. The vaccine is still valuable, as it does reduce the risk of serious Illness and the risk of death. Dr. Lopez suggested issuing a mask mandate for indoor places, and review the data at each monthly Board of Health meeting to see whether it is reasonable to discontinue it. Other communities that have a mask mandate do see lower rates. While it does not solve the problem, it does have an impact. Ms. Curren noted that Immunity is not permanent, and cited waning immunity with the pertussis vaccine as an example. Vaccines may not be as effective for some people as it is for others. Air filtration does not mitigate the need for masks. Another concern is that while children are not getting that sick from COVID, they are spreading It. It is prudent to follow the science that has been provided. Mr. Sextan asked where people are actually transmitting the virus, and how sick are the people with the active cases in town. He expressed concern as to how much of an impact a mask mandate would have. Dr. Lopez noted that the number of deaths in Reading has been flat since the spring, and Public Health Nurse Kristine Harris has not commented on residents being hospitalized recently. However, the recent data Is showing high numbers of COVID cases impacting the hospitals. Ms. Cramer stated that she works in a hospital and can corroborate the Impact, as the facility she works at has reinstated Incident Command due to the numbers being so high. Ms. Dunnell expressed her appreciation for everyone who participated this evening. She stated that through her research, she has learned that people are most infectious during the pre -symptomatic phase the day or two before symptoms appear. People can spread it without yet knowing that they are Infected. There is also limited availability of treatments, and only one that works on the omicron variant. Testing is In short supply. Other hospitals are moving into Incident Command, as they are currently maxed out. Healthcare workers are catching the virus, and people are getting sick with COVID and other illnesses. A mask mandate is a huge opportunity to cutdown on household transmission if it can prevent people from catching it while out and about, then bringing it home. She stated that she is In favor of a mask mandate for all indoor spaces with the exemption for people with medical issues. Board members discussed including in a mask mandate a strong recommendation for more effective mask types, such as N95, KN95, and surgical masks, and educating people on haw to wear masks properly. The Board will have the mandate reviewed by Town Counsel and bring the motion to the regularly scheduled meeting on January 6'h, and will vote at that time. In the meantime, Mr. Solarin was tasked with contacting Town Counsel for the language on the mandate and collecting feedback from Board members, and contacting Page 14 local businesses to let them know that the Board had the discussion and is heading in the direction of issuing a mask mandate. On a motion by Ms. Curren, and seconded by Dr. Lopez, the Board of Health voted 3-0-0 to adjourn at 9:13 pm. Roll call vote: Kerry Dunnell-Yes, Paula Curren -Yes, Richard Lopez -Yes. Page 1 5