MESSENGER
MESSENGER HERE, COVID CASES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE
TO RISE.
THINGS WERE LOOKING
BETTER AND BETTER THIS
PAST SPRING, BUT NOW
THE DELTA VARIANT OF
COVID IS CREATING NEW
ISSUES.
THAT DELTA VARIANT IS
BELIEVED TO BE FAR MORE
CONTAGIOUS THAN
OTHER STRAINS AND ITS
RECENT EMERGENCE IN
NORTH AMERICA IS A KEY
FACTOR FOR EXPERTS
WHEN EXPLAINING WHY
WE ARE SEEING A NEW
SURGE IN CASES.
COUPLE THAT WITH A LESS
THAN DESIRABLE VACCINE
RATE AND YOU'VE GOT A
FRESH SET OF ISSUES
HEADING INTO THE FALL.
A MAJOR CONCERN, HOW
RECENT COVID TRENDS
WILL EFFECT IDAHO
SCHOOLS THIS FALL.
JOE PARRIS HEARD FROM
IDAHO EXPERTS ON THE
TOPIC THIS AFTERNOON,
HE JOINS US WITH
INSIGHT ON WHAT COVID
AND SCHOOLS COULD
LOOK LIKE THIS FALL.
JOE, A MAJOR POINT
HERE: THERE IS STILL NO
VACCINE FOR THOSE 12
AND
AND UNDER
AND UNDER NO THERE ISN'T AND THAT FACT ALONE HAS
PROMPTED QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHY SCHOOL
DISTRICTS ARE TELLING
STUDENTS THAT THERE
WILL BE NO MASKS
REQUIRED THIS FALL.
THE MAJOR DISTRICTS
HERE IN THE VALLEY,
INCLUDING BOISE, WEST
ADA, NAMPA, AND
CALDWELL HAVE TAKEN
THE STANCE THAT THEY
WILL NOT REQUIRE MASKS
THIS FALL.
OF NOTE, WHEN THOSE
DECISIONS WERE MADE,
THE COVID SITUATION
WAS DIFFERENT THAN WE
ARE SEEING NOW.
JUST TODAY HEALTH AND
WELFARE DIRECTOR DAVE
JEPPSSEN SAID,
"UNFORTUNATELY I WISH I
HAD BETTER NEWS, THE
OVERALL STATE COVID
NUMBERS HAVE TAKEN A
TURN FOR THE WORSE IN
THE PAST FEW WEEKS. ALL
THE KEY COVID-19 ITEMS
WE WATCH CLOSELY ARE
NOW HEADED THE
WRONG DIRECTION. "
IN-PART, THE ROOT OF
THE PROBLEM IS
SUSPECTED TO BE THE
MORE CONTAGIOUS DELTA
VARIANT.
I'VE SPOKE TO SCHOOL
PARENTS WHO ASK WHY
STUDENTS WHO CAN'T
GET A VACCINE YET, THOSE
UNDER 12, WHY WOULD
THEY BE ASKED TO WEAR
A MASK A YEAR AGO BUT
NOT NOW?
SIMPLY PUT, A YEAR AGO
THE VIRUS WAS
CIRCULATING AND THE
BEST DEFENSE WAS
AGGRESSIVE COVID
PROTOCOLS.
THE BEST DEFENSE NOW IS
A VACCINE BUT AGAIN,
THERE IS NOT ONE
AVAILABLE FOR MOST
ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE
SCHOOL STUDENTS.
I ASKED STATE
EPIDEMIOLOGIST DR.
CHRISTINE HAHN IF THERE
WAS A SCIENTIFIC
ARGUMENT AGAINST
HAVING KIDS MASK UP
THIS FALL IF THEY CAN'T
GET A VACCINE, HERE IS
HER INSIGHT.
>
"THERE WAS A STUDY
THAT HAD BEEN
PUBLISHED RECENTLY
THAT HAD SUGGESTED,
YOU KNOW, CARBON
DIOXIDE BUILDUP BEHIND
THE MASS SOME PARENTS
OR SOME PEOPLE WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT THAT
AND THAT HAS BEEN
RETRACTED. SO RIGHT
NOW THERE IS NO
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF
ANY HARM, YOU KNOW,
FOR THE VAST MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING
CHILDREN TO WEAR
MASKS. AND SO AS ELKE
MENTIONED REALLY IT'S
GOING TO BE A POLICY
DECISION, THERE'S NOT A
SCIENTIFIC REASON TO
NOT WEAR MASKS I GUESS,
PUT IT, THAT IT'S REALLY
GOING TO BE A POLICY
DECISION ON THE PART
OF THE SCHOOLS WITH
HOPEFULLY OUR
ADVISORY COMMITTEES
INPUT."
AS DR. HAHN JUST
ELUDED TOO, HEALTH AND
WELFARE
WELFARE WILL BE MEETING WITH EDUCATION
STAKEHOLDERS IN THE
COMING WEEKS TO TALK
ABOUT THE SCIENCE
BEHIND WHAT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
IN IDAHO AND
CONSIDERATIONS THERE
SHOULD BE FOR
PROTOCOLS.
SO BEYOND THAT, AT
WHAT POINT WOULD
HEALTH AND WELFARE
RECOMMEND STRICTER
COVID PROTOCOLS LIKE
MASKS INDOORS FOR
EVERYONE LIKE IN LOS
ANGELES?
ANGELES? DIRECTOR JEPPSEN COULDN'T GIVE REAL
SPECIFICS OF A TIPPING
POINT WHERE THEY
WOULD CHANGE
RECCOEMDNATIONS BUT
SAID THEY WOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR
IMPORTANT DATA LIKE
HOSPITAL AND ICU
CAPACITY AS WELL AS
CASE COUNTS.
CASE COUNTS.