PEORIA, Ill. — As a national mask mandate for public transit is dropped, there are still questions about a rise in COVID-19 cases, specifically from the BA-2 sub variant of the virus.
Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Doug Kasper, with the University of Illinois College of Medicine, says there is some good news.
“We’ve hit this period where it’s become clear that even as the BA-2 is circulating, and certainly in the Northeast there are more cases, it is not driving increases in hospitalization,” Kasper said.
He tells WMBD’s “The Greg and Dan Show”, because of all we’ve been through with COVID, some people will be hesitant to fly, or board a bus without a mask.
Kasper says thanks to the pandemic, it’s likely some of our behaviors will be changed forever.
“Outpatient medical care, or anything in the hospital, will likely be thought of differently, probably masking as part of standard protocol. But, there’s a lot of other things, public transportation, air travel, very large social gatherings, where we’re still trying to figure out how people will feel comfortable,” Kasper says.
If you don’t feel comfortable boarding a plane, or getting on a bus without a mask, go ahead and wear one, Kasper adds.
An added benefit of wearing a mask in those situations, doing so can help prevent you from catching respiratory illnesses like Influenza A or the common cold.
