RICHMOND, Va. — It’s something we’ve heard from multiple health experts since the start of the pandemic: face masks work in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
But Virginia’s top health official is now questioning how well masks work against the omicron variant.
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Colin Greene said face masks should be optional in schools and said masks have "potential adverse effects" on children.
“With omicron, the masking is much less effective than we’ve seen previously. And the benefit versus the risk is not as clear as it was before,” Greene said.
Greene pointed out omicron causes milder illness than other COVID-19 variants.
“The risk of dying from COVID for a child is much, much less than the risk of a child dying in a motor vehicle accident in Virginia," Greene said.
He acknowledged that studies show face masks are effective, but given how transmissible omicron is, the state’s top health official is questioning how effective masks are now, though there isn't much research on this.
“The wearing of the masks well for short term it’s probably no big deal," Greene said. "If it’s day after day after day - there are a number of studies showing adverse and potential adverse effects on emotional recognition, on level of happiness, essentially, interaction with children not only who wear a mask themselves but who interact with adults who wear masks.”
There are studies that say the opposite, that children can recognize emotions through face masks.
Greene also pointed out that some European countries do not require face masks in schools.
“The European CDC does not recommend masking in children under age 12," he said.
Many health experts, like Dr. Elizabeth Broderick of the Children's Clinic, have pointed to masks as a way to keep students, teachers, and staff safe inside schools.
"Since our level of transmission is still high statewide, removing masks in schools right now is premature," Broderick said.
"Each state has to look at how many children are vaccinated, the case positivity rate statewide, and what improvements have been made to ventilation in schools in order to decide when it's safe for our children to stop wearing masks."
Greene’s comments also contradict CDC recommendations that say face masks are effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and everyone over the age of 2 should wear a mask inside schools, though the CDC did concede that cloth masks don’t offer as much protection as other masks.
“At some point, in any case, COVID will become more like the seasonal flu, and we don’t mask up for the flu. I don’t think we will mask up for COVID," Greene said. “I think the need for masks will go away before you get everybody to agree on whether they work or not. People are always going to disagree.”
Greene agrees vaccination is still our best bet at fighting the virus. He said the data shows vaccines decrease hospitalizations and deaths.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Greene as Virginia’s Acting State Health Commissioner when he took office.