The ECCL and the Estero Chamber would like to thank the vast majority of residents in the greater Estero area for observing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines regarding social distancing and the wearing of facemasks.
The CDC and the World Health Organization strongly recommend wearing cloth masks when in proximity to other people. Although this was not the case at the beginning of the pandemic, it is now very clear from all the available evidence that masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and that the more people wearing masks, the better.
With the recent FDA’s approval of the antiviral drug remdesivir, the examination of alternatives treatments, and the likely acceptance of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, complacency can easily set in. Please do not let that happen!
The Estero Village Council will use Federal Funds to distribute 50,000 face masks to Estero residents shortly after the upcoming holiday. This reinforces the need to continue to wear face masks and help to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 in our community.
The Village Council will also be helping small businesses, employees and volunteers, by distributing 60,000 masks to them in early January together with 300 commercial hand sanitizers.
The ECCL fully endorses these very worthwhile initiatives and encourages resident support and compliance with CDC guidelines. For more information about the Village programs, contact them at info@estero-fl.gov.
Infectious disease specialist Peter Chin-Hong, MD, makes the point that, “I think the biggest thing with COVID now, that shapes all of this guidance on masks, is that we can’t tell who’s infected. You can’t look in a crowd and say, oh, that person should wear a mask. There’s a lot of asymptomatic infection, so everybody has to wear a mask”2
It has been accepted for many years that people who had influenza or the common cold found that wearing a surgical mask significantly reduced the amount of these respiratory viruses emitted in droplets and aerosols and thus contained these viruses’ spread. A recent study published in Health Affairs3, for example, compared the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. It found that mask mandates led to a slowdown in the daily COVID-19 growth rate, which became more apparent over time. Looking at deaths across 198 countries, those with cultural norms or government policies favoring mask-wearing had lower death rates!
Here in Estero, Dr. D.W. Rajtora, MD. FAAAAI. made the following significant statement:
“Keep in mind that all the vaccines will require two doses about four weeks apart to achieve optimal immunity to prevent infection. These will be limited to high-risk people, including first responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital personal comprising up to 100 million persons. This [plan] means that those of us in Estero who are not in that high-risk category will probably not be eligible for vaccination until at least mid-Summer at the earliest.
“Herd immunity does not occur until 70% (approximately 230 million people) of the United States population is vaccinated or has had the disease. Even by the best estimates, we are a long way from that critical number.
“Therefore, all of us in Estero are at risk for Covid-19 virus infection for several months to come. We cannot be cavalier and let down our guard. We must continue to practice strict CDC guidelines and listen to Dr. Tony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the foremost expert of worldwide pandemics. To do otherwise will result in increased Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and consequent deaths.”
Allan Bowditch
Chief Communications Officer
The ECCL References:
