Dr. Thomas Steimer, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente, is weighing in on the Memphis mask controversy here in the Mid-South.
Steimer tells “Wake Up Memphis” with Robyn Walensky in his opinion, masks are “definitively decreasing the rate of coronavirus infection.”Since some people can be carriers of the virus and not show any symptoms, Steimer says he feels more comfortable going into stores wearing a mask and he believes this policy should be applied to schools as well.
While he knows keeping face coverings on the younger students will be tricky, Dr. Steimer tells “Wake Up Memphis” the masks are “safe and recommended.”
Steimer says families with young children that could be asymptomatic need to consider how much they are exposing their kids to folks in high-risk groups. This could include their grandparents or great grandparents, or it could be a family member that has an autoimmune disease or is being treated for cancer.
“I think the decision is a personal decision, and it will be unique to each family,” he tells Walensky.Dr. Steimer is urging parents to keep their kids at home if they are sick and to get them vaccinated for the flu, as symptoms are similar to the coronavirus.
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