For folks wanting to more about how to protect themselves from the Omicron 2.0 Surge, there is no one better to listen to than Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. He’s been spot on since he began talking about micro-particles in the fall of 2020. He warned us about Delta and the Omicron surge months before they arrived in SF.

I’ve been following him on Twitter (@DrEricDing) where he shares all the research. Listening to him in this interview is a treat though because it becomes really clear that public health policy is not always about science. Rather it has often been about popular opinion and politics.

While I encourage you to watch the whole podcast, if you are time-strapped, there are some really great points related to COVID-19 safety that can be gleaned from this interview.

They are the following:

• This new wave of Omicron 2.0 is 30% more contagious, with more reinfection potential. This does not bode well for a predicted April surge, considering a booster’s ability to protect for infection is reduced by about half after 10 weeks from getting boosted.-

• The above is why we need “vaccines plus strategy” or we’ll keep playing whack-a-mole with new variants. That means continuing with masking and enhanced HEPA air filtration in combination with vaccines. air filtration and ventilation are preferred because they don’t require personal compliance like vaccines or masks.

• He made multiple analogies to seatbelts, smoking, drinking, and driving. Policies protect us all from folks making bad “choices”. He shared driving analogies asking, “We don’t set seatbelt or drunk driving policies on hospitalizations, right? We don’t make those policies choices. Why is COVID different?”

Have a listen and please share.

The Nomiki Show with Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding

Dr. Feigl-Ding is the first interview. (Also, side note, I’ll be a guest on the Nomiki Konst Show this Friday—please tune in! )

Families are taking action!

For SF families wanting to advocate for continued masking in schools here is a petition you can sign. (Families in other districts, feel free to use this as a template for your own petitions!)

Petition to Keep Universal Masking in SFUSD