Hello, my name is Aidan Zingler, and the drop of mask mandates in healthcare settings alarm me as an immuno-compromised patient, LongCovid sufferer, and disabled resident. This petition is a demand to reinstate mask mandates and to push for improved air filtration in all healthcare facilities within Iowa (and within USA too).

The healthcare institutions within Des Moines, Iowa that dropped mask mandates and made them optional for patients and staff include: Iowa Clinic, Mercy One, UnityPoint, Methodist, Broadlawns.  Of these, Broadlawns and UnityPoint held out the longest, and only dropped mask mandate at end of October 2022. (I will use numbers as footnotes to link to studies at end of this petition).

We, the co-signed, reject this change in policy as it puts patients and staff at further risk for airborne illnesses, and has contributed to the rise in cases for numerous illnesses such as Covid, Flu, and RSV in children and adults. It also violates OSHA safety, which the National United Nurses has pushed to make masks required for OSHA safety across all healthcare facilities. (1,2) 

The drop of masks put immunocompromised patients at risk for severe disease or death.(3) Many of us are being forced to decide if we can safely attend appointments or if we cancel and suffer in pain. The safety of all patients ought to matter, but dropping mask mandates signal that us high-risk do not matter. This further isolates us, increases risks of worse health outcomes, and makes healthcare increasingly inaccessible. This is unethical, immoral, and harmful policy.

Masks are similar to hand-washing, where both lower viral and bacteria load. Numerous airborne diseases exist, including the Covid variants that impact multiple body's systems.(4) Masks protect against Flu and RSV. They also protect healthcare workers, as it's a basic OSHA protection that ought to be met.(5) 

We Demand: 

• Mask mandates be reinstated in all healthcare facilities for patients and staff. 
• Use of N95 and other fitted masks as well as education on how to properly fit a mask for patients and staff.(6)
• All healthcare facilities invest in upgraded air filtration; this can include portable air filters that can be wheeled into exam rooms for lowering viral loads during appointments and procedures.(7) 

I am going to go through each claim for why masks were dropped, and I will include the actual science that refutes each.

"We need to learn to live with Covid."

Rebuttal: The verb 'learning' implies knowledge gained and acted upon. Going back to 2019 behaviors and failing to create a safe space for most vulnerable patients is not 'learning' but is 'ignoring,' which is unethical and unjust. To truly learn requires acting on knowledge that Covid is airborne,(8) is a neuro-vascular disease,(9) and we must decrease the viral load in the air with masks and upgraded air filtration (systems or portable devices).(10) 

Vaccines do not stop transmission.(11) Masks not only protect patients but also health workers.  With low staffing due to many workers being ill from LongCovid and Covid complications, we cannot afford to put patients and healthcare professionals at further risk. Pandemic mitigations must include equal and equitable access and use of ALL tools: N95 masks or better, Air filtration devices or upgraded HVAC systems, accurate data reporting of covid cases, and updated regularly vaccines.(12)

"Some people read lips."

Rebuttal: Masks with transparent window by mouth with a good seal exist and been tested by experts to have little fog.(13) These are safer than surgical masks. There is also other accommodations that can be used to assist with people hard of hearing or deaf, which should be freely offered.

"We rent the building."

Rebuttal: Portable HEPA filters can be placed in waiting rooms in corners or wheeled into rooms for high risk patients. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes have been certified as safe by US government and independent agencies and is relatively cheap to make.(7) Designs include mounting on wall,  hanging from ceiling, or placing in corners.

 "We have vaccines."

Rebuttal: Vaccines help lessen severity but do not stop transmission. Science has proven many times - that vaccines are not enough.(14) Without using our other pandemic mitigation tools, the virus continues to mutate faster and evade immunity quicker than we can make vaccines.(15) Herd immunity doesn't seem to exist with Covid per the science;(16) multiple infections increase likelihood Endocrine and Autoimmune diseases,(17) heart attacks and Cardiovascular diseases,(18) strokes,(19) PANS in children,(20) neurological disorders,(21) diabetes in children,(22) and LongCovid in all ages.(23) 

By not decreasing viral load, the virus mutates faster, and new variants often evade immunity and render vaccines less useful.(24) We must decrease viral load for vaccines to be and continue to be useful, thus masks and air filtration is essential and the only ethical, moral, and just response.

 

If healthcare is to do no harm, then we must utilize ALL our tools. By doing so, we not only decrease viral load for Covid but also other airborne diseases. Just as handwashing cleanses our hands from disease, so too can masks and air filtration clean our air.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Aidan A Zingler
Resident of Des Moines, Iowa

(1) Rise in Cases: People's CDC Covid Weather Reports AND Covid, Flu, and RSV rise in Cases in Children
(2) National United Nurses Petition 
(3) Risk of Death: Increase Risk of Death in Immunocompromised Patients
(4) Impacts Multiple Bodily Systems: Study on Full Symptom List for LongCovid
(5) OSHA Protections: Nurses and other Health Professional Access to Protective Equipment Study AND OSHA Respiratory Protection Standards
(6) Mask Efficiencies and Fit Testing: Analysis on Best Masks to Wear AND Study on Efficiency of N95 Masks AND Fit-Tested Masks Study
(7) Air Filtration and Clean Air: Polluted Air Increases Risks of Severe Covid Illness AND 
(8) Airborne: Fit-tested Masks Protect Against Airborne Covid Disease AND List of Studies Proving Covid is Airborne
(9) Neuro-vascular: Neurobiology Analysis of Covid19 and LongCovid AND  AND Comprehensive Review of Immune Responses and Exhaustion in Covid19 AND Covid and Increase in Microvascular Diseases AND Covid and the Heart
(10) Viral Load in Air Decreased by Air Filtration: Reducing SARS-CoV-2 in Shared Indoor Air AND Air Ventilation and Filtration Reduces Risk of Covid
(11) Vaccines don't stop Transmission: Muliple early factors anticipate post-acute Covid19 AND Study of Breakthrough Covid Disease in Vaccinated Patients
(12) Protection Layers: Pandemic Swiss Cheese Layers of Protection Model AND People's CDC Layers of Protection Analysis AND People's CDC See You Safer Toolkit 
(13) Transparent mask designs: One Canopy Clear Mask Design AND Transparent Mask 3DMask
(14) Vaccines Not Enough: T-Cell Exhaustion and Decreased Immunity AND T-Cell Exhaustion in Covid Patients AND Covid Reinfections and Immunity Analysis
(15) Viral Mutations, Variants: Variants Immune to EvuSheld Treatments AND Neutralization against Omicron variants from mRNA Bivalent Booster
(16) Herd Immunity Doesn't Exist: Immunological Dysfunction Persists After 8 Months Study AND Covid Was Never Mild Article With Studies Included AND Multiple Infections Increases Risks for Diseases in Multiple Bodily Systems AND Endemicity Is Not Victory: The Unmitigated Downside Risks of Widespread Covid Transmission
(17) Increase in Endocrine and Autoimmune Diseases: Covid19 Associated with Increased Risk In Respiratory and Nonrespiratory Diseases
(18) Heart Attacks and Cardiovascular Diseases Increase in Risk: Heart Attack Risks and Covid Study AND Covid Linked with Abnormal Blood Clotting AND Review of Cardiac Outcomes of Covid AND Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in Covid Patients Study
(19) Increase in Strokes: Analysis of Increased Stroke Risk
(20) Increase in PANS in children: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Study
(21) Increase in Neurological disorders/Diseases: Increase in Neurological Diseases Study Review AND Covid Patients Higher Risk of Neurodegenerative Disorders
(22) Increase in Diabetes in Children: Increase in Diabetes Risk Study AND
Increase in Diabetes 1 in Children Study
(23) Increase in LongCovid in all ages: LongCovid Study Published in Nature AND Living with LongCovid Series AND Patient Research Concerning LongCovid AND LongCovid After One Year Study AND LongCovid After 2 Years Study AND LongCovid in Adults and Children Study Review AND Multi-system impact of LongCovid
(24) New Variants Evade Immunity: New Variants Evading Immunity At High Rates