Seriously, San Diego Unified School District? SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 mandates are back, starting yesterday. Students are required to muzzle up—uh, wear masks—once more. Because of the time of year, you might ask “Who cares?” Some kids are taking summer classes, then there are the year-round schools like Alice Birney Elementary.
Granted, Omicron BA.5 rapidly spreads. But the virus is unstoppably contagious—and that’s without factoring the science too often ignored by policymakers: Because of its small size, SARS-CoV-2 easily passes through most face coverings, like those that youngsters wear.
While infectious, the new variant presents few symptoms, and typically none, among most people— regardless of age. The most recent official data from the county is July 17. Confirmed Coronavirus infections are down 49.5 percent from the 13th. Meanwhile, hospitalizations account for a mere 3.7 percent of the total. However, during the seven days ending the 17th, seven deaths were attributed to COVID-19. Case fatality rate is 0.6 percent—meaning that survivability exceeds 99 percent.
I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image on June 25, 2022. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5, ISO 100, 1/400 sec, 28mm; 2:23 p.m. PDT.