Are masks for the birds? We field reader queries about this new stage of the pandemic
How many COVID tests should I keep on hand? Can I toss my masks? Should I still be afraid of long COVID?
These are a few of the questions you sent us when we asked what's on your mind in this new stage of the pandemic. Last month, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the state of emergency is over even if the virus is still circulating.
The questions you sent revolve around prevention and treatment. We posed a few of them to COVID specialists we have turned to throughout these past 3 years.
One thing to note: While in previous FAQs on the pandemic, there was often consensus about the best ways to keep safe, we're now in a period when different experts sometimes have different opinions. And with mandates largely lifted, the responsibility rests more than ever on the individual to figure out how much risk they can tolerate and what measures make the most sense for them.
How many rapid tests should I have at home ... just in case?
In many places, tests are easy to come by. But if you're exposed to someone you later learn is contagious or you start, director of epidemiology and health equity lead for Truveta, a data company that tracks electronic health records. She herself is immune-compromised.
