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Intersection: Mask Mandates And School Reopening; Monoclonal Antibodies; The State's Mass Casualty Response To COVID

Judi Hayes (l) and Dr. Ross McKinney. Photo: Matthew Peddie / WMFE
Judi Hayes (l) and Dr. Ross McKinney. Photo: Matthew Peddie / WMFE

As the COVID-19 surge continues, the rhetoric around mask wearing shows no signs of cooling down. Meanwhile more school districts are defying the governor’s order banning mask mandates and requiring students to wear masks- at least for the next few weeks. 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks with Dr. Ross McKinney, chief scientific officer with the Association of American Medical Colleges about how Florida and other states are handling the return to in-person school. Joining the conversation is Judi Hayes, a parent of two kids in the Orange County Public School system, who discusses her concerns about the return to school, and a lawsuit against the state of Florida over the mask issue. 

State leaders are touting monoclonal antibodies as a “gamechanger” for the pandemic. But as COVID continues to fill hospitals- just how much of a difference will this therapy make? We’ll hear from the Florida Department of Emergency Management’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kenneth Scheppke.

And Dr. Jason Byrd with the University of Florida talks about the state's response plan for mass casualties and COVID, and how the state can assist overwhelmed medical examiners offices through the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System.