The crushing wave of coronavirus infection caused by the omicron variant is receding and pandemic restrictions such as indoor masking are starting to loosen. But Boston doctors warn that the pandemic isn't over yet, and some people may still need to wear a mask.
William Hanage, associate professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Jim Braude on Greater Boston Thursday that coronavirus trends are in a good place, but people who are elderly, immunosuppressed or have comorbidities may still want to wear a mask to protect themselves.
"We can help those people by giving them good quality masks. When I say that, I mean things like a KF94, N95, two procedural masks one layered over the other will help," Hanage said, adding that it's important to normalize mask use since someone could be wearing one for any number of reasons.
Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, also noted trends are heading in the right direction to ease restrictions, but it's important to remain cautious.
"It is good to start thinking about this, but we still need to remain cautious because there's still room for improvement," said Assoumou.
Watch: Is it too soon to loosen coronavirus restrictions?
