New York's COVID Surge Is Back and So Is Its Mask Mandate.

The resurgence of Covid 19 appears to have become regional, and appears in waves. The earliest cases in the United States were easily found to be near and around international airports originating from airline traffic from South Africa. It did not take long for community outbreaks to occur. Twenty-first Century travel and transportation makes case tracking very difficult, since public health resources are already strained.

Mask fatigue and vaccine resistance by the public add a troublesome component to the war on COVID. Facing a winter surge in COVID-19 infections, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that masks will be required in all indoor public places unless the businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. Though supported by many, mask mandates also have become a hot-button issue. Republican elected officials reacting to Hochul's announcement called it an unnecessary burden on businesses.

"This newest mask mandate is government overreach at its worst," said Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler of suburban Rockland County. "Across New York state, we are getting shots in arms and our vaccination rate is one of the highest in the nation."

COVID disinformation has also affected good judgment amongs caregivers. The Federated Board of State Medical Boards of Medical Examiners and the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners have issued warnings and reprimands to those M.D. issuing false information about COVID vaccinations and treatments.

12 State Boards Have Disciplined Docs for COVID Misinformation

The FSMB board of directors warned physicians in July that they risked disciplinary action if they spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation.

“Physicians who generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation are risking disciplinary action by state medical boards, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license. Due to their specialized knowledge and training, licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society, whether they recognize it or not. They also have an ethical and professional responsibility to practice medicine in the best interests of their patients and must share information that is factual, scientifically grounded and consensus-driven for the betterment of public health. Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk.”

The organization said 15 state boards have now adopted similar statements.

Chaudhry said the FSMB was "encouraged by the number of boards that have already taken action to combat COVID-19 disinformation by disciplining physicians who engage in that behavior and by reminding all physicians that their words and actions matter, and they should think twice before spreading disinformation that may harm patients."

Only 12 state medical boards have taken action against physicians who have spread false or misleading information about COVID-19, according to a new survey from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).

The FSMB reports that in its 2021 annual survey two-thirds of its 71 member boards (which includes the United States, its territories, and Washington, DC) reported an increase in complaints about doctors spreading false or misleading information.

"The staggering number of state medical boards that have seen an increase in COVID-19 disinformation complaints is a sign of how widespread the issue has become," said Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MACP, president and CEO of the FSMB, in a statement.