The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high Covid-19 transmission rates. The agency is also recommending kids wear masks in schools this fall.
via: Revolt
The news marks a policy reversal from the CDC, which said in May that fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear masks in most settings anymore, both indoors and outside.
“The Delta variant is spreading with incredible efficiency. It is much more aggressive and transmissible than previously circulating COVID-19 strains causing more than 83 [percent] of recent cases,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tweeted on Monday (July 26). “Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic.”
During the briefing, the CDC is also expected to recommend that everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask, regardless of their vaccination status. According to CNBC, federal health officials are concerned that the highly contagious Delta variant will cause another infection surge in the U.S. this fall, when students and adults are expected to return to their traditional school and work settings.
Health officials also fear that the Delta variant is taking a large toll on states with low vaccination rates. Those states will soon be forced to reintroduce mask mandates to stop the spread of the disease.
On Sunday (July 25), White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci confirmed the reintroduction of masks was “under active consideration” by the CDC.
“It’s a dynamic situation. It’s a work in progress, it evolves like in so many other areas of the pandemic,” he told CNN. “You’ve got to look at the data.”
Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others.
As of July 26, more than 188.7 million people have received at least one dose of a #COVID19 vaccine. Of those, 163.2 million are fully vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, especially severe illness and death. More: https://t.co/zYLe3H12re. pic.twitter.com/bNj9rdbN5e
— CDC (@CDCgov) July 26, 2021
The United States now has a high level of community transmission due to #COVID19 cases rapidly increasing in some parts of the country. Learn more about the levels of community transmission across the U.S. on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker: https://t.co/cROqLRIcgJ. pic.twitter.com/PQAz68xvVG
— CDC (@CDCgov) July 27, 2021
