According to CDC guidelines, everyone in Mass. should wear masks inside

Coronavirus

“This new science is disturbing and, unfortunately, warrants an update of our recommendations.”

Every county in Massachusetts has high or substantial transmission of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which, according to CDC guidelines, means everyone should hide inside.

Data released by the CDC on Sunday shows Massachusetts, like neighboring states, is experiencing increased rates of transmission of COVID-19. The CDC classifies transmission in counties and states as low, moderate, substantial, or high. Massachusetts has a high transmission rate on Sunday, with a 7-day positivity rate of 3% to 4.9% and about 117 cases per 100,000 over the past week.

But let’s break it down further: eight of Massachusetts’ fourteen counties have high transmission rates – Berkshire, Hampden, Essex, Suffolk, Plymouth, Bristol, Dukes, and Nantucket – while the rest have substantial transmission.

On July 27, the CDC updated its mask guidelines to note that anyone in an area with high or substantial transmission of COVID-19 should mask themselves indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said this was largely due to the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant.

“High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and have raised concerns that, unlike other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta could transmit the virus,” Walensky said in July, according to NPR. “This finding is concerning and was a crucial finding leading to the CDC’s updated mask recommendation… [which] has been updated to ensure that the vaccinated public would not unknowingly transmit the virus to others, including unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones.

Massachusetts State Profile Report | Aug 6, 2021 by Julia Taliesin on Scribd

Thus, all of Massachusetts, as well as all of the border counties of New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, have a high or substantial rate of transmission and, according to CDC guidelines, everyone in these areas should hide inside.

“On rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination can be contagious and transmit the virus to others,” Walensky said. “This new science is worrisome and, unfortunately, deserves an update in our recommendations.”

Although the state has not issued a mask warrant, a few municipalities have started requiring residents to mask themselves indoors, including Somerville, Salem and Belmont.