Vaccinated and wearing masks: reintroducing their use could be the key to preventing the spread of new variants of the coronavirus

While many countries are just starting to release a life without masks or face masks, one of the anti-coronavirus barriers is once again debated against the proliferation of infections by the new variants of COVID 19.

Alarmed by the virulence of these new SARS-CoV-2 “species”, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have warned that easing protective measures to prevent new infections could undermine vaccination plans in the face of vaccines.

Even experts from the world health authority have urged fully vaccinated people to “continue to wear masks and continue to take other steps to avoid getting sick from the coronavirus.”

The emergence of new variants “makes it even more urgent that we use all the tools at our disposal to prevent transmission”said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who stressed the constant use of vaccination and public health and social measures as essential to fight the pandemic.

The highly infectious variant of the virus, called Delta, which was first detected in India, has already been identified in at least 85 countries. In the United States, where its prevalence has doubled in the past two weeks, it is responsible for 1 in 5 cases of COVID-19.

The country’s leading infectious disease specialist, Anthony Fauci, said a few days ago that this mutation is “the greatest threat” to wiping out the virus in the country.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not yet decided to change their recommendations on protective gestures to avoid contamination with the coronavirus. In this direction, continue to maintain that “fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or maintain social distancing”

Breaking away from this health policy, Los Angeles County has suggested that face masks are still needed for those who have been vaccinated due to the exponentially transmitted Delta variant.

Although it has been argued that fully vaccinated people appear to be well protected against Delta variant infections, health officials in that district still recommend “that people wear masks indoors in settings like supermarkets or retail stores; theaters and family recreation centers and workplaces I don’t know everyone’s immunization status ”.

Open or jugular schools

The debate also reached the UK. UK government ministers have also said they plan to remove the legal requirement for masks when the restrictions are lifted on July 19.

But unlike this position, Labor MP Matt Western re-introduced the controversy by asking if face covering should not be mandatory in classrooms, given a slight increase in infections in educational institutions.

From the English Secretary of Health, they agreed to consider it a “Very important problem” and “out-of-school children is something none of us want to see ”.

In the same way, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she would keep hers for the time being.

“Look, I would love to take my mask off, but at the right time, I will,” he told British Times Radio Breakfast.

The comments are all a step forward on the part of a minister in Boris Johnson’s government. A possible confirmation that some measures are still necessary, which we hear from scientific circles, who say that masks and hygiene measures must remain.

Backtracking despite vaccines

Israel is another case of chinstrap reintroduction. The country had to reverse its previous decision to eliminate them after the virus started to circulate again, despite being one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Deputy Director-General for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals, underlined during a recent briefing from the institution that even those vaccinated should continue to wear masks consistently, avoid crowds, and maintain social distancing.

The recommendations also reiterate the importance of making sure spaces are well ventilated, washing hands frequently, and avoiding sneezing or coughing around other people..

“What we’re saying is, once you’ve been fully vaccinated, keep playing it safe, because you could end up being part of a chain of transmission. ‘In fact, you might not be. not fully protected, ”Dr Bruce said. Aylward, Senior Advisor to WHO.

“I think the first message we want to pay attention to is to say, ‘Once you are vaccinated you can go on and do anything.

Although people who have a full immunization schedule are largely protected against symptomatic and asymptomatic coronavirus infections, studies suggest that vaccines against the Delta variant are slightly less effective than other variants.

For Eric Feigl-Ding, senior researcher at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, “We’re not at the vaccines level where we can release the brakes on everything else and herd immunity will stop the transmissions.”.

Moreover, considering the perversity and speed of the new variants, “the vaccines approach is not enough ”, added the expert.

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