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US health officials say highly contagious delta version of coronavirus is behind changes to mask guidelines
NEW YORK – Wait, are we supposed to wear masks again? Even though we are vaccinated?
For much of the United States, this is the latest advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC this week revisited and revised its guidelines for wearing masks indoors to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The change comes two months after the agency relaxed its advice on masks, saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to cover up in indoor public places. Since then, the agency has also said that vaccinated adults and teens no longer need to wear them to summer camps and schools.
A look at the latest developments:
WHAT CHANGED?
CDC officials have announced that fully vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is thriving – meaning most of the country, or more. of 60% of US counties. Masks are generally not needed outdoors.
The agency also said everyone – teachers and students – should start wearing masks in schools again, whether or not the virus increases in your community.
The CDC was not the first to call for the return of the masks. In recent weeks, a number of cities and towns located in hot spots have reinstated rules for indoor masks. The list includes municipalities ranging in size from Los Angeles to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Other places, as well as businesses, have taken steps to join the list after the CDC’s announcement on Tuesday, including Kansas City and the state of Nevada.
WHY THE CHANGE?
This is all due to the highly contagious delta version of the virus, the CDC said. This variant is causing outbreaks of COVID-19 across much of the country and now accounts for more than 80% of infections. CDC officials said new information about its spread forced them to back down.
The vast majority of new infections in the United States continue to involve unvaccinated people. Rarely, some vaccinated people also end up getting infected, although the vaccine does cushion the blow and usually protects them against serious illness.
Previously, people vaccinated with “breakthrough infections” had low levels of the virus and were unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said. But new data shows that is not the case with the delta variant. People who are vaccinated “have the potential to pass this virus on to others,” she said.
WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED?
The advice for anyone who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine remains the same: masks are recommended indoors, everywhere.
Everyone – regardless of vaccination or location – should wear a mask at airports or train stations, or on buses, trains or other public transport.
Hospitals, stores and businesses may also require masks.
The CDC hasn’t explicitly changed its guidelines for summer camps, mainly because the season is ending and schools are opening soon.
WHERE ARE THE HOT SPOTS?
The new guidelines relate to areas where the spread of the virus is significant or high, as shown on a CDC map. That means at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week.
Rates of new cases are particularly high in the South and Southwest, according to the CDC tracker. In Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida, each county exceeds the CDC benchmark. And rates are high in all but a few counties in Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri.
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The Associated Press’s Department of Health and Science receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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