Why the WHO and CDC disagree on wearing face masks if you’ve been given the COVID vaccine

Should people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 continue to wear face masks? It depends on who you ask. The lines drawn may be a matter of policy, legal responsibility, or, in the case of the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an entirely different reason.

A comment from WHO Deputy Director-General Dr Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão first fueled the frenzy on June 25 when he recommended that vaccinated people continue to wear masks, even if they received two doses a vaccine, such as Pfizer or Astra Zeneca. The council comes as the new, highly contagious variant of the Delta coronavirus continues to dominate new cases around the world, including the United States.

Days later, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky appeared to contradict WHO advice, citing the high rate of protection of people vaccinated against the Delta variant and other strains of COVID.

WHO and CDC agree that people who are do not vaccinees should continue to wear face masks, but why do they seem to disagree on a barrier above the nose and mouth? Here is the last one. This story has been updated with new information.

Why are the WHO and CDC arguing over the role of face masks for people who have been vaccinated?

Days after the WHO recommendation that people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine should continue to wear a face mask, Dr.Anthony Fauci, a leading authority on U.S. infectious diseases (and adviser to seven presidents) explained why the advice differs from that of the CDC. .

“There is a reason for this,” Fauci said during a virtual White House press briefing with Walensky. “WHO is responsible for the planet as a whole. It’s different in the world at large from here to the United States.”

Only 23.7% of the world’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the vaccine tracking site Our World in Data. The United States nearly doubles that number, to 47% of Americans who are considered fully vaccinated as of June 30, according to the Mayo Clinic.

For Fauci and Walensky, the urgency is less to wear a face mask after vaccination and more to get more Americans vaccinated in the first place. To support his argument, Fauci cited results which show that two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are 90% or more effective against hospitalization of the Delta variant.

Why does the WHO say that vaccinated people should wear face masks?

Wearing a mask is still important, even for people who have been vaccinated, WHO Deputy Director-General Simão said during a press briefing on June 25. “People cannot feel safe just because they have received both doses. They must always protect themselves. “

Wearing masks in public places is essential to help people inhale particles that will make them sick, said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, US infectious disease epidemiologist, at the same briefing.

While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines show robust protection against variants, “breakthrough” infections can still occur sporadically. In a first case in June, a fully vaccinated woman in Napa, California died from COVID-19. She was over 65 and is said to have underlying health issues.

What does the CDC say?

The CDC’s current mask-wearing guidelines remain the same for people who are fully vaccinated. The guidelines say those who are fully vaccinated can “resume their activities without wearing masks or moving away” except when necessary, such as on planes and businesses.

Walensky, the agency director, stuck to those guidelines on NBC’s Today show Wednesday, saying fully vaccinated people are protected against the Delta variant.

The CDC warned CNN on Saturday that there is still a small chance that fully vaccinated people could be infected with the new variant if exposed. We asked the CDC for comment.

Why is the delta variant of the coronavirus important?

The delta variant is the latest of the new coronavirus variants and the most contagious of the variants identified to date, according to the WHO. The Delta variant has been identified in 85 countries so far and is spreading among the unvaccinated population, the organization said at the press conference.

“The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the United States to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Fauci said during a White House press briefing on June 22.

Will there be a return to warrants and blockages of face masks?

Some countries have already started to tighten restrictions related to COVID-19. For example, four cities across Australia have returned to lockdown, including the state of Sydney in New South Wales. In the United States, Los Angeles County strongly recommends indoor face masks whether someone has been vaccinated or not, although masks are not needed in most places. Some countries in Africa and Asia, for example South Africa and Malaysia, have also moved to containment due to the spread of the delta variant.

Some places have never loosened mask mandates, like airports and airlines. In the United States, other public transportation requires masks, such as buses and trains.

For more information, here’s what you need to know about “Long COVID” and how it is treated. Also read these Side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and Dos and Don’ts to Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute health or medical advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have about a health problem or health goals.