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DENVER – Is it time for you to start wearing an indoor mask again by following the latest guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
It mostly depends on where you live. And, unfortunately for the Coloradans, that focus covers a substantial part of the state, according to the CDC.
In a reversal from guidelines released just over two months ago, the federal agency announced Tuesday that it is now recommending that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors in parts of the country where there is “substantial” or “high” transmission of the virus.
The CDC defines “substantial transmission” as 50 or more infections of the novel coronavirus per 100,000 people, which for Colorado means not only Mesa County and other parts of the Western Slope, but also includes some mountain communities and even parts of the Denver metro area. as well as.
CDC data shows that 38 of Colorado’s 64 counties are in levels of substantial or high transmission, which translates to 59.38% of the state. That’s roughly in line with the rest of the country, where 60% of all U.S. counties have a substantial or high degree of transmission, according to the CDC.
Areas shaded in orange represent substantial transmission while those in red represent high transmission of the virus on the map below. Please note: The map below does not automatically update with new CDC data. To see the latest transmission levels, click here.
The CDC’s latest announcement is not a mandate, and indoor mask requirements are left to the discretion of local public health agencies. So far, no Colorado public health official has said masks are required in indoor environments and instead urges the public to get vaccinated.
Here’s what Denver officials and Gov. Jared Polis said about the CDC’s latest guidelines
As the city of Denver had 58.3 cases per 100,000 residents as of July 26, a spokesperson for the city’s health and environment department told our partners at Denver Post As of Tuesday, there are no plans to require masks in Denver at this time.
“Since the recommendation is for high transmission areas, I don’t think anything would change today – given that Denver’s numbers are still good,” a spokesperson for Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement. .
Hancock told Denver7 on Monday that he hoped Denver wouldn’t have to revert to the old restrictions, but added he couldn’t rule it out entirely.
“We are leaving everything on the table. The reality is that we have to keep our toolbox up to date with options to protect people and that is what we did last year and that is what we will have to do. in the future, ”Hancock said.
When asked three times what he thought of the CDC’s new guidelines and the potential for a mask warrant on Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis deflected the questions and instead urged people to get vaccinated.
“Remember, the mask is not as effective as the vaccine. The vaccine is widely available and 95% effective, ”Polis said.
Later that day, a spokesperson for the governor sent out a brief statement, reiterating what Polis had said in Denver7 earlier.
“We are reviewing these new guidelines from the CDC. Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19. Colorado has made the vaccine readily available, and it is free. We encourage all eligible Coloradans to get vaccinated without delay. “
Health experts from the World Health Organization, however, said in late June that vaccination alone was not enough to tackle the spread of the delta variant and that other safety measures should remain in place. to prevent the resurgence of cases and the mutation of the virus. , potentially in a way that might escape vaccine protection.
“People cannot feel safe just because they have received both doses. They still need to protect themselves, ”WHO Deputy Director-General Dr Mariangela Simao said during a press briefing in Geneva on June 25. “The vaccine alone will not stop community transmission,” Simao added. “People should continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces, wash their hands… physical distance, avoid overcrowding. This continues to be extremely important, even if you are vaccinated while you have ongoing community transmission. “
What about schools? Will they require children to wear masks when school resumes?
The CDC also recommended that everyone in K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of their immunization status. This includes students, staff and visitors.
“Children should return to full-time face-to-face learning in the fall with appropriate prevention strategies in place,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in Tuesday’s announcement.
Denver7 has contacted several school districts in the metro area, but only two responded to our requests for comment on Tuesday.
“We continue to work with our healthcare partners to determine what safety protocols will be needed for the 2021-22 school year,” said Will Jones, spokesperson for Denver Public Schools. “Although we expect a return to more normal operations, it is possible that some requirements (such as the use of masks) will continue into the re-entry.
Alex Marrero, who recently became the DPS superintendent, told Denver7 on Monday that he plans to decide what the rules for wearing masks will be in about a week.
School officials at Jeffco Public Schools said Tuesday in Denver7 that they were still “digesting” what the latest CDC guidelines “mean with everyone.”
“We expected the situation to change and have engaged in dialogue with Jeffco Public Health, as well as with other metro districts, our employee associations and the community,” said Tammy H. Schiff, communications manager for Jeffco Public Schools. “We plan to make our decisions and let our community know by the end of the week. We’ll watch the press conference for more information to factor into the mix.
Why change direction?
The CDC’s latest guidance is in response to new data showing that the delta variant is able to spread rapidly not only among unvaccinated people, but also among fully vaccinated people who have the potential to spread the virus as well, which against which the WHO warned more than two weeks ago.
Walensky told Tuesday’s press conference that recent studies showed that vaccinated people who were infected with the more virulent delta variant had “indistinguishable” amounts of viral loads from those found in the nose and throat of patients. unvaccinated people.
The data comes from more than 100 samples from multiple states and one other country, according to the Associated Press.
While vaccines remain highly effective in preventing serious illness and death, a recent study by the Israeli Ministry of Health found that the efficacy of Pfizer’s vaccine in preventing transmission of the highly transmissible delta variant has fallen to 39% but still had 91% effectiveness in preventing disease.
Data on the effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine and Johnson and Johnson are not widely available because they were not used in countries that were hit hard by the delta variant before the United States.
Pfizer on Wednesday announced that a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may “greatly” boost protection against the delta variant in a copy of its second quarter results, but information cited in quarterly results has yet to been peer reviewed. or published.
Pfizer says federal regulators would determine whether a booster is needed and which populations it would recommend the third dose to.
As of Wednesday, 71.63% of adults in Colorado received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 69.43% of Coloradans 12 and older received a first dose, and 66.08% of all adults in Colorado are fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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