CDC to urge vaccinated people to resume wearing masks indoors in some circumstances
Last edited Tue Jul 27, 2021, 04:13 PM - Edit history (1)
Several sources have been putting out heads-up articles. Putting this here since it hasn't happened yet so not yet eligible for LBN. Expected this afternoon.
By Yasmeen Abutaleb, Joel Achenbach and Adam Taylor
Today at 10:44 a.m. EDT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend on Tuesday that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances, citing the highly transmissible delta variant. The recommendation, to be unveiled at a 3 p.m. news briefing, would alter the agency’s May 13 guidance saying that vaccinated individuals did not have to wear masks indoors or out because of the protection afforded by vaccines. At the time, cases were dropping sharply and the delta variant, which is 1,000 times more transmissible than earlier versions of the virus, had not gained significant traction in the United States. President Biden and CDC director Rochelle Walensky have repeatedly said there is a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” because unvaccinated people make up the vast majority of patients hospitalized with the disease.
But the delta variant has been a game-changer for the United States, sending cases surging throughout the country, and there is concern that although vaccinated people are unlikely to become severely ill, they may still be able to become infected and spread the virus. “Nobody wants to go backward but you have to deal with the facts on the ground, and the facts on the ground are that it’s a pretty scary time and there are a lot of vulnerable people,” said Robert Wachter, chairman of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “I think the biggest thing we got wrong was not anticipating that 30 percent of the country would choose not to be vaccinated.”
Wachter said the earlier CDC guidance on masks was “reasonable” given the state of the pandemic at that time. “In June we were in this virtuous cycle, where cases were going down, people were getting vaccinated, everyone said happy days are here again, and let their guard down.” But then came the delta variant. “When things change, they don’t change in a linear fashion, they change in an exponential fashion,” he said. Senior officials were debating the masking guidance on Monday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
The officials discussed new data the CDC has showing that vaccinated individuals infected with delta have viral loads similar to those who are unvaccinated, raising questions about how much vaccinated individuals can transmit the disease. Experts and some senior Biden health officials had grown frustrated that the CDC has not moved more quickly to change its guidance. One senior administration official said the agency was wary of being viewed as “flip flopping,” but senior health officials came to the conclusion that the picture on the ground had changed substantially with the delta variant.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/27/cdc-masks-guidance-indoors/
ETA - the guidance has dropped (summary portion posted below) - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
Updated July 27, 2021
Summary of Recent Changes
Updated information for fully vaccinated people given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant currently circulating in the United States. Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. Added information that fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated. Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people who have a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status
= new reply since forum marked as read
(image from a post down further in the thread - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=15669263)
It may look "clear" in the "vaccinated" NE and Upper MW states, but I think it's more a factor of the higher vaccination rates literally "bending the curve" and slowing the transmission. But the transmission is STILL happening and it may just take longer to get to a peak in those states as Delta moves through the unvaccinated populations in those states.
Don't tell them that though! They've not been blue since since 1968.
I mean I was just looking at the populations of the towns near some of those "blue" spots (Buffalo - a county seat, and Laverne) and both have less than 1500 people each living there.
There should have been a "transition" type messaging, giving leeway to allow for recommending a slow phase out of masking as we got closer to higher percentages of vaccinations.
But instead, it became a light switch with the insistence to take the masks off while proclaiming "You're home free!!!111!!! Go for it!!!111!! The vaccine will make you completely impervious to any infection, so make sure you get vaccinated!!11!!!!!"
It's not like the 18 month history of this virus in the U.S. isn't front and center, along with all the things that went on that created the waves and ebbs.
(above from CDC itself - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html)
"everywhere" may end up with "high transmission rates".
I think traditionally, they have sounded the alarm if the positivity rate in a locale was above 5%. I know here in Philly as of yesterday, we were up to 3% (from 1% just 2 weeks ago), and the city has already reinstated a "mask-up indoors" recommendation.
Just today with PA's case report, we are almost back up to 1000 cases per day for the state, which is where we had finally gotten down to after the spring wave and just before Memorial Day. And believe it or not, just before July 4th, the level had gotten down to ~150 - 200 cases/per day.
Here in PA, as of today, we are almost up to 1000 cases/day, which is where we had come down to just before Memorial Day after the big Easter surge. Right before July 4, we were running in the 150 - 250/day range.
