As infections increase, the CDC encourages vaccinated Americans to wear masks again

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that it would revise a decision made just two months ago. People vaccinated against the coronavirus should resume wearing masks in some public indoor spaces in countries where the virus is rampant.

CDC staff also recommended universal masking for teachers, staff, students, and school visitors, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission of the virus. With further precautions, the school should still return to face-to-face learning in the fall, agency director Rochelle Walensky is expected to say at a press conference on Tuesday.

The recommendation is another terrible twist in the American pandemic process, a war-tired concession that the virus outweighs vaccination efforts. Agency movements include an increase in the number of cases in states such as Florida and Missouri. Breakthrough infectious disease Of a more contagious delta variant among fully immunized people.

White House spokesman Jen Psaki said at a press conference Tuesday that changes in guidance were essential to “fighting the ever-evolving virus” and the Byden administration supported its efforts.

“Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, and evolving historical pandemics, and provide guidance to the American people,” said Pusaki.

Vaccines are very effective against the worst consequences of infection with any form of coronavirus, including hospitalization and death. However, the new guidelines are explicitly applied to both unvaccinated and vaccinated, largely from the standpoint of institutions since May that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. It deviates.

These recommendations, which appear to suggest an elimination of the pandemic, suggest that vaccinated people are rarely infected, rarely infected with the virus, and require no masking. It was based on previous data.

But that was before the arrival of the Delta variant. Delta variants now account for the majority of infections in the United States. According to three controversial federal authorities, the CDC authorities have been persuaded by new scientific evidence that even vaccinated people can become infected and carry large amounts of the virus.

Some public health experts welcomed the authorities’ decision to revise the guidelines. “This is the right move,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at the Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, based on scientists learning about the ability of delta mutants to cause breakthrough infections. I did.

The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association (two major teachers’ unions) strongly supported the CDC’s transition to universal masking in schools.

Randy Weingarten, President of AFT, said: “Regardless of vaccination status, masking in schools is needed as an important way to deal with the changing reality of viral infections, and more Americans over the age of 12 are vaccinated. “

It is unclear whether state and local health authorities are willing to follow government guidance. And there should be resistance from pandemic-tired Americans, especially in regions of the country where vaccination rates are low and concerns about the virus are low.

Some jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis County, Missouri, have already reinstated their mask obligations in response to the growing number of incidents. However, one of the most common states, Arkansas, maintains a ban on mandatory masks despite delayed vaccination rates.

Most recently, a CDC spokesman said last week that authorities had no plans to change the guidance unless there were major changes in science. Researchers have begun to find new and disturbing data.

The delta variant is thought to be about twice as contagious as the original version of the virus.Some studies now suggest that people infected with the mutant carry it. About 1000 times more viruses It can remain infected longer than those infected with other variants.

CDC officials are upset by a new study showing that even vaccinated people can carry large amounts of the mutant virus to the nose and throat, according to three federal officials familiar with the matter. And suggests that it may spread to others.

Large so-called viral loads, especially in the nose and throat, may help explain reports of breakthrough infections in groups of vaccinated people. For example, according to Steve Katulinis, chair of the Provincetown Health Commission, the outbreaks in Provincetown, Massachusetts have expanded to at least 765 after Independence Day on July 4.

Of the 469 cases reported among Massachusetts residents, 74 percent were fully immunized, Katsurinis said.

After weddings, family reunions, and dinner parties, small clusters of breakthrough infections have been reported. Some of the infected had symptoms, but the majority are not serious illnesses, suggesting that the immunity generated by the vaccine is rapidly suppressing the virus.

Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the vaccine was “not a force field.” Instead, vaccination trains the immune system to recognize cells infected with the virus.

“The term breakthrough infection is probably a bit misleading,” she said. “It’s probably more realistic to talk about the breakthrough illness and how much it’s happening.”

Dr. Warensky urged people to be vaccinated again on Tuesday, noting that the increase in cases and hospitalizations was greatest between low vaccination sites and unvaccinated people.

She admitted that some vaccinated people could be infected with the delta mutant and could be transmitted, but claimed it was a rare event. However, the CDC only tracks breakthrough infections that lead to hospitalization or death in vaccinated Americans. Officials have previously stated that vaccinated people account for only 3 percent of hospitalizations.

Dr. Gonder and other experts said it was unknown how often vaccinated people would infect others with the virus, but it was more common than scientists predicted as the original virus spread. maybe.

Dr. Scott Dryden Peterson, Physician and Epidemiologist for Infectious Diseases in Brigam, said: & Women’s Hospital in Boston investigating a breakthrough infectious disease in Massachusetts.

Vaccinated people, especially those with weak immunity and other high-risk people, should consider wearing masks even in areas with low infection rates. “Masks can effectively reduce the amount of virus we inhale and prevent getting sick, so they enhance the effects of our vaccine. In almost everywhere in the United States, it’s a good idea. is.”

Infections are increasing rapidly in the United States, with an average of more than 56,000 cases per day as of Tuesday, more than four times the number four weeks ago. Hospitalization is also increasing in almost every state, with deaths averaging 275 per day.

Dr. Robby Sikka, a doctor who worked at the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, said of the new masking guidance: “Given what we’re seeing, it’s now absolutely necessary to delay and suppress transmission.” ..

“Not everyone with a breakthrough infection is at risk of infection, but it is essential to be aware that there is a risk of infection,” he said.

However, Dr. Sicca says that relying on states and regions to set masking rules requires more testing than is currently being done to identify people with mild or asymptomatic infections. Said that it would be. “It’s probably something we’re not completely ready to do,” he said.

Given that the virus can become endemic and permanently embedded in American life, federal officials need to clarify a clearer plan for long-term masking, Dr. Nuzzo said.

“The question is, what is masking offramp? It’s really important for us to define it,” she said. “If we want to keep asking people to step up, we need to give them a vision of what we are working on.”