CDC Mask Guidance Gives Vaccines a Opportunity to Fight

The American division by Mask turned out to be a short pause. After taking pictures in spring and early summer, many thought that the face cover could be permanently thrown away. This is the feeling of the CDC. Crystallized in MayWhen the agency blessed fully immunized people to significantly eliminate masking indoors and outdoors. yesterday, The agency has pivoted back, I also recommend it Fully vaccinated people Rochelle Walensky said at a news conference that he would wear masks under certain high-risk situations, including some public indoor spaces in countries where the virus is rampant. (She has designated more than 50 new cases per 100,000 in the last 7 days, which is currently included. About two-thirds of US counties.. As the epidemic SARS-CoV-2 mutant is rampaging, facial coverings are needed to replenish the protection provided by the vaccine.

The CDC decision that many public health researchers have been expecting for weeks may look like flip-flops or fumbles, some sort of masking mare carpa... But for me and the experts I talked to, Mask redo (Or just keeping them, as many do) is not a shameful return to the dark ages of the pre-vaccination era. Nor is it the prosecution of the COVID-19 vaccine, which does the extraordinary job of reducing the burden of global illness.Instead, it’s doubling the two defenses we know Work, and work well together.

Read: 4 reasons I’m wearing a mask again.

Like other dynamic duos, masks and vaccines share the goal of preventing infections, illnesses and viruses, and achieve that in a complementary way. “They should be seen hand in hand as they help each other,” Abraar Karan, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University, told me.We now understand this concept better than ever and many experts think Anyone Those who want to reduce the risk of catching and passing the virus should use both, despite the CDC standards...

After all, masks are reappearing in response to the rapidly changing circumstances around us. It provides another layer of protection when you need it most, much like looking for an umbrella when it rains or sunscreen when it’s sunny. And a better security system when the crime rate in our neighborhood rises. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, told me, “Because Delta is a very dominant force, we need to include all possible layers.” The vaccine is excellent. However, while so many people remain vulnerable and the virus continues to transform, shots alone cannot bear the burden of protection. Our understanding of masks is evolving. For now, they still play an important role as the shot partners we depend on in the long run.

The mask-vaccine partnership is, in many respects, a natural move. If the unmasked, unvaccinated body is like an unprotected bank vulnerable to thieves, these two tools are a variety of high security measures used to prevent robbery. Similar to Shot covers the agency inside out with steel and papers its walls with the most desired posters to warn bank officials of the rise in local crime. Ultra-sensitive alarms are installed in the window. Additional guards are stationed throughout the building. The local sheriff’s office is located on the speed dial. If thieves try to break in, they will be recognized as close enemies and will probably be arrested on the spot before the actual damage occurs.

The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be an ace in deploying these preventative measures. Prevention of symptomatic diseases, Especially in the most serious form Even when tangoing with variants..That is Classic vaccination Techniques: Strengthen our defenses so that pathogens have higher hurdles to clear.

However, even the vaccinated immune system can fail somewhat if local conditions change. Well-armored banks have an advantage over unsecured banks, but they can have a hard time stopping career criminals, those who have enough knowledge to appear in unison. Move fast and use brutal tactics. And many of those robbers may make it out of a brawl eager to attack the next bank unharmed.The vaccine-prepared immune system is not yet Mainly destroys Delta, SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently found in 80% of viral samples sequenced nationwide. Those who take all shots are much less likely to experience symptoms, hospitalization, or death and are responsible for many viral infections.But Delta seems to be particularly good at it Accumulate in the airways, And seems to have passed some of our immune defenses.They are Awkward properties It may make individuals infected with the virus mildly ill and possibly facilitate their spread. Vaccines are imperfect shields. Variants like Delta go through the cracks.

Mask reduced all Of this risk. If the vaccine enhances security from the inside, the face cover (literally covering the face) builds a sturdy seal around the outside of the bank — fences, bars, better locks, typical intruders. ID check at points. The mask is a physical barrier. “It’s great at preventing exposure to large numbers of viruses,” Iwasaki said, before an intruder invaded the premises. Just as it’s easy for security guards to neutralize a few scammers breaking through the door, university immunologist Marion Pepper said, “The fewer viruses you need to fight, the better. I think it’s pretty obvious. ” I told me in Washington. In other words, masks reduce the amount of labor that our immune system is forced to — in some cases, it may completely eliminate the threat. In this way, vaccines accomplish things that are not possible. Unlike immune cells, you don’t have to wait for the virus to invade and act.This is for the elderly Immunodeficiency, The population that the CDC should say Mask more carefully indoorsNo matter where you live.

Read: The duty of the mask goes back and forth.

Masks can be a particularly important combination for current vaccines. Administered with arm muscles instead of nose—The natural entrance to SARS-CoV-2. The content of the shot effectively educates immune cells and molecules throughout the body, but is less effective in marshalling defenders who specialize in protecting the slimy tissues that line the airways and gastrointestinal tract. there is not. This is the difference between having a security guard in the back room of the bank and having an agent at the entrance to the building. Defense can be installed either way, but fighters who have to scramble from one place to another will probably lose speed and vitality.Wayley barrier A few However, virus particles can buy time for these guards to rush to the front. The mask reduces the strain on the body and keeps the immune cells in a comfortable fighting zone.

Our vaccine is very powerful, but its performance was first measured in clinical trials in the meantime Masking has become widespread. Michal Tal, an immunologist at Stanford University, told me that research volunteers were “required to act as if they were not vaccinated and to keep all other protections in place.” The surprisingly low incidence of illness in volunteers vaccinated in these studies may not be solely due to jabs. Shots were supported by preventative aides, even for early iterations of the virus. Mirroring that first tag team approach may not be a bad idea.

The combination of mask and vaccine has many effects on outbound viruses. An unimmunized, unmasked body is a good stage for pathogens to propagate unbound and jump on nearby humans. Vaccines induce immune cells to defeat as many viral particles as possible. The mask traps potential escape inside. “People need to remember that we live in a very interrelated society,” Karan said.While vaccinated people may remain Almost safe from Serious illnessMany people around, especially those who remain unvaccinated, including young children, remain at much higher risk. A virus that continues to spread even quietly makes it much harder to end a pandemic.

Callan points out that Mask is also a great insurance policy.Vaccines still have uncertainty: although experts believe COVID-19 shots are decreasing all Forms of infections and illnesses, How much they Block long COVID It remains dark. Researchers also don’t know when vaccine-trained immune cells begin to forget the coronavirus, or when the pathogen mutates in a more evasive manner.If needed Booster or represcription vaccineFace coverings may prevent some people from getting sick while those reinforcements arrive. “I think the mask is our lowest hanging fruit to buy our time,” Karan said.

Some have already criticized the CDC announcement as a mysterious U-turn. According to experts, this is the wrong way to view updates and should be considered an improvement over the status quo. This is a step. Forward, There is no step back. The combination of masks and vaccines reaffirms that we know how to protect ourselves from this rapidly changing virus, which matches the curve ball we throw on our path. Taison Bell, a life-saving and infectious disease doctor at UVA Health in Virginia, told me that he sees masks as empowering. “It doesn’t represent anything that limits my freedom,” he said. “It allows me to enter the space and do what I need to do.”

The change in guidance is, in a sense, embodying a new attitude towards masking that will probably stick in some way even after the pandemic has officially ended. These last 16 months have emphasized the power of masks to prevent all kinds of pathogens. Stop some medical conditionsAs people become more in harmony with public health, face coverings may become a social and seasonal standard practice. That’s the good side of the crisis. It forces us to react and hopefully it reacts well. When we notice that our situation has changed, it requires us to adapt.