When do you stop wearing a face mask?What health professionals predict

As we approach the year COVID-19 Pandemic— And more and more Americans are vaccinated — many are beginning to wonder how long we need to wear Face mask In public.

Several states, including Montana, Iowa, North Dakota, Mississippi, and Texas, have recently announced the end of their mask obligations.

But not wearing a mask now is “a very bad idea, especially if it’s popular. variant“Is called Richard Watkins, MD, Infectious disease specialist and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still Recommended People over the age of 2 wear masks in public around people outside the home. This causes problems. When is it realistic to stop wearing a face mask? And will they become the new normal during the cold and flu season? This is what infectious disease specialists have ever known.

When can I safely stop wearing a face mask?

Dr. Watkins says it’s “difficult to say” given that the end of wearing a regular face mask is tied to the end of a pandemic. But he adds: Herd immunity, Regular mask wearing may probably be discontinued. (Herd immunity means that the majority of the population is immune to infectious diseases, and people who are not immune to infectious diseases, such as newborns and vulnerable people who cannot be vaccinated due to health risks. Provides indirect protection to.)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently said: CNN Public health officials said masks could continue to be recommended in 2022. But by then life should look more normal, he added. We have survived last year. “

Doctors agree that masks are likely to be recommended for some time. “Prevention of infection is still the only best way to reduce illness and death, and the best prevention is Wearing a mask And social distance ” Lewis Nelson, MD, Chairman of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical College. “Until better information is available on the development of viral variants and their effectiveness Current or future vaccine, We need to wear masks in many interpersonal relationships. “

Infectious disease experts say that some kind of mask guidance is likely to be implemented until “the spread of the virus to the community is sufficiently reduced.” Amesh A. Adalja, MD, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Senior Scholar. “It may be in late 2021 as more people will have access to the vaccine.”

for example You are completely vaccinated, CDC still Recommended It is unclear whether a vaccinated person can infect others who have not yet been vaccinated with COVID-19, so keep wearing a mask in public.

As for the actual mask obligations, “this is done state-by-state,” says Dr. Adalja. However, as the COVID-19 epidemic diminishes in certain areas, mask obligations may eventually disappear, he said.

Is a face mask recommended after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Luis Alvarez placeholder imageGetty Images

This is possible, especially since masks have been proven to prevent infection. Flu season Data from virtually non-existent this year — CDC Since September, only 1,500 cases of clinically diagnosed influenza have been found. This is a significant reduction compared to last year’s flu season. Estimated 56 million cases.

For this reason, experts say the mask may be able to maintain its strength, at least during the cold and flu seasons. “Masks were common in Asia before COVID, so I think more people in the United States will be able to wear them comfortably after the pandemic,” says Dr. Watkins.

Dr. Adalja points out that it is advisable to wear a mask whenever you are wearing one. Respiratory virus, Even before the pandemic. “That wouldn’t change, but more people could stick to it,” he says.

Others continue to wear masks in public places, such as crowded areas and public transport. I’ve seen masks help prevent illness, Dr. Adalja said.

For now, doctors say they will continue to mask until public health officials give Americans a green light to go public without it.

This article is accurate at the time of the press. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses rapidly and the scientific community gains a better understanding of the new coronavirus, some information may have changed since it was last updated. We aim to keep all the stories up to date, CDC, WHO, And yours Local public health sector To keep up to date with the latest news. Always consult your doctor for professional medical advice.

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