Even if you are vaccinated, some people still need to wear a mask. Are you one of them?

Atlanta (CNN) —News spread nationwide — Finally no mask!

Those who are completely vaccinated COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) According to him, he no longer needs to wear the mask inside or outside, nor does he need to be six feet away from others. New guidance released on Thursday According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Does that mean that Americans vaccinated at least two weeks ago, that is, full immunity has begun, can throw masks into the air and hug them to celebrate everything?

Not perfect.

You need to hide public transport. It also applies to hospitals, elderly housing with care, other medical facilities, and even some local businesses and workplaces, where required by law or regulation. Children still have to wear masks to go to school.

Then there is the following warning: “If you have a weakened immune system or are taking medication, you may not be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your healthcare provider,” the CDC said in a new guidance. It is stated in. “You may need to continue taking everything after vaccination. prevention.. “

On CNN’s Sunday show, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Warrensky said that immunocompromised people should consult a doctor before deciding to stop wearing masks, but severe COVID- Others, including 19 high-risk individuals, may wish to do so. , In the same way.

In most cases, the studies that are currently emerging are for people with immunodeficiency and those taking drugs that interfere with the immune system, such as those who have had an organ transplant or who are receiving chemotherapy, COVID-19. It suggests that it may not be well protected from the vaccine. At least one study suggests that dialysis patients may also be unprotected, she said.

Immunodeficiency

There are several conditions that can weaken your immune system.

Some illnesses, such as HIV / AIDS, can completely disrupt the body’s ability to fight infection. Patients with organ transplants should take drugs that suppress the immune system daily to prevent the immune system from rejecting new organs. Chemotherapy then works by killing cell proliferation, preventing it from growing, and weakening the immune system.

“In addition to chemotherapy, certain types of immunotherapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplants, and other drugs can severely weaken the immune system,” said Laura, senior vice president of prevention and early detection for the American Cancer Society.・ Makarov said.

People with severe immunodeficiency are said to remain completely masked and need to take special precautions to protect them from all types of pathogens.

General condition that weakens immunity

Many common illnesses and conditions that affect millions of Americans can weaken the immune system. The body can react unreasonably to intruders, making it more vulnerable to infections and viruses such as COVID-19.

For example, diabetes can weaken the immune system. There are 34.2 million diabetics in the United States. An additional 88 million people have prediabetes. According to the CDC..

Not all of them have a weak immune system, but some do. One of them is Alyannah Buhman. Who told CNN last August That worry about COVID-19 left her “very awkward.”

“I get sick really easily,” she said. “I can’t fight anything to save my life. I start plunging everywhere. That’s a scary idea.”

Obesity, like chronic kidney disease, liver and heart disease, and old age, can be associated with weak immunity — more than 40% of Americans are obese.

For cancer, both current patients and survivors need to check with their doctor before removing masks and other protective equipment, according to Makarov.

“For people whose immune system is weakened by either the cancer itself or treatment, it may not be fully protected even if it is fully vaccinated. What precautions should be taken? It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider, “she said.

The American Heart Association states that heart disease is the largest murderer of men and women in the United States, but unlike cancer, “the drugs used to treat heart disease are most often not immunosuppressive, but specific. It should not pose a risk. ” President Mitchell Elkind.

“Patients with heart disease are at increased risk of adverse consequences from COVID-19, but the benefits of the vaccine are the same as those without heart disease,” Elkind said.

“Patients with heart disease who are vaccinated and have not been immunocompromised for other reasons are advised to follow the CDC guidelines for wearing masks and social distance,” he said.

Pregnant women are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, so the CDC encourages vaccination and said the decision to remove the mask would be personal.

Autoimmune drug

Millions of Americans live with common autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and lupus.

In autoimmune diseases, the immune system fails and mistakenly orders the warrior’s army to attack his body.

Drugs commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases are designed to suppress their excessive immune response, but they are not targeted. Instead, the drug weakens the entire immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to upper respiratory and urinary tract infections, pneumonia, skin infections, and of course COVID-19.

Latland, medical director of the Latland Medical Group in Newport, said that by weakening the immune response, people taking drugs for autoimmune diseases may be “not very responsive to the COVID-19 vaccine.” Is also known in some studies. California beach.

A 26 small studies In inflammatory disease, coronavirus antibody levels were found to be slightly lower than in other patients, but no one was “completely non-responder.”

A Large-scale research Of the 133 individuals, antibodies to COVID-19 were “reduced by a third” compared to healthy controls, and some drugs, such as glucocorticoids, were found to be worse than others. Nonetheless, the antibodies found in patients taking the drug “may provide adequate humoral protection because they are comparable to patients who have recovered rapidly from COVID-19,” the study said. This study is a preprint and means that it has not been scrutinized by the journal for publication.

Vaccination seems to be effective, but Rutland said he is playing safely with the patient.

Finally, how do you determine if you fall into the category of “immunity weakness”? How can I know if I should think twice about joining the maskless masses?

“We recommend that people with immune-compromising illnesses or those taking these medications consult their doctors,” Warensky said.

“Really, our guidance changed on Thursday, so no one needs to strip off the mask,” she said. “Yes, if you’re worried, talk to your doctor before removing the mask.”

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