CDC Director Weighs In On Wearing Masks Amid Delta Variant Spread

[appalachiablue]

Source: abc10/AP

WASHINGTON -- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the CDC is leaving it up to local officials to set guidelines for mask-wearing as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus surges in areas with low vaccination rates.

Walensky said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show that "we've always said that local policymakers need to make policies for their local environment," but added CDC guidelines broadly indicate those who are vaccinated don't need to wear masks. Health officials in Los Angeles County are recommending people wear masks indoors in public places regardless of their vaccination status.

Separately, the World Health Organization has reiterated its longstanding recommendation that everyone wear masks to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. Walensky told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday the "context in which the WHO is making recommendations is very different than us here in the United States" since less than 15% of the world is vaccinated.

As for the recommendation by officials in Los Angeles County, Walensky said "we are still seeing an uptick in cases in areas of low vaccination and in that situation, we are suggesting that policies be made at the local level."... Video

Read more: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/nation-world/cdc-director-wearing-masks/507-2feb3cae-34a7-475a-98d3-d4fb1c9abc8e

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- *WATCH* Growing Confusion Over Face Masks In the US after the W.H.O. recommended coverings regardless of vaccination status. But the CDC said it's not changing its guidance. David Begnaud shows us how states are responding amid a rise in cases of the Delta variant. Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, professor in vaccinology & director of the Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health, Univ. of Md. School of Medicine is interviewed. June 30, 2021, CBS News.
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- Also: 'CDC Director Clarifies Mask Guidance After WHO Says Vaccinated People Should Wear Them,' MSN/NBC Today, June 30, 2021, - Ed,
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cdc-director-clarifies-mask-guidance-after-who-says-vaccinated-people-should-wear-them/ar-AALCO4s

.. "We know that the WHO has to make guidelines and provide information to the world," Walensky told Savannah. "Right now, we know as we look across the globe that less than 15% of people around the world have been vaccinated, and many of those people have only received one dose of a two-dose vaccine. There are places around the world that are surging, and so as the WHO makes those recommendations, they do so in that context."

In the U.S., however, 2/3rds of the adult population has been vaccinated. As of Tuesday, NBC News reported the delta variant comprised about 26% of the nation's COVID-19 cases. LA County, the most populous in the U.S., also issued a similar recommendation to WHO's on Monday. Walensky added that the fully vaccinated adult population is "really quite protected from the variants that we have circulating here in the U.S.

That said, we've always said that local policymakers need to make policies for their local environment. There are areas of this country where ... they have low vaccination rates, and there are areas that have more disease. ... So in those areas, we have always said please look, make suggestions."

She then stressed that "masking policies are not to protect the vaccinated. They're to protect the unvaccinated." Asked if the CDC's bottom line is still that if you're fully vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask, Walensky replied, "That's exactly right."...
- Read More, vaccine effectiveness, Videos...
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Link to tweet

[Orrex]

1. Well, this'll guarantee a lot of easily avoidable deaths

[appalachiablue]

3. I believe this makes no. 2, and I disagree

- 'Vaccinated People Are Dying From The Delta Variant, But In Small Numbers & Almost All Are Over 50,' MNS/Business Insider, June 28, 2021,

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/vaccinated-people-are-dying-from-the-delta-variant-but-in-small-numbers-and-almost-all-are-over-50-uk-data-shows/ar-AALx7Iw

[LisaL]

11. So, as long as they are over fifty, it's all good?

Fifty isn't even that old.

[appalachiablue]

14. Not the poor, ageist headline, but

the fact that there are some breakthru cases among the vaccinated. We know that unvaccinated people are being infected by the Delta variant globally and in many US states.

[LisaL]

13. And by the way, UK had low deaths from delta among un-vaccinated too-so far.

Out of 117 people who died, 67 were un-vaccinated and 50 were vaccinated.
So nearly fifty % of people who died in their delta surge were vaccinated.

[Skittles]

2. the CDC is rapidly losing all credibility

they behave as if the honor system is good enough - IT ISN'T

[FarPoint]

4. This is the bottom line....simple fact....

" he then stressed that "masking policies are not to protect the vaccinated. They're to protect the unvaccinated." Asked if the CDC's bottom line is still that if you're fully vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask, Walensky replied, "That's exactly right."..."

Yeap...We who are vaccinated are not going to spread the virus...we can get it but the mask does not actually protects us....the vaccine does. The vaccine is not a "shield"...it gives our immune system the command codes to fight the virus...

[torius]

9. You are far less

likely to get OR spread it after being fully vaccinated, but it’s not impossible. If you do get it you’re much less likely to get very ill.

From CDC site: “The risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated where community transmission of the virus is widespread. Vaccinated people could potentially still become infected and spread the virus to others.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html

Cleveland Clinic:
“Can fully vaccinated people still transmit the virus to others, including other vaccinated people?
While it is possible, Dr. Cardona says that the ability to transmit COVID-19 may occur at a lower rate. She adds that this could also be a reality for people who don’t have a good immune response to vaccines.

“On June 7, the CDC issued a press release regarding their study of the effectiveness of vaccines in fully vaccinated people. . . . The results of this study also suggest that fully or partially vaccinated people who become infected with COVID-19 might be less likely to spread the virus to others. With fully or partially vaccinated study participants, the virus was 40% less detectable in their noses. It was also detected in six fewer days (i.e., viral shedding) as compared to those who weren’t vaccinated when they became infected.”

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-vaccinated-people-transmit-covid-19-to-others/

more background info: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210203-why-vaccinated-people-may-still-be-able-to-spread-covid-19

Rick Bright, who was on Biden’s Covid task force, says the CDC by failing to sequence all breakthrough viruses they are not getting good data on vaccine-evading variants.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/rick-bright-wants-to-wipe-out-this-virus-but-its-going-to-take-better-covid-19-vaccines-distributed-to-70-of-the-worlds-population-11621345335

[appalachiablue]

10. People don't know this, it's rare but can happen

Glad you posted the info.

[LisaL]

12. People who are infected can still spread the virus and infect others.

Less likely doesn't mean it can't happen.
And with delta being so highly infectious, less likely could be quite a lot.

[Initech]

5. How do you define "unvaccinated"?

Like people who can't get vaccinated because of medical reasons or the people who choose not to be vaccinated because of propaganda being circulated on Facebook? If it's the former then I'm OK with protecting them. If it's the latter, they can go fuck themselves with a rusty bayonette.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. It does not matter if you're unvaccinated because you're an asshole who won't get the vaccine,

or if you're someone who for some kind of medical reason cannot be vaccinated. You're unvaccinated, no matter what. As for those who choose not to vaccinate because of some bullshit reason, I sincerely wish they could have some kind of a tattoo on their forehead, but alas that won't happen.

[Initech]

8. Yeah no, that's getting into Nazi territory.

And I ain't touching that one with a 100 foot pole.

[HUAJIAO]

6. "... "we've always said that local policymakers need to make policies for their local environment,"

"...as we've always said....."

useless...

[Marthe48]

15. Grim numbers:

I started looking at Worldometers in May, 2020. On May 16, I started writing down the daily U.S. death toll and doing a screen shot of the top part of the page and saving it.

According to Worldometers May 16, 2020, the number of deaths in the U.S. was 88,548. One Dec. 31, 2020, the number of deaths in the U.S. was 350,908. Today, number of U.S. deaths from Covid-19 is 620, 250. We lost at least 350,908 lives in 2020. And in spite of masking, vaccinating, isolation and social distancing, we have lost at least 269,342 lives since Jan. 1, 2021. And we are less than 50,000 away from 4 million deaths in the world. This pandemic is not over. Whatever steps the local, state, federal governments are taking to reopen, whatever steps the financial world is taking to restart the economy, please remain vigilant.

I got my vaccination, but I am going to continue to wear a mask, social distance, and avoid interior spaces. The anti-masking, anti-vaxxers are adding to the death toll, and I find it hard to pity what they are bringing on themselves and their loved ones.

[appalachiablue]

16. We're far from done with the pandemic,

it's quite scary and tragic. Thanks for posting the info. I intend to continue masking and social distancing although I'm vaccinated (barely, 10 days more until full coverage). The fools and monsters who remain opposed or unaware of vaccinating threaten all of us.

Yesterday somewhere in all the news I read, a woman said 'now that the epidemic is over' which shocked me. And she wasn't with a right wing media outlet, more like CNN or ABC and I'm trying to remember which one.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

17. Fauci: CDC Masking Guidance Unchanged in Face of Delta Coronavirus Variant

Mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "remains unchanged" as the delta variant is poised to become the main coronavirus strain circulating in the U.S., leading infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Thursday.

The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors in most settings. But the World Health Organization and at least one county in the U.S. recommend otherwise as the highly contagious variant spreads.

The World Health Organization last week suggested that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks as variants circulate.

"Vaccine alone won't stop the community transmission," Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant-director general for access to medicines and health products, said at a press conference. "People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces – hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette ... the physical distance, avoid crowding. This still continues to be extremely important, even if you're vaccinated when you have a community transmission ongoing."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fauci-cdc-masking-guidance-unchanged-in-face-of-delta-coronavirus-variant/ar-AALFNpc

[appalachiablue]

18. I respect him but Fauci's off here. Tx for info