Why to Keep Wearing a Mask After the COVID-19 Vaccine
Already Vaccinated? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Stop Wearing Your Face Mask Yet As more and more people become fully vaccinated, many are wondering when life will return to normal. But before you ceremoniously throw away your face masks, experts warn that we’ll need to continue wearing them a while longer, especially in public settings. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy “Face masks and physical distancing will need to continue into the foreseeable future,” explains infectious disease specialist Kristin Englund, MD. “Unfortunately, getting vaccinated does not instantly mean we can go back to how life was before. Until we have some level of herd immunity, the vaccine is now just another layer of protection against COVID-19.” For us to reach herd immunity, 50% to 80% of the population will need to be vaccinated. And since it will take time to ramp up production and distribution of the vaccines, Dr. Englund urges folks to manage their expectations about a quick return to normal. There is, however, some good news for those who are…
Why the CDC recommends wearing masks indoors even if …
Why the CDC recommends wearing masks indoors even if you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 Vaccinated people need to mask up again, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On July 27, 2021, the CDC recommended that everyone in areas with high COVID-19 infection rates wear masks in public indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. It’s a reversal from the CDC’s May 2021 advice that the fully vaccinated could leave their masks at home and brought U.S. guidelines more in line with World Health Organization recommendations. The Conversation asked Peter Chin-Hong, a physician who specializes in infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, to help put into context the science behind the changing messages. What science supports masking after vaccination? Masks help stop the spread of the coronavirus. They’re a literal layer between you and any virus in the air and can help prevent infection. The reason public…
Why should I wear a mask if I'm vaccinated against COVID-19?
Why should I wear a mask if I’m vaccinated against COVID-19?UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is requiring all individuals to wear masks inside the University’s buildings regardless of their vaccination status, a policy that aligns with the CDC’s latest recommendations for masking in areas with high or substantial COVID-19 transmission. Yet some people are wondering, “Why do I have to mask up if I’m vaccinated?” “We have all had our fill of wearing masks,” said Moriah Szpara, associate professor of biology and biochemistry and molecular biology, “but this small effort is well worth the huge benefits it provides in blocking the spread of COVID-19, and helping to protect those who remain vulnerable, like young children and immunocompromised individuals.” For the unvaccinated, Szpara adds, mask wearing is an obvious transmission prevention strategy, but it’s also extremely important for vaccinated people to mask up. That’s because of the potential for breakthrough infections…
Why Wear a Mask After Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine? – Health
Why Masks Are Important, Even After Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine Although COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out across the US in early 2021, the days of wearing face masks weren’t over, as of September 2022. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at reducing the risk of severe illness and death against most variants (new types of the virus). However, vaccinated people can still contract the virus and pass it on, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s why you may need to wear a mask in certain situations, even if you’ve been vaccinated and boosted. Continuing to wear a face mask is also important because of COVID-19 variants that emerged throughout the pandemic, such as Omicron BA.1 or BA.2. Because some variants may be more infectious, they can spread more easily to more people if vaccinated people are able to transmit the virus and don’t wear a mask, Anne Rimoin, PhD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told Health. There’s another reason to keep masking up even after you’ve been vaccinated. “In our…
Vaccines work well against the delta variant. Here's why you …
Vaccines work well against the delta variant. Here’s why you should wear a mask anyway When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on May 13 that people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 could go into most public places without a mask, it relied heavily on data that had been collected about the then-dominant alpha variant. The agency pointed to studies showing that fully vaccinated people rarely became infected and were unlikely to transmit the virus to others. COVID-19 cases had plummeted since mid-April and vaccinations were ramping up. But the country was in a different situation when the CDC walked back its recommendations on July 27. Vaccinations have leveled off with just under 50% of the total U.S. population being fully vaccinated, and the highly contagious delta variant is driving another surge in cases. The agency officially recommended that fully vaccinated people living in communities with substantial-to-high transmission rates (defined as 50 or more new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days) should wear masks when in public, indoor places. Still, experts have reiterated that the COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are highly effective at protecting…
Why You'll Still Need to Wear a Mask After the COVID-19 …
Here’s Why You’ll Still Need to Wear a Mask After Getting Vaccinated for COVID-19Nearly three-quarters of eligible Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines—but cases are rising again, driven largely by unvaccinated people and the highly transmissible Delta variant. One big question remains: Do you have to wear a face mask after you are fully vaccinated? The answer, per the experts, is clear: Yes, at least in certain situations.Getting vaccinated is one of the most important actions you can take in reducing your risk of serious COVID-19 complications, on top of helping to keep your loved ones and community safe. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the available vaccines aren’t 100% effective against new and highly contagious variants, especially in high-risk situations.Although most outdoor activities remain low-risk without wearing a mask, the rise of novel coronavirus variants is prompting officials to take a stronger stance on masking. “To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in…
Is It Time To Put On A Mask Again? – Yale Medicine
Is It Time To Put On A Mask Again?Note: Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication. Because information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government.[Originally published: July 28, 2021. Updated: Dec. 15, 2022] Is it just your imagination—or are more people wearing masks again? Respiratory viruses have been sweeping across the country and filling some hospitals to capacity, and experts are recommending everyone take heightened precautions. Masks can be a tool for preventing not only COVID-19 but other illnesses that spread when someone near you coughs or sneezes, spewing infectious droplets into the air. There is no new national mandate requiring all Americans to wear masks. But in December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encouraged people to wear them to help slow the latest spread not only of COVID-19 but also of respiratory illnesses, such as flu and respiratory syncytial…
Do Fully Vaccinated People Still Need to Wear Masks? – AARP
Do Fully Vaccinated People Still Need to Wear Masks? Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images Editor’s Note (July 28, 2021): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that some vaccinated Americans wear masks — especially those who are in areas where COVID-19 transmission rates are considered high or substantial. Teachers, students, staff and visitors at schools are also encouraged to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. The guidance was issued on July 27 following new data that show “in rare occasions” some vaccinated people can become infected with the delta variant and spread the virus to others. You can check the CDC’s website for a county-by-county look at transmission rates in your region. And you can read the full story on AARP. This story was originally published July 14. 2021. En español | Vaccinated and wondering whether you should still wear a face mask when out and about? You’re not alone. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) telling fully vaccinated Americans they no longer need masks in most situations, plenty of people are still wearing them. A poll from Vox and Data for Progress taken shortly after the CDC rescinded its…