W.H.O. Urges Vaccinated Individuals To Continue Wearing Masks
As more are beginning to realize the risk of the highly infectious Delta Variant, World Health Organization officials have begun urging vaccinated people to continue wearing masks, as well as taking other safety precautions.
Back in May, The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention informed vaccinated individuals that they no longer needed to wear masks.
The Delta Variant has spread to at least 85 different countries, since initially identified in India. It is now responsible for one in every five Covid-19 cases across the United States.
Its presence in the United States has quickly multiplied, prompting Dr. Fauci to call it “the greatest threat” to eliminating the virus in the United States.
Image: Alexi Rosenfeld
The countries who are struggling most with the spread of the variant are India, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Israel. As of last week in the U.K, 94% of new cases have been attributed to the Delta variant.
The Delta variant could be 50 percent more contagious than the already faster-spreading Alpha variant.
While it is said that vaccinated people are still widely protected against variants, protection is significantly lower for people that are only partially vaccinated against the virus.
Some argue that an uptick in vaccinations in under vaccinated areas could help slow down the spread of the variant. However, some experts say that given how fast the variant is spreading, the vaccination approach is not enough.
As of Monday, Los Angeles County delivered a statement that it strongly recommended that everyone wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status as a precaution against the Delta variant. On the other hand however, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said Tuesday that fully vaccinated municipal office employees are no longer required to wear masks or adhere to specific distancing protocol inside their offices.
In Los Angeles county, where 50 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, the Delta variant accounted for almost half of all cases that occurred the week of June 12.
Medical experts postulate that there will certainly be other variants that will continue to present themselves as time progresses.
Until we can begin to better understand the variants that arise and how to tackle them, people are urging the public to continue to practicing safety precautions.