Mask-mania is back, and it’s back with a vengeance.
Not just content with pushing vaccination through every means short of picking off people with Moderna-loaded blow-darts, the functionaries of President Joe Biden’s administration are out in force urging you to wear a mask wherever and whenever possible.
If you think I’m being hyperbolic, see Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s appearance on MSNBC Wednesday in which he told host Andrea Mitchell that fully vaccinated individuals should wear masks outside the home if they’re around unvaccinated individuals, including young children who aren’t able to be vaccinated.
Due to the delta variant of COVID-19, Murthy said, those who have a fair bit of contact should be wearing masks almost everywhere — in spite of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that states vaccinated people only need to be wearing masks indoors in high transmission areas, according to Fox News.
During the interview, Mitchell asked if the surgeon general was concerned with the spread of the delta variant between those who are vaccinated.
“So the people that we’re most concerned about are the unvaccinated,” Murthy said.
“For example, if you happen to have a lot of interaction with folks who are unvaccinated, let’s say you’re a parent like me who has young children at home who are not vaccinated, that’s a circumstance where we’re being extra cautious and wearing that mask even if you’re fully vaccinated, wearing it outside, when you’re in indoor public locations, is an extra step to protecting those at home.”
Murthy acknowledged that vaccination has its uses, but still urged caution.
“I want to emphasize though that if you are vaccinated the likelihood of having a breakthrough infection is still low because, again, [the vaccines] are working to help prevent infection, particularly serious infection,” Murthy said.
“But in the unusual event that a breakthrough does happen, we know transmission can take place,” he continued.
“So that’s why, especially when you have a lot of virus circulating in a community, it’s important to take that extra step, go that extra mile, wear that mask in indoor settings, outside the house, so you don’t contribute to transmission.”
Murthy’s appearance was part of a media blitz in the wake of updated CDC mask guidance Tuesday.
In addition to the recommendation that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in high transmission areas, the CDC recommended universal masking in schools.
“Now, with more cases in this country and our real effort to try and make sure that our kids can safely get back to in-person learning in the fall, we’re recommending that everybody wear masks for now,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a media briefing Tuesday, according to education publication EdWeek.
The CDC now says that “everyone in K-12 schools wear masks indoors, including teachers, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination.”
This is in spite of the fact the risk to minors from the disease is minimal. and has been known to be minimal for at least a year.
As of July 28, of the 603,504 COVID-19 deaths the CDC has logged in 2020 and 2021, only 340 of those involved individuals under the age of 18.
If the CDC knows something about the delta variant and its effect on unvaccinated school-age children, it’s not sharing it with us. It has yet to release the data cited when it chose to amend its mask policies on Tuesday.
Nor did it explain the abrupt change: A week before, the CDC assured Fox News it had “no plans” to revise its mask recommendations.
So, in short, fully Americans are being asked to wear a mask in situations where there’s no definitive proof transmission is likely in order to prevent transmission of COVID to kids who are likely to be mostly unaffected by it.
And liberals wonder why we’ve stopped taking the Biden administration’s masking advice seriously.
No comments:
Post a Comment