The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new set of guidelines this week, with advice on topics such as the use of masks and quarantine after exposure to COVID-19.
The guidelines respond to threats from new, more contagious virus strains, but also indicate what life might be like after the vaccine in the US.
Here are five things you need to know about agency advice.
Tighter masks provide better protection
The CDC on Wednesday released a study on how to make sure masks offer the best possible protection against coronavirus infections. Tests showed that wearing a tight-fitting surgical mask or fabric mask over a surgical mask can significantly decrease the spread of COVID-19.
The study found that virus transmission can be reduced by up to 96.5 percent if both an infected and an uninfected individual wear tight-fitting surgical masks or a fabric-over-surgical combination.
According to the CDC, the best way to ensure a tight fit with a single surgical mask is to write down the ear loops and tuck them into the sides close to the face.
CDC also recommended wearing a fixing mask or bracket that can fit over a fabric or disposable mask, to make sure there is no air leakage toward the edges.
Sometimes two masks are better than one
Biden administration officials want people to wear masks, but the CDC does not specifically say people need to mask themselves whenever they are away from home.
A combination over surgical clothing offers the best protection, but any type of facial coverage is better than none.
“What the CDC says is that you wear at least one mask. Okay? That’s what they say. Make sure you wear a mask.” Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci Most of the American workforce continues to work remotely in the midst of the coronavirus: survey The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – The others are your case; verdict on Trump this weekend Health care overnight: Biden says the United States will have enough doses to vaccinate all Americans in July | Fauci believes that widespread distribution of vaccines could be available as soon as | The expected CDC guidelines on reopening schools will arrive MORE tomorrow, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said during a recent interview with NBC’s “Today.”
“Then you want it to fit better, so one of the ways to do that, if you want, is to put a cloth mask on it … That’s all they say,” Fauci added.
During a call with reporters discussing the study, CDC director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky Night Care: CDC Urges Schools to Reopen with Precautions | Cuomo faces increased scrutiny over deaths from COVID-19 nursing homes | Biden officials try to rescind Medicaid labor requirements CDC urges schools to reopen with caution Montana governor lifts state mask mandate MORE stressed that the agency’s orientation on masks did not change.
“I want to make it clear that this new scientific data published today does not change the specific recommendations on who should wear a mask or when it should be worn, but they do provide new information on why it is so important to wear a well-fitting mask. protect yourself and others, ”Walensky said.
However, CDC also warned that double masking does not always offer the best protection. For example, duplicating disposable masks will not help improve fit or combine any type of mask with a KN95 respirator.
New virus strains increase the need for safe practices
Mask recommendations arrive as new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus are discovered in numerous states across the country.
But the emphasis on well-fitting masks highlights the position of health experts and government officials: people should not change behavior just because there are new variants of the virus.
Mutations leading to variants can only occur if the virus is able to spread and replicate. If you stop the spread, you stop the risk of a new mutation.
Until widespread immunity occurs, people are advised to continue wearing masks, maintain physical distance, and avoid large crowds, especially indoors, essentially the same advice that experts have given since last spring.
“So the way to stop it is to stop the transmission of the virus with masking,” CDC chief medical officer John Brooks said in an interview with SiriusXM’s “Doctor Radio Reports.”
Officials warn against lifting restrictions
States and cities across the country are pushing ahead with the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, including the repeal of mask mandates, which allow for indoor food and increased indoor capacity limits.
But senior health officials have gently suggested that while cases, deaths and hospitalizations have dwindled, now is not the time to facilitate mitigation efforts.
“These variants are a threat,” Brooks said. “This is not unexpected … but we are in a place where we still cannot drop the guard. I think now is not necessarily the best time for some communities in America to withdraw them as masking warrants, if you will. . “
The variant first found in the UK is at least 40 per cent more infectious than current strains and is expected to become the dominant variant in the US as early as next month. A variant first identified in South Africa has also spread.
If the cases of these variants start to increase, this could overwhelm hospitals and deal a major blow to current mitigation efforts.
Walensky also urged states not to lift restrictions yet.
“We still have to control this pandemic. We still have this emerging threat of variants, and I would simply discourage any of these activities. We really need to keep all mitigation measures here if we really get control of this pandemic,” he told reporters in an information session on Monday.
Vaccines work
One positive update the CDC made this week is that vaccinated people don’t need to be quarantined if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
According to the updated guidelines, most people who have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks do not need to be quarantined after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 if they have not had any symptoms.
The message is: if you have been vaccinated, we know you are protected against symptomatic infection.
More importantly, the guide indicates that CDC recognizes for the first time that the vaccine could also prevent people from spreading the disease.
Although asymptomatic individuals are still at risk of contracting coronavirus, symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is said to play a more important role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission.
This information can also help employers and employees as people begin to return to work on the job. The benefits of not forcing people to shut down for two weeks for possible exposure can offset the risks of transmission.
One caveat, however, is that the CDC says it is not known how long the protection lasts, meaning people who received the last shot three months or more ago should still be quarantined if exposed.