Pennsylvania provides masking guidelines for fully vaccinated people. The move comes as the state experiences a slight rise in cases and health experts say people still need to proceed with caution.
“I think people should still wear the mask, walk away socially, and wash their hands,” said Dr. Debra Powell, head of infectious diseases at Reading Hospital. Urging caution, he added, “We are not out of this pandemic yet.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reviewing the state’s masking order to align with recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Now, fully vaccinated people can reunite with other vaccinated people without masks or social distances. The new rules also apply to vaccinated people who meet with people in a single household who have not been vaccinated but are considered low risk.
Some European countries have set new blockade restrictions or are considering tightening their rules as cases increase. In Berks County, there have been more than 31,000 confirmed cases and more than 900 deaths.
“We saw a break about two weeks ago here in our health care system and now we see an increase in cases,” Powell said. “Not like we saw it before, but it has a slightly upward trend.”
Questions remain about how long the vaccines will be effective in providing immunity to COVID-19, but doctors say the vaccine is likely to be effective between six months and two years. As new variants of the virus appear, some of which are more easily transmitted, the current efficacy of the vaccine can be tested.
“When you see new variants circulating, like the South African variant, previous vaccines may not work as well, so we may need boosters every year to control it, just like we do with the vaccine. against the flu, “Powell said.
Pennsylvania has administered more than 4 million doses of vaccine. More than 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania have been completely vaccinated, including more than 40,000 people in Berks County.
“We should anticipate more variants coming,” Powell added. “Our behavior will now reflect what happens a month from now.”