Vaccinated Americans should not be ashamed if they’re not yet comfortable removing their masks in public, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
What You Need To Know
- Vaccinated Americans should not be ashamed if they’re not yet comfortable removing their masks in public, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday
- The CDC announced last week that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or socially distance in most settings, but some have been reluctant to exercise their newfound freedom
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said there is nothing irrational about continuing to wear masks after being inoculated
- More than 126.6 million Americans, or 38.1% of the population, has been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data
The CDC announced last week that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or socially distance in most settings, but some have been reluctant to exercise their newfound freedom.
During Friday’s White House COVID-19 response briefing, a reporter noted that people on social media said they were nervous watching Thursday’s White House event in which dozens of unmasked people were in attendance as President Joe Biden signed an anti-Asian hate bill into law in the East Room.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, agreed that vaccinated Americans should move at their own pace when it comes to shedding their masks.
“We also acknowledge that not everybody is going to feel like it’s time to rip off their masks,” Walensky said. “For 16 months, we’ve been saying that it’s important to wear these masks to protect yourselves, and now what we’re saying is it’s going to be hard to get back to life as we knew it without these masks.”
Fauci said there is nothing irrational about continuing to wear masks after being inoculated.
“You can understand that when people have been following a certain trend for a considerable period of time that it may take time for them to adjust,” he said.
More than 126.6 million Americans, or 38.1% of the population, has been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. More than 160.1 million people (48.2%) have received at least one dose.
Meanwhile, the seven-day average for new infections as of Wednesday, the most recent day data are available, was 27,788, the lowest it has been since June 18. The seven-day average for COVID deaths was 497, the lowest since March 31, 2020.
Walensky said nearly half of all counties now have low to moderate transmission rates.
“These data are telling us a story,” she said. “As more and more people roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, the number of cases and the level of community risk is decreasing.”
