COVID-19 has been a part of our lives since the early months of 2020 and as the end of 2021 soon approaches, the importance of community health remains a top priority. With the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, it was hoped that this would control the virus, but due to lack of herd immunity, the pandemic is still evident within our lives. As of July 2021, the CDC released an updated recommendation surrounding new mask guidelines for Americans, here is what you should know.
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Explanation for Change
In May 2021, the CDC released a statement that would exempt those who are vaccinated from wearing masks and could resume activities with friends and family who were also vaccinated. However, as COVID numbers rose and fell throughout the country, it became evident that individuals were still transmitting the disease and not receiving the vaccination that was available. In addition to the lack of herd immunity in areas across the United States, a variant of the COVID-19 virus, known as Delta, has spread rapidly causing more serious illness. Because of this, the CDC released new mask guidelines for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.
CDC’s Updated Mask Guidelines – July 2021
As of late July 2021, the CDC issued new guidelines that says vaccinated individuals should “wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.” The mask guidelines also recommend that individuals with weakened immune systems, and the people they live with should also continue to wear their masks.
If you are curious as to whether you live in an area with substantial or high levels of transmission, we recommend viewing the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker. This website provides a national, state, and county view of current levels of community transmission. However, for more information on local and state COVID-19 guidelines, we recommend viewing the State Department of Health website.
Continue to Protect Yourself and Others
In areas of substantial or high levels of transmission of COVID-19 and the Delta variant, vaccinations and testing remain a top priority for the community’s health. If you are interested in providing COVID-19 testing in your workplace, the team at OnSite Health is available to assist nationwide. Additionally, OnSite Health is a provider of on-site nursing and workplace health solutions including health screenings, flu vaccination clinics, and more! To learn more about the benefits of staffing a nurse on-site contact us today!
