WHO recommends masks even for fully vaccinated as Delta variant spreads

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The WHO urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe.
• WHO officials have said the highly contagious Delta variant, now present in 92 countries, has the potential to become more lethal than others.
• WHO officials said they are asking fully vaccinated people to continue to “play it safe” because a large portion of the world remains unvaccinated.

The World Health Organization is emphasizing its position that even fully vaccinated people should continue to wear face masks in public given the risk presented by the Delta variant of the coronavirus-borne illness COVID-19, which is currently racing across the world.

“People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, told reporters last week.

WHO officials have said the Delta variant, now present in 92 countries, has the potential to become more lethal than others, because of the ease with which it is transmitted. The agency’s stance on face masks puts it at odds with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has dropped that requirement as more Americans are vaccinated and cases fall.

Some experts are warning, however, that even with the progress the U.S. vaccine program has achieved under President Joe Biden, there is still a long way to go before people should let their guard down.

Individual communities are recommending, though not mandating, the use of face masks in public spaces, including Los Angeles County, where officials are suggesting people wear masks when inside grocery or retail stores as well as at theaters and family entertainment centers and in workplaces when people’s vaccination statuses are not known, as the Associated Press reported.

The Delta variant continues to drive lockdowns around the world with Bangladesh and Malaysia now among the Asian countries imposing restrictions on movement, the New York Times reported. In Australia, four major cities are locked down, namely Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin.

In Europe, the variant accounted for 36% of cases recorded in Germany in the week to June 20, up from 15% the previous week, Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute public health agency told officials, as reported by Reuters.

Two studies conducted by Public Health England concluded earlier this month that a double dose of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines offer significant protection against the Delta variant, cutting the risk of hospitalization by 96% and 92% respectively.

Source: Market Watch