The Centers for Disease Control yesterday revised its coronavirus guidance, telling Americans who’ve been fully vaccinated against covid-19 that they can pretty much go without masks and social distancing. Reliable source President Joe Biden explained the new guidance and emphasized that we still need everyone to get their shots:
The CDC is saying they have concluded that fully vaccinated people are at a very, very low risk of getting COVID-19. Therefore, if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. Let me repeat: If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.
But if you’ve not been vaccinated, or if you’re getting a two-shot rou- — vaccine, and you’ve not gotten your — you’ve only had your first shot but not your second or you haven’t waited two full two weeks after your second shot, you still need to wear a mask.
Look, we’ve gotten this far; please protect yourself until you get to the finish line. Because as great as this announcement is today, we don’t want to let up. We all know how tough this virus has been. The safest thing for the country is for everyone to get vaccinated.
…And for now, after a year of hard work and so much sacrifice, the rule is very simple: Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. It’s vax’ed or masked. Get vaccinated.
If you’re vaccinated, you can be around the vaccinated or unvaccinated people. But if you’re not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated, you should wear a mask for your own protection and the protection of other unvaccinated people. The choice is yours.
You all made this possible. Now let’s finish the work of beating this virus and getting everything back to normal [President Joe Biden, remarks from the White House, 2021.05.12].
In response to a reporter’s question about enforcing masks for those who don’t get the shots, President Biden demurred from exercising big government power and instead appealed to good sense and hugginess:
It’s not an enforcement thing. We’re not going to go out and arrest people. But the fact of the matter is, I still believe the vast majority of the American people care about the safety of their neighbors and care about the safety of their families.
And, like I said: If you’ve been vaccinated, you don’t have to wear your mask and you can shake hands. You can even give each other a hug. But if you’ve not been vaccinated, please wear the mask. Please wear the mask [President Biden, 2021.05.12].
If you want to keep wearing your mask, you are free to do so (we’re all about Freedom™ here in South Dakota, right?). Continuing to wear a mask at work or around town hurts absolutely nobody; as we’ve seen with coronavirus and with our stunningly low rates of influenza (in South Dakota, 17 weeks of flu season have brought only seven hospitalizations and two deaths, compared to 653 hospitalizations and 43 deaths in the 2018–2019 flu season), masks and other precautions can prevent a fair amount of suffering and death.
But if you want to ditch your mask and give some hugs, get your shots. The science says the vaccine works and can make life better and longer for everybody.
Related Science: While numbskulls protect their failing worldview by leafletting every car in the Yankton High School parking lot with propaganda from quacks to scare them away from getting their patriotic shots, the widely used coronavirus vaccines are demonstrating their ability to stop the disease and save lives:
As of May 4, more than 105 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the CDC. During this same time, the CDC received 9,245 reports of vaccine breakthrough infections. That’s less than .01% of fully vaccinated Americans.
…Breakthrough infections have resulted in 835 hospitalizations and 132 deaths, according to the latest figures from CDC. The CDC’s website notes that 20 of the 132 fatal cases were “reported as asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19.” That means that less than 1% of these breakthrough infections resulted in the patient dying because of COVID-19 related illness.
New data from the CDC found that fully vaccinated adults 65 or older are 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than their non-vaccinated peers — and 64% less likely if they have only received one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
According to the latest figures from the CDC on May 10, there have been 32,543,257 reported cases of COVID in the U.S., of which 578,945 people have died. That’s a rate of 1.8% — a higher rate compared to the data we have on breakthrough infections [Isabella Fertel, “No, the Death Rate for Vaccinated People Is Not higher Than That of Unvaccinated People,” CAP Radio, 2021.05.10].
The CDC has now identified 28 cases of thrombocytopenia syndrome (that blood clot condition) and three deaths among recipients of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, out of 8.7 million shots delivered. The CDC says the chance of dying if you get coronavirus is 40 times greater than the apparent chance of just getting, never mind dying from, J&J-related blood clots.
Public Health England says the coronavirus vaccines have saved 11,700 lives in England and kept 33,000 out of the hospital.
What We’ve Learned During Covid …
Empirical evidence shows:
– Republicans Aren’t Foxhole Material
-They’re selfish and not team players
-Republican leaders follow anyone claiming to be a “patriot” and willing to lie for profit.
-When the “big one” arrives we need worthy leadership and a plan of action, already in place.
Well, within one or two days we will hit the big 600,000. There are still 750 or so people dying every day from covid. I think kristi’s state is at 1991 right now. Its as if nobody is looking at those numbers. Its like listening to Its All Right Ma from 1965 from the old Bob. With so many people not vaccinated and everybody ditching their masks it should prove to be fun. I was born well before the hugging crowd and I really hope that lifestyle has gone for good. Were going to visit the kids in NYC in two months for a week. I asked my wife if she wanted to try the new all glass outside elevator that accends to 1200 some ft, but it turns out it doesn’t open until October. Guess I’ll just have to get used to those 10 dollar beers for excitement. I will wear my mask on the plane and in the airport and try to refrain from verbal mouthing those that complain. Masks have been good, some days you don’t even have to shave.
Mark, you tolerate masks far better than I do. I can’t stand seat
belts either.
Oh Edwin wait until you fly though the windshield. I’m sure you won’t look like a deer.
Mark, at age 77, I’ve not come close to the windshield. And,
It’s a chance I’m willing to take.
Not wearing your seat belt doesn’t endanger other people.
Vaccine or mask: we have two easy alternative actions we can take to beat coronavirus.
Seat belts don’t have an easy alternative. You can choose not to drive, not go anywhere in a motor vehicle, but that’s probably going to put a serious crimp on your lifestyle.
The obvious problem with “No masks for the vaccinated!” is that
(1) one in five Americans say they WON’T get vaccinated for COVID
(2) this 20%, plus, of course, a certain number of the GOP who wouldn’t wear a mask if it would help their dying grandma and aren’t wearing masks anyway WON’T WEAR MASKS and
(3) they all oppose any kind of requirement to prove vaccination &
(4) only 36% of the country’s been vaccinated – we’re nowhere near herd immunity. We may never reach herd immunity. As a historian friend of mine said, “Covid’s going to become the new typhoid – always around, always dangerous.”
Me, I’m still going to wear a mask while shopping.
President Biden says to stop wearing masks.
grudznick is a big hugger.
Maybe now the rest of the medical industry naysayers will get themselves vaccinated. Anti vaxxers like gdrz ilk have done inestimable damage these last few decades. Freedumb trolls everywhere.
Largest US nurses union condemns new CDC guidance on masks. The Hill (conservative shillmill)
The medical folks I’ve talked to (neighors, and garden neighors) are a bit concerned about the new guidelines. They say COVID admittance at hospitals are down substantially, but they point to (1) new variants may emerge, (2) still relatively high non-vaccination rates in lower age categories, (3) no vaccination in toddlers to age 12, (4) no herd immunity yet. They do say summer will help if people stay outside and don’t pile into bars, concerts, etc., that are inside, but they think CDC was a month or two too early.
Did your garden neighbors believe Dr. Fauchi and the CDC when they said to wear masks, Mr. Pay? Why do they not believe Dr. Fauchi and the CDC now?
I would say it is just a fear of re-entry that will dog many for years. Some will never come down from the fear and will wear napkins tucked tight for the rest of their lives, and you will see them driving about your town, all alone in their car, windows rolled up, and mask over their mouth with their schnoz poking out.