CDC: Mask Up In Some Situations Even If Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Federal health officials have updated their guidance on masking, recommending everyone — including those vaccinated against COVID-19 — wear masks indoors in areas with high spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that schools and those living in high-transmission communities should cover their faces when inside, regardless of vaccination status.

The updated guidance comes as new cases of COVID-19 are rising across the country. Cases have nearly tripled in Wisconsin alone. The state has seen an 181 percent increase in infections over the course of two weeks, largely attributed to the more contagious delta variant.

Eighty percent of all new infections sequenced in the past week were of that variety, said Traci DeSalvo, director of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

A CDC tool allows people to find out the level of COVID-19 transmission in their area. In Florence County, where less than 40 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, there is “high” transmission. According to the federal definition, that’s 100 or more new positive cases in a week per 100,000 people. Eight other counties in the state have “substantial” transmission, considered 50 or more cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. Those counties are Waukesha, Milwaukee, Adams, Buffalo, Forest, Shawano, Price and Bayfield counties.

“The virus multiplies exponentially so 10 today could be 100 tomorrow,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, director of infection control at UW Hospital and Clinics and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Safdar urged people to take precautions like mask wearing and getting vaccinated.

“All around us, we are surrounded by high transmission, and it’s just a matter of time before we are right in there with the rest of the country,” she said.

As of July 26, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases was 419 — the highest it has been since May 17, according to DHS. In the Fox Valley region, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were up 500 percent between July 7 and July 20.

The CDC is also recommending that all teachers, staff and students of K-12 schools wear masks, even if they are vaccinated.

Dane County and Milwaukee ended their mask mandates in early June citing vaccine availability and declining cases of coronavirus. The decision to do so was based on evidence at the time and guidance from the CDC.

On Tuesday, Dane County stopped short of reinstituting a mask mandate, but recommended people wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

“In light of new CDC recommendations, we recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask in indoor public spaces and at indoor private gatherings. Masks are recommended for people aged two and older,” Public Health Madison & Dane County tweeted.

Dr. Ben Weston says changing guidance makes sense given the uptick in cases.

“I think we’re continuing to learn about this pandemic month to month, sometimes even day to day,” said Weston, associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and director of Medical Services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management. “Unfortunately we don’t have a crystal ball that we can look into. But we have to be nimble. We have to adapt.”

Neither Milwaukee nor Dane counties intends to require masks at this point. Milwaukee County is considered to have “substantial” transmission while CDC data shows Dane County to have “moderate” transmission. Still, local health officials urged people to take the advisory to wear masks seriously, so another mandate isn’t required.

“Let’s not get there. Let’s do what we need to do to prevent any further increase in transmission in our community right now,” said Public Health Madison & Dane County director Janel Heinrich.

The statewide mask mandate was struck down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in March in a case brought over the governor’s powers to declare multiple states of emergency for an ongoing health crisis. But many localities across the state required masks until more recently.