US CDC Allow Fully Vaccinated People To Go On Without A Mask; Indian Experts Say 'Not So Fast'

Dr. Randeep Guleria says wearing masks and physical distancing need to continue even by those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as the virus is constantly mutating

Image Source: PTI

New Delhi: On Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US changed its guidance on masks stating that fully vaccinated people could start taking their masks off. 

President Joe Biden hailed the change calling it a "great day" for America.

While it should have come as a relief, many felt they were stuck in a dilemma. Though it sounds straightforward, how can one tell whether person in front of them is full vaccinated. More than 580,000 have lost their lives to the virus, which evidently has left quite trauma for the people of the country who want to keep using the mask to safe. 

According to AFP, the CDC's recommendations are non-binding, and actual policy is left for the relevant local authorities or employers to decide. It also doesn't apply to planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, or to medical settings such as hospitals.

What is means for India

As the vaccine drive progresses India, it is likely that a similar order might be taken by the country. But as reports of fully vaccinated people dying due to the virus come to light the question is when will it be really safe to take the mask off after being vaccinated. 

However, in India, government officials and the medical experts said it may be too early for such an announcement.

On Friday, two policemen in Tamil Nadu were reported to have lost their fight against the deadly virus. Both of them were vaccinated with two doses of the Covid vaccines. 

While these instances are rare, it is still necessary to be mask up even after you have recieved both doses of the vaccines because the overall percentage of vaccianted people is lesser than those who have been vaccinated and for herd immunity to work a huge population needs to be vaccinated. 

According to a Time of India report, AIIMS director, Dr. Randeep Guleria says wearing masks and physical distancing need to continue even by those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as the virus is constantly mutating and there is still uncertainty about how much vaccines can protect against the emerging variants.

“I think there is need to be cautious and at least till we have more data. Keeping in mind that this virus is very clever and keeps mutating, we cannot say what will be the protection from vaccines as far as new emerging variants are concerned. It is better to wear masks and maintain physical distance because no matter what the variants are, masks and physical distancing will protect,” he was quoted as saying. 

Covid Herd Immunity

According to WHO, "To safely achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, a substantial proportion of a population would need to be vaccinated, lowering the overall amount of virus able to spread in the whole population. One of the aims with working towards herd immunity is to keep vulnerable groups who cannot get vaccinated (e.g. due to health conditions like allergic reactions to the vaccine) safe and protected from the disease".

WHO further stated that research about heard immunity is still ongoing, "We are still learning about immunity to COVID-19. Most people who are infected with COVID-19 develop an immune response within the first few weeks, but we don’t know how strong or lasting that immune response is, or how it differs for different people. There have also been reports of people infected with COVID-19 for a second time. Until we better understand COVID-19 immunity, it will not be possible to know how much of a population is immune and how long that immunity last for, let alone make future predictions. These challenges should preclude any plans that try to increase immunity within a population by allowing people to get infected."

According to a New York Times report, "Scientists do not know whether vaccinated people spread the virus to those who are unvaccinated. While all of the Covid-19 vaccines are spectacularly good at shielding people from severe illness and death, the research is unclear on exactly how well they stop the virus from taking root in an immunized person’s nose and then spreading to others."