CDC Reverses Indoor Mask Guidance As COVID-19 Cases Rise

OCEANSIDE, NY — COVID-19 cases are steadily rising and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking notice.

They announced a reversal, in part, to the mask guidance Tuesday. In locations where the virus is raging with the delta variant, even fully vaccinated people will be asked to keep the mask on indoors.

Cases are increasing in New York with 1,679 new positives or 2.4% overall, but that's well below many other states, including Florida's 10,400 cases, a 208% jump in the last two weeks, while Louisiana saw 2,900 positive COVID-19 numbers yesterday and Missouri had 2,400 new cases, the New York Times reported.

"The concern is that there are, in fact, vaccinated people that are, unfortunately, getting COVID," Aaron Glatt, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau, told Patch. "The good side of it is, thank God, they're not getting very sick or sick at all."

The delta variant, however, complicates the issue, as it is more transmissible. Even people who are vaccinated can test positive, but usually, any symptoms would be minor and not require hospitalization. More problematic is becoming a carrier to the non-vaccinated folks.

The CDC on Tuesday also recommended that everyone in schools from K-12 wear a mask, whether or not they got the shot(s).

"We are reviewing the CDC's new recommendations closely in consultation with federal and state health experts," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

In New York, those getting a vaccine have slowed to 72 percent, which Dr. Glatt said will make COVID-19 linger.

"I think that if you, in fact, encourage people to get vaccinated by incentivizing them, I do think it will make a difference," Glatt said.

Another reason to keep the mask on is the potential for needing a booster shot. The CEO of BioNTech, the company working with Pfizer on one of the vaccines, said this week its antibodies are reduced largely due to the delta variant.

"It remains unknown," Glatt said about the need for an additional shot. "[The antibodies] go down in time. It doesn't mean it's zero."

It could, though, become more of a necessity for people in certain health groups and the elderly.

Despite the mask changes indoors, Glatt said we're overall still in a good place fighting the pandemic, but "many people, unfortunately, are now under the mindset that COVID is over. It's not."