Don’t remove that mask yet, Texas
Follow the science.
Wear the mask. Get the vaccine. The Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians has more than 8,000 internal medicine doctors, many on the front line battling COVID-19. When a COVID-19 patient lands in the hospital, we internists are among the first team members to provide evidence-based care for this deadly disease. Our top priority is the health and well-being of our patients, and though our medical care for COVID-19 patients has never been better, we know that the best way to prevent a COVID death is to prevent a COVID infection.
Herd immunity is still a distant goal. As of this writing, 15.8 percent of Texans have had at least one COVID vaccine, but only 8.5 percent are fully immunized. Immunity from natural infection appears generally short-lived. That’s why despite the large number (well over 2.5 million) of Texans who have already recovered from COVID-19, we at the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians, or Texas ACP, want our patients, families and communities to keep wearing the mask.
Infection rates are down. Vaccination rates are up. None are more pleased than Texas ACP members. We’ve all worked hard and are proud of the great Texas teams that made this happen.
We proved we can lower infection rates even before vaccines were widely available. It has been gratifying to see the results of masking, hand-washing and social distancing. Nonetheless, we are still far from meeting the projected 75 percent to 85 percent population protection needed for herd immunity, and more contagious mutant viruses are circulating in Texas.
Masks should not come off until we achieve an adequate level of herd immunity and a sustained decrease in cases. Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, ACP concurs that it is acceptable for vaccinees to have small, unmasked gatherings with other vaccinees or with low-risk unvaccinated persons from another household. Beyond those circumstances, vaccinees should continue to mask because COVID is still circulating.
Masking works well to prevent transmission: Until everyone is vaccinated, it is especially critical to prevent the propagation of mutant viruses. If we lift the mask too soon and gather in large numbers, COVID cases will surge again. Our health systems will get stressed again. The virus will have a chance to mutate away from the vaccines’ protection, and more Texans will die.
In light of these facts, ACP Texas internists recommend: Wear the mask and get the vaccine.
Dr. Ruth E. Berggren is president of the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Txacp@texmed.org. An infectious diseases specialist, she is a professor of medicine at UT Health San Antonio and directs the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics.