CDC has disturbing new data on delta variant
The delta strain of the coronavirus spread widely in a series of densely packed summer events and large public gatherings in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in early July, raising further concerns about the highly transmissible variant.
The findings show just how difficult the strain will be to control as Americans return to normal activities including parties and big gatherings. In July, 469 cases of COVID-19, primarily caused by delta, were recorded during the Barnstable County outbreak, and 74% of the cases occurred in fully vaccinated individuals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in a study.
The findings contributed to the CDC’s recommendation that fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas of high and substantial transmission. Infections are soaring across the U.S., and the federal government and some localities are mandating masks and in some cases vaccines for workers.
The CDC abruptly relaxed its guidance on masks in May. But as the delta variant made its way to the U.S., publichealth experts urged the agency to recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear face coverings in public.
Masks for many people remain a potent symbol of the darkest days of the pandemic, and became political flashpoints. Despite the delta variant fueling a surge in COVID-19 cases, states such as Arkansas, Iowa, Texas and Florida have prevented local governments from imposing mask mandates.
In the Massachusetts outbreak, almost four out of five vaccinated patients with breakthrough infections were symptomatic and four vaccinated patients were hospitalized.