CDC says fully vaccinated people spread the Delta variant and should wear masks: 'This new science is worrisome'
The CDC updated its guidelines on Tuesday to recommend masks indoors, even for vaccinated people.
The Delta variant makes it easier for vaccinated people to transmit the virus, the CDC said.
But vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe disease, no matter the variant.
New science has again prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its mask guidelines. The CDC recommended on Tuesday that fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings "in areas with substantial and high transmission." That includes a large swath of the US right now, including the vast majority of counties in the South.
The CDC recommended that all teachers, staff, students, and visitors at K-12 schools mask up as well.
The goal of these new guidelines, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said, is to "help prevent the spread of the Delta variant and protect others."
The CDC said in May that vaccinated people don't need masks, a recommendation based partly on data indicating that vaccinated people were less likely to transmit the virus to others. But the Delta variant - now the dominant strain in the US - behaves differently than previous versions of the virus, Walensky said.
"Information on the Delta variant from several states and other countries indicates that, on rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others," Walensky said during a press call on Tuesday. "This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations."
Walensky said CDC investigations have found that the amount of virus present in vaccinated people infected with Delta is similar to the levels found in unvaccinated people with Delta infections. That's an indication that vaccinated people can easily transmit the virus - even though they're less likely to get sick on the whole.
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