Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Weighs Whether It's Time To Tell Vaccinated To Mask Back Up
Axios: Fauci: New Masking Guidelines For Vaccinated Americans Under "Active Consideration"
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that health officials are considering revising masking guidelines for vaccinated Americans. Fauci said that the United States is "going in the wrong direction" as cases surge across the country, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. "If you look at the inflection of the curve of new cases and, as you said in the run-in to this interview, it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50% of the country that not fully vaccinated, that's a problem," Fauci said. (Saric, 7/25)
USA Today: CDC Considering Revising Mask Guidance As COVID Cases Rise In US
Dr. Anthony Fauci says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are weighing revising their COVID-19 guidelines to recommend that even fully vaccinated individuals wear masks in public. Fauci, the nation’s top government infectious disease official, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he’s taken part in conversations about altering the guidelines, something he described as being “under active consideration. ”In the last two weeks, COVID-19 cases have increased 171% nationally, fueled by the delta variant. The death rate is up 19% over the week before. (Aspegren, 7/26)
The Washington Post: Why Some Experts Recommend Upgrading To N95 Masks To Help Fight The Delta Variant
The debate over masks is heating up again, with increasing calls for all Americans, regardless of coronavirus vaccination status, to return to wearing face coverings in indoor public places to help thwart the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. But some experts say the recommendations should specify the kind of masks people should be using. “Delta is so contagious that when we talk about masks, I don’t think we should just talk about masks,” Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said during a recent appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I think we should be talking about high-quality masks,” such as N95 respirators. (Chiu, 7/24)
Another health expert warns against going to bars, restaurants if you're unvaccinated —
CNN: If You Are Not Vaccinated Against Covid-19, You Shouldn't Go Into A Bar Or Restaurant, Expert Says
Less than half of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 -- and with cases on the rise, experts are urging a return to precautions reminiscent of the earlier days of the pandemic. "What I would say bluntly is: If you are not vaccinated right now in the United States, you should not go into a bar, you should probably not eat at a restaurant. You are at great risk of becoming infected," CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. (Holcombe, 7/26)
