The United States has reached a “landmark day” in the Covid-19 pandemic, with 60 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Furthermore, more than 3.5 million people aged 12 to 17 have received their first dose, according to Dr Rochelle Walensky.
And, according to White House Covid-19 Response Team senior adviser Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith, more people of color are getting vaccinated, indicating “encouraging national trends.”
People of color made up 51% of those vaccinated in the United States in the last two weeks. This is more than 40% of the general population that these groups represent.
“We recognize ZIP code is a stronger predictor of health,” Nunez-Smith said.
Meeting people where they are and bringing vaccines to communities appear to be effective, according to her.
Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted black, Latino, and Native American communities. And some in those groups were hesitant to get vaccinated because of previous medical mistreatment.
However, efforts to protect minority communities appear to be bearing fruit. Nunez-Smith estimates that 60 percent of the shots administered at federal vaccination sites run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were administered to people of color.
And, according to her, about 70% of shots administered through the federal government’s community health centres were given to people of color.
However, the need to vaccinate more Americans in order to prevent the virus from resurfacing is far from met.
“We need to continue to ensure vaccination coverage is uniform across the country,” Walensky said Tuesday.
“This will require us to meet people where they are, to listen to their concerns, and to help people make an informed decision about vaccination.”
While increased vaccinations are a positive step toward herd immunity, many people are confused about the CDC’s latest guidance on face masks.
“We already know through human nature that when you say, ‘You don’t have to wear a mask if you’re vaccinated,’ people who are not vaccinated are going to be reluctant to walk around with a mask, because that means, ‘I’m not vaccinated,'” Fauci told reporters Tuesday at an event hosted by the Italian ambassador to the United States, Armando Varricchio.
Several days after the CDC announced that fully vaccinated Americans can, for the most part, abandon their masks, more places are changing their mask policies or eliminating them.
CVS Pharmacy and Target announced that they will no longer require fully vaccinated guests to wear masks inside their stores unless required by local officials, joining other businesses that have dropped mask mandates for those who have received their shots.
“Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated,” Target said in a statement. Customers who have not been immunized are asked to continue masking up.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Tuesday prohibiting entities such as counties, public school districts, and public health authorities from requiring the use of masks. The order allows public schools to continue following the guidelines until June 4.
Those who attempt to impose a mask mandate may face a $1,000 fine beginning Friday, according to a news release.
At 8 a.m. Friday, Delaware Gov. John Carney announced that the state’s mask mandate and social distancing requirements will be repealed.
“Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up,” Abbott said in a news release.
At 8 a.m. Friday, Delaware Gov. John Carney announced that the state’s mask mandate and social distancing requirements will be repealed.
“Unvaccinated Delawareans should continue to wear masks to reduce their risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19,” Carney’s announcement read.
Other leaders have been slower to abandon mask requirements.
While Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the end of a statewide mask mandate last week, Baltimore City Health officials announced that a local mandate would remain in effect until at least 65 percent of adults in Baltimore had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an order on Monday that eliminated the requirement for masks in outdoor public spaces while maintaining the requirement for masks in indoor public spaces and workplaces.
“Outdoor environments pose a lower risk of virus transmission than indoor settings, and lifting the indoor mask mandate at this time could lead to an increase in transmission among those who have not yet been fully vaccinated, including children who are either not yet eligible or have recently become eligible,” Murphy said in a statement.
“As we get closer to our vaccination target in the coming weeks,” he says, “We expect to be able to safely lift the indoor mask requirement soon.”
