A study by scientists who studied COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts found that vaccinated people carried about the same amount of the COVID-19 virus load as those who did not get the shots.
On Friday, July 30, health officials released details of the research that formed the basis of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in parts of the US where the Delta variant is responsible for infection surges.
The study found that the CDC’s mask guidance should be expanded to include the entire country including areas outside the hot spots.
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Earlier, vaccinated people were thought to have low levels of the virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. The new data shows that it was not so with the Delta variant.
The outbreak in Provincetown included more than 900 cases and about three-quarters of them were people who were fully vaccinated.
Travis Dagenais, 35, a Boston resident, said the dominant public view has been that the vaccine means a return to normal. Infected with COVID despite the vaccination, he said this was not the case.
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Earlier, Massachusetts lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late May ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of the summer season.
Leaked internal documents suggest the CDC may be considering other changes in advice including recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health workers. The COVID-19 Delta variant is more contagious.
The documents obtained by The Washington Post show that COVID vaccines are however effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death. (AW)
