{"id":39845,"date":"2021-05-21T08:36:13","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T14:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=39845"},"modified":"2024-07-18T15:25:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T21:25:54","slug":"making-sense-of-new-mask-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/making-sense-of-new-mask-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Making sense of new mask guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When should someone wear a mask and when does someone not need to wear a mask? UCHealth expert explains the new mask guidelines from the CDC. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks in many settings, masks are absolutely necessary for everyone in hospitals, health care clinics, airplanes and other places where vulnerable people are gathering, according to one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are entering a health care facility, you need to wear a mask. If you are going to the airport and getting on a plane, you will be required to wear a mask,\u201d said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unless current state guidance changes, children who are finishing their school years with at least some in-person learning also must keep wearing face masks since children under age 12 can\u2019t get COVID-19 vaccines yet.<\/p>\n

And people who are immunocompromised or those who live with people who are dealing with cancer treatments or other health conditions that suppress immune responses should also keep wearing masks. People with compromised immune systems need an extra layer of protection since they are unlikely to have the same level of protection as those without immunosuppression.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Michelle Barron. She helps explain the new mask guidelines. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While it\u2019s wonderful that the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated continues to climb, the pandemic is not over yet, Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are still getting sick and dying. You need to use common sense to assess your risk,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you or someone you love or live with has an underlying condition that affects your immune system, you have a layer of protection from the vaccine, but it\u2019s not going to be 95% effective,” Barron said. (Barron, herself, suffered the devastating loss of her aunt and uncle. Click here<\/a> to read more.)<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing vaccinated is our ticket out of this pandemic, but vaccines don\u2019t mean that everyone can go around without masks,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

Barron strongly encourages people to keep wearing masks in crowded indoor settings and to continue being considerate about vulnerable people in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a newborn baby. You don\u2019t expose the baby to 50 million people because the baby doesn\u2019t have a fully developed immune system. You have to protect the baby,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

New guidance<\/a> from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a> allows fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks much of the time.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the newest research has found that the vaccines that prevent COVID-19 are remarkably effective. They are working as well in the real world — even in high-risk environments like hospitals and prisons — as they did during clinical trials. During the trials, the new COVID-19 vaccines were up to 95% effective in preventing critical illness and hospitalizations.<\/p>\n

The news about vaccine efficacy is excellent, Barron said.<\/p>\n

But the CDC guidance also sparked a great deal of confusion. To help you better understand the new mask guidance and better navigate your world, we spoke with Barron to get answers to all of your questions.<\/p>\n

What exactly does the CDC state in its new mask guidelines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the new guidance<\/a> for settings outside of hospitals and health care facilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n