COVID-19 vaccines are being handed left and right already, making almost half of the citizens in the United States fully vaccinated. But if you think fully-vaxxed folks can now ditch the face mask, hold your horses.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to recommend that you still wear a face mask inside any COVID-19 hotspot, even if you're already fully vaccinated, reports CNBC. This anticipated backpedaling on the mask mandate comes ahead of another projected surge in cases in the fall, which is mainly caused by the Delta variant. 

According to the CDC, any place with high COVID-19 transmission rates is considered a hotspot. Recent data has shown that Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, and Nevada are among the states with the highest transmission rates thus far. It has also been found that the Delta variant has been hitting states with low vaccination rates.

The CDC will meet up among themselves soon to discuss the new face mask mandate, reports CNET. It is said that federal health officials will be reviewing new evidence on the new COVID-19 surges that the highly contagious (and now US-dominant) Delta variant is now causing across all 50 states. 

Read also: COVID-19 Study Shows That Those Who Had Allergic Reactions to 1st Shot of mRNA Vaccines Can Get 2nd Dose

COVID-19 Resurgence: Just How Potent is the Delta Variant? 

The so-called Delta variant of COVID-19, which previously caused widespread deaths and infections in India, is now the aforementioned dominant variant in the United States. And that's for a good reason. 

Contrary to what some people might believe from all those misleading social media posts, the Delta variant can be countered with just about any COVID-19 vaccine. The only problem with it is that it's extremely transmissible and can infect people faster than they can be vaccinated. That's because it's been found to be less sensitive to antibodies that the immune system throws at it. 

However, there is a new planned antibody treatment that researchers claim can neutralize Delta, alongside the Lambda COVID-9 variant. Furthermore, the treatment is also offering a massive 100% survivability rate.

Dealing with Delta's Fallout in the U.S. 

However, when the CDC backpedals on its face mask mandate, it's still up to the different local officials across the country to implement it in their respective states. 

A few states such as California and Nevada have already seen several counties have reinstated the face mask requirement in light of the surging of COVID-19 cases. They're especially advising people to wear masks in all public indoor settings: malls, restaurants, grocery stores, and any other place where there's a high chance of virus transmission. 

Perhaps the reinstatement of mask mandates is very much needed. While many Americans are indeed getting vaccinated, they're mostly skipping their second doses. That second dose is critical to receive the most protection from COVID-19, assuming the vaccine taken requires two doses like Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca. 

Related: COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids 12 and Below are Coming, But Is It Safe? Everything You Need to Know

This article is owned by Tech Times 

Written by RJ Pierce 

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