Pennsylvania facilitates masking guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated. The move comes even because the state is seeing a slight increase in cases, and health experts say people still need to work carefully.
“I think people should still wear their mask, take social distance and wash their hands,” said Dr. Debra Powell, head of the contagious hospitals at Reading Hospital, said. She insisted with warning, adding: “We are not yet aware of this pandemic.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reviewing the state’s masking order to align with recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Now people who are fully vaccinated can meet with other vaccinated without masks or social distance. The new rules also apply to vaccines that are collected from people in one household who are not vaccinated but who are considered low risk.
Some European countries have introduced new restrictions on the closure period or are considering tightening their rules as the number of cases increases. In Berks County, there were more than 31,000 confirmed cases and more than 900 deaths.
“We saw a lull in our health care system about two weeks ago and now we’re seeing an increase in cases,” Powell said. “Not like we’ve seen before, but it’s increasing a bit.
There are still questions about how long vaccines will be effective in providing immunity to COVID-19, but according to doctors, the vaccine is likely to be effective between six months and two years. As new variants of the virus emerge, some of which are more easily transmitted, the current efficacy of the vaccine can be put to the test.
“If you see new variants circulating, such as the South African variant, the previous vaccines may not work as well for it, so we may need annual boosters to keep it under control – just as we do with the do flu shots, ‘Powell said.
Pennsylvania administered more than 4 million doses of vaccine. More than 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania have been fully vaccinated, including more than 40,000 people in Berks County.
“We should expect more variants to come,” Powell added. “Our behavior now will reflect what happens in a month.”