To mask, or not to mask?
In many cases, the choice whether to wear one when inside public places is now yours.
“There are a lot of people who need to pay very careful attention to whether or not they need a mask.” Said Dr. John Swartzberg, an expert on infectious disease at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. “Certain people don’t respond well to vaccines, the immunocompromised – so, you can’t count on the vaccine to give you protection, and you need to wear a mask.”
Others respond to vaccines, but are more likely to have a bad outcome if they get COVID. This would include people with diabetes, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, severe obesity, pregnant women.
Age is also a factor: Your risk of getting really sick or dying from COVID goes up around age 60 or 65.
“So, it’s terribly important that everybody understands their risk for having a bad outcome for COVID and factor that into their decision-making process about when they should have a mask on,” Dr. Swartzberg said.
Wear a good mask – N95, KN95 or KF94 are best – and make sure it fits well to provide maximum filtration.
More Info:
5 Reasons to Wear a Mask Even After You’re Vaccinated
Some people aren’t ready to stop masking, but it can be tough to go against the grain
