ST. LOUIS – With Missouri’s recent COVID surge showing no sign of abating, the interim chief of the St. Louis region’s COVID task force is advising everyone—regardless of vaccination status—to mask up when in public.
According to the task force, seven people in the St. Louis region died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. Ninety-one people were also admitted to ICUs in the same time span. Nearly all of these individuals were not vaccinated.
“When we first initiated masking and social distancing guidelines, the goal was to wear masks for protection until a vaccine was available,” said Dr. Clay Dunagan said, acting head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force.
“The vaccine is available, but unfortunately the vaccination rate in our community has not been high enough to prevent spread of the Delta variant. We now need to return to masking to combat this new wave of infections.”
Dunagan said we have two ways to fight the spread of COVID: vaccinations and wearing a face mask.
And while being vaccinated offers protection against COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalization, it isn’t a cure. A vaccinated person can still catch the virus and inadvertently pass COVID onto others.
“This is about personal choice and we’re urging our community to choose to protect one another,” says Dunagan. “Maybe you won’t personally get sick, and maybe your children won’t either, but you can still transmit the disease to others and continue the spread.”
Medical experts say at least 70% to 80% of people need immunity to minimize spread within the general population. The safest way to be immunized is through vaccination.
Dunagan admits asking people who are vaccinated to mask up again seems unfair, considering the CDC has previously said vaccinated individuals can remove their masks. Unfortunately, Missouri’s low vaccination rate and the rapidly spreading Delta variant mean the community must adapt.
“The safest thing for our community and the most effective way to get back on track is to wear masks – and get vaccinated!” he said.