According to Washington Post internal documents, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering recommending that everyone wear masks and that doctors and health workers get vaccines.
These documents are likely to be used by CDC staff as talking points to explain the dangers of the Delta variant and the “breakthrough” infections that may occur following vaccination. Notable under communications: “Acknowledge that the war has changed.”
The CDC recommended that vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors to protect themselves from virus hot spots. This week, they said new evidence suggests that breakthrough infections could be just as easily transmissible as in people who are not vaccinated. The CDC cited, among other things, a recent large outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts among those who were vaccinated.
The documents highlight that COVID-19 vaccines still have high effectiveness in preventing serious illness or death. Although the CDC expected to find new infections, it has had difficulty explaining them to the public.
Documents show that the delta variant was first discovered in India and causes more infections than the common cold, flu and smallpox. It is also as contagious as highly contagious chickenpox.
Internal documents also reference studies from Canada and Scotland that show the risk of death, hospitalizations, and intensive care in the delta variant. This variant was first identified in the United Kingdom.
According to documents, the numbers of COVID-19 patients who have been infected since January show an increase in hospitalizations and in-hospital death rates for those who were vaccinated. This trend is consistent with the spreading of the delta variant.
However, the CDC stresses that breakthrough infections are rare.
