Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 can say goodbye to one of the symbols of the pandemic, after the announcement of health authorities, who on Thursday lifted their recommendation to wear a mask.
“If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask!
», Rejoiced US President Joe Biden from the gardens of the White House.
"I think this is a big step, a big day," he added, calling on all Americans not yet vaccinated to do so without delay.
Currently, about 35% of the US population - or more than 117 million people - are fully vaccinated. They received either the single dose of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, or the two doses of the vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer / BioNTech. They can now participate without risk "in activities indoors and outdoors, small or large, without wearing a mask and without physical distancing", explains Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for the prevention and fight against diseases (CDC), main federal public health agency. The only exception: the health authorities always recommend that vaccinated people continue to wear a mask in transport (planes, buses, trains, etc.), in airports and train stations.
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"It's great," responded immediately after the announcement, Desmond, 67, wearing in the streets of Washington his mask hung around his neck. “It's very refreshing. I feel more comfortable returning to normal, close to what it was before the pandemic. I am very happy ”, also testifies JP Nguyen, tourist guide in the same city. Health authorities stressed that they had based their decision on the latest scientific data: studies have shown that vaccines are not only effective against symptomatic cases but also against the very possibility of being infected. They are also able to counter the circulating variants. Another factor that played in favor of this change: the number of Covid-19 cases has fallen sharply in the country.The seven-day daily infection average has fallen to around 36,000 cases and the daily death curve is at its lowest since early April 2020.