Juana Garcia/The Cougar
Despite many people not wearing masks anymore, it is still necessary to ward off this pandemic. Because the new omicron variant still infects vaccinated people and is more dangerous for vulnerable populations, vaccinated people still need to wear their masks if they want to stop the spread.
With each new wave of coronavirus, the rules of the pandemic change. While many people may have neglected wearing masks after getting the vaccine, this is unfortunately not enough. Now that omicron has become the dominant COVID-19 variant, vaccinated folks still should wear masks.
After the CDC announced back in May 2021 that vaccinated people weren’t required to wear masks anymore, many stopped wearing the face coverings.
However, the shape of the pandemic has changed. In June 2021, the CDC announced even fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors to slow the spread of the delta variant.
While vaccines protect against COVID-19, masks are also necessary. With the emergence of the omicron variant, masks have once again become an important asset to protect everyone from the virus.
This new variant is unfortunately much more contagious than before and vaccines are just not enough to prevent infection. While a vaccine may keep people out of the hospital, it is not doing much to prevent the spread of omicron.
Masks have been proven to protect people from the virus time and time again, but some can be more effective than others.
While any mask is better than no mask, wearing an N95 or KN95 is a better option against the virus. Anyone who is able to should avoid wearing a cloth mask and trade them in for N95 and KN95 masks, or surgical masks.
One of the biggest reasons why people should wear masks is to protect those who are vulnerable like kids below the age of five who can not get the vaccine yet. Additionally, people with underlying conditions are also more susceptible to the virus. There are even people who can’t get the vaccine due to allergies.
It is up to everyone else to wear masks and protect these vulnerable populations.
Some people may be tired of taking precautions during this pandemic and that is completely understandable. Many people just want to move on and live their life, but they cannot ignore reality. The reality is that the pandemic is ongoing and COVID-19 will remain a concern for the foreseeable future.
Because the omicron variant can infect vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike and there are still many people highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, vaccinated people should continue to wear masks.
Atirikta Kumar is a journalism freshman who can be reached at [email protected]
