How does the new CDC mask guidance on COVID-19 affect Kansas counties? For 80% of us, it's time to mask up.
Jason AlatiddThe vast majority of Kansans should now wear masks indoors, even if they are vaccinated, under the latest COVID-19 guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, all K-12 students and teachers should wear masks under the CDC guidance issued Tuesday in a morbidity and mortality weekly report.
The CDC now recommends that everyone, including people who are fully vaccinated, wear masks when indoors in areas with "high" or "substantial" community transmission. The guidance follows new data showing that the delta variant is more contagious than previous coronavirus strains.
In Kansas, all but 21 of 105 counties have high or substantial spread. That means 80 percent of counties have high or substantial spread, including all but one county east of I-135.
"While we are still reviewing the new guidance and what it means for Kansas," Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement, "this administration has consistently followed the recommendations from the experts at the CDC – and we don’t intend to stop."
The governor noted the "bad news" that some parts of the state are now considered "hot spots" for new COVID-19 cases. The "good news," she said, is that vaccine are safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.
"I strongly urge every Kansan who isn’t vaccinated to get one right away," Kelly said. "That is the best way to stop the spread of COVID in our state. For those who are vaccinated, I ask that you speak with your friends, neighbors, and loved ones who are unvaccinated and encourage them to get vaccinated to protect themselves and our state."
The primary driver of this new wave is people ignoring public health recommendations, said Dana Hawkinson, the medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System.
"The main issue is the behavioral issue," Hawkinson said Tuesday. "We as a society now have no mask mandates. We have no restrictions. We're basically out doing things as we were pre-pandemic, and that adds a lot to this.
"There are people getting together in larger crowds, or going to parties or doing things indoors. I think that is the main contributor at this point."
Expert: People 'forgot' to follow guidance
Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at KU hospitals, said the current surge "isn't a failure of vaccination" — it's because people "forgot" to continue following the rules of infection prevention and control.
"We need to be nervous about the lack of vaccines in so many areas and the change in public behavior regarding masking," Stites said.
The highly contagious delta variant is a contributing factor. Kansas Department of Health and Environment data show more than 95% of specimens collected this month turned out to be the delta strain.
Vaccines do protect against the variant.
"We have to ask those who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated," Stites said. "I think you can see the rise in frustration in the vaccinated community saying, 'Gosh, we've done our thing, you guys haven't done your thing and you're costing us trouble, so please go get vaccinated.' Second, we have to say to each other we need to put our masks back on until we get you vaccinated."
Applying the CDC mask guidance to schools matches what the American Academy of Pediatrics is also recommending: that all K-12 students and teachers wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.
The AAP recommended universal masking because many students remain ineligible for vaccines, most eligible students haven't gotten vaccinated and the potential remains for low vaccination rates in the surrounding community.
CDC vaccination data as of Friday showed about 43% of the entire Kansas population is fully vaccinated. In the 12-17 age group, the vaccination rate drops to 21%.
Sen. Roger Marshall calls CDC inconsistent
Sen. Roger Marshall was the only Kansas politician or government official to respond to a request for comment on the new CDC guidance by midafternoon.
"This is a time to believe in science, not anxiety or panic," Sen. Roger Marshall said in a statement. "Today’s inconsistent CDC guidance will only lead to more vaccine hesitancy. The science does not support a new mask mandate if you’ve been vaccinated or if you’ve had the virus."
The guidance backtracks from previous CDC guidance that fully vaccinated people didn't need to mask up.
Marshall, a Republican and a Great Bend OB/GYN, encouraged people to talk with their doctor about getting vaccinated.
"Science shows us there is no reason to panic as vaccinations and/or natural immunity provide exceptional defense against the Delta variant and all variants," he said, "and wearing a mask, as Dr. Fauci once said, 'May make people feel better … but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is.'"