Few thoughts on the new CDC guidance

TL:DR Some steps in right direction;
Still a lot that doesn't make sense;
They will be forced to keep revising;
Not always science based

[thread]

1. They should have said this last year, as WHO guidance did. Outdoor mask was always madness.
Just gave anxious people another reason to hate one another on the sidewalk. Never made sense; never had data. Was aided by irrational fear on this website in the name of 'science'

2. This vax person section still doesn't make sense.
All these masks should be removed.

There is no data, and no plausibility, to justify a vaccinated person wearing a mask in an indoor gathering.

Short reason why:

2. cont.
The chance vaccinated people have symptomatic covid or even asymptomatic PCR carriage at a level high enough to infect is ABSURDLY LOW

The further delta that comes from wearing a cloth mask with imperfect compliance is LOW
...

2. cont. combined an ABSURDLY low with a low number and you get an ABSURDLY low possible upper bound theoretical (but absolutely unproven) benefit

At some point, the precautional principle is gone. You gotta have actual reasons to justify restrictions.

2. cont. probably the motivation for this is the idea that 'no one will know who got vax'. but they should say that explicitly and not sanction the idea that it does anything

I have written 2 things on it from January, when we already had all the evidence needed to say it
https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90764
And https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/90927

3. the one unvaccinated person in a vaccinated person's party is free to unmask, per CDC.

4. Let's not forget that it wasn't long that they press released a double mask mannequin study

They gotta work on their messaging https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad/91221