Pennsylvania facilitates masking guidelines for people who have been completely vaccinated. The move comes even though the state sees a slight increase in cases, and health experts say people need to proceed with caution.
“I think people should still wear masks, distance themselves socially and wash their hands,” said Dr. Debra Powell, head of infectious diseases at Reading Hospital. Urging caution, she added: “We are not out of this pandemic yet.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reviewing the state’s masking order to align with recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Now fully vaccinated people can gather with other vaccinated people without masks or social distances. The new rules also apply to vaccinated people who gather with people from a single household who have not been vaccinated, but who are considered low risk.
Some European countries have imposed new blocking restrictions or are considering tightening the rules as cases increase. In Berks County, there were over 31,000 confirmed cases and over 900 deaths.
“We saw a break about two weeks ago here in our health care system and now we’re seeing a somewhat increase in cases,” Powell said. “Not like we’ve seen before, but it’s a slight trend.”
Questions remain about how long the vaccines will be effective in securing immunity against COVID-19, but doctors say the vaccine will probably be effective between six months and two years. As new variants of the virus appear, some of which are more easily transmitted, the current efficacy of the vaccine could be tested.
“When you see new variants circulating, such as the South African version, previous vaccines may not work as well, so we may need annual boosters to keep this under control – just like what do we do with the flu vaccine, “Powell said.
Pennsylvania has administered over 4 million doses of vaccine. More than 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania have been completely vaccinated, including more than 40,000 people in Berks County.
“We should anticipate that more options will come,” Powell added. “Our behavior now will reflect what happens a month from now.”