(L-r) Dr. Lauri Hicks – Chief Medical Officer, Vaccine Task Force, CDC; Dr. José T. Montero – Director, Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support, CDC (Photo: Ethnic Media Services)

TL; DR

At this point, every community-focused organization sounds like a broken record. Whether it’s social media, friends and family, or a news platform, everyone is ringing the alarm bells thanks to the Delta variant. Experts claim that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and our only savior is the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here is a recap of a briefing from members of the CDC: Dr. Jose Montero – Director, Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support; and Dr. Lauri Hicks – Chief Medical Officer, Vaccine Task Force.

The scene of this briefing was set within the first five minutes. The goal of this briefing was to promote vaccinations and inform us about the current situation in the US. Although COVID-19 has brought forth some very depressing headlines, the CDC experts were optimistic and shared some good news.

The Current Situation

Dr. Jose Montero debriefs us on the current situation regarding the rising cases due to the Delta variant. He says we are in a much better position than we were just two months ago and most of the surges are concentrated in unvaccinated communities. There is a positive correlation between the number of unvaccinated and rising cases.

Both Dr. Montero and Dr. Hicks assert that the vaccines are working and provide ample protection from COVID-19, including the pesky variants. According to Dr. Hicks, “…vaccines provide effective protection after two weeks following the second dose, with each exceeding 90% effectiveness against serious illnesses.”

Dr. Hicks says that the message for vaccinated people is “reassurance.” Dr. Montero, in agreement, reiterates that the majority of rising cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are occurring within unvaccinated individuals.

As of now, data suggest we won’t need booster shots. However, CDC is already laying out the infrastructure with currently approved vaccine developers if one would be needed in the future.

Does CDC Recommend Masks?

The one myth-buster moment by Dr. Jose Montero and Dr. Lauri Hicks focused on clarifying CDC’s perspective on masks and vaccines.

Dr. Montero asserts that CDC still recommends wearing masks, however, vaccinated individuals have enough protection against COVID-19, even variants. Dr. Hicks agrees with the statement and explains that masking would help curb the spread amongst immunocompromised patients and children under the age of 12.

To sum it up, Dr. Jose Montero explains that with this pandemic, the message isn’t necessarily “black and white.” Refuting a journalist’s comment on the CDC not recommending masks, Dr. Montero said, “Please don’t say that the CDC says, ‘don’t use masks.’”

Dr. Montero further clarifies that masking use “…may be incumbent upon the local or state authorities based on the epidemiological situation in the region, to recommend or mandate the mask use.”

“The message is not black and white, but we know that vaccines are good and if we are

protected, we can be around most people without any risk, or we can use the mask if we want to.”

Gen-Z South Asian Take

Within the South Asian Gen-Z community, there is a consensus for getting vaccinated and an urge to continue masking in highly crowded settings. As COVID-19 evolves rendering the vaccines less effective, we must evolve with it and stay vigilant. The vaccines work and the majority of Gen-Z South Asians are in consensus with this statement. So, if you haven’t received your COVID-19 vaccine yet, get fully vaccinated! NOW! Let’s not have pandemic inception, or as the experts like to say, “the pandemic of the unvaccinated.”