>>> ITS NOT THE KIND OF NEWS WE
HOPED FOR FROM THE CDC BUT IT
WAS THE NEWS WE GOT.
THE CDC HAS CHANGED ITS CURRENT
GUIDANCE ABOUT WHEN AMERICANS
SHOULD WEAR MASKS IN RESPONSE TO
THE ALARMING SPREAD OF THE
HIGHLY INFECTIOUS DELTA VARIANT
OF COVID-19.
IN A DRAMATIC REVERSAL, THE CDC
NOW SAYS THAT ALL VACCINATED
AMERICANS SHOULD WEAR MASKS
WHILE INDOORS IF THEY ARE IN
AREAS WITH WHAT THE CDC CALLS
HIGH OR SUBSTANTIAL LEVELS OF
TRANSMISSION.
LOOK AT THE MAP.
THE RED REPRESENTS AREAS WITH
HIGH TRANSMISSION.
THE ORANGE IS SUBSTANTIAL
TRANSMISSION.
WHICH IS A LOT OF THE MAP.
ACCORDING TO THE CDC,
TRANSMISSION IS HIGH ENOUGH IN
63% OF THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW
THAT INDOOR MASK-WEARING IS
RECOMMENDED REGARDLESS OF
VACCINATION STATUS.
THAT WAS NOT THE ONLY STUNNING
REVERSAL OUT TODAY FROM THE CDC.
2 1/2 WEEKS AGO CDC SAID THAT
FULLY VACCINATED STUDENTS WILL
NOT NEED TO WEAR MASKS WHEN THEY
RETURN TO CLASSROOMS THIS FALL.
TODAY THEY TOOK THAT BACK.
THE CHANGE IN POLICY ALSO
APPLIES TO ALL STUDENTS OR
PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE
CLASSROOM.
THE CDC SAYS ITS RECOMMENDING
THAT ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS,
STAFF, STUDENTS, AND VISITORS
WEAR MASKS IN ALL K-12 SCHOOLS
THIS FALL, REGARDLESS OF THEIR
VACCINATION STATUS.
JOINING US IS DR. ROW CHEL
WALENSKY, DIRECTOR OF THE CDC.
DR. WALENSKY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
IM, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
THIS EVENING.
THE REACTION IVE SEEN ON SOCIAL
MEDIA TO THIS IS ITS GIVING
PEOPLE WHIPLASH.
THE CDC HAS CHANGED FAIRLY
SUDDENLY IN THE OPINION OF SOME
PEOPLE.
GIVE ME A SENSE OF THE SCIENCE
BEHIND THIS DECISION.
>> GOOD EVENING, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME.
80% OF THOSE COUNTIES THAT ARE
ORANGE OR RED HATCH LESS THAN
40% OF PEOPLE VACCINATED, SO
THOSE COUNTIES VERY MUCH
CORRESPOND TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
UNDERVACCINATED IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHERE WE HAVE NOT PUT UP A LARGE
ENOUGH FORTRESS AS A POPULATION
TO TACKLE THIS DELTA VARIANT.
I THINK THATS REALLY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THE MAIN MESSAGE HERE IS
THAT MAP LOOKS LIKE THAT BECAUSE
WE HAVENT DONE A GOOD ENOUGH
JOB OF GETTING PEOPLE
VACCINATED.
THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IS TO
GET VACCINATED.
WHEN I BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF
THE CDC, I FELT IT MY
RESPONSIBILITY, AND I TOLD THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, THAT I WOULD
FOLLOW SCIENCE.
AND THAT SCIENCE WOULD BE WHAT
IS MOTIVATING AND DRIVING OUR
RECOMMENDATIONS.
WHEN WE WERE IN MAY, WE HAD 1%
OF OUR SEQUENCES BEAGLE THAT,
THE MAJORITY OF OUR SEQUENCES
WERE AN ALPHA VARIANT OF THE
VIRUS.
AND THE DATA ON THE ALPHA
VARIANT DEMONSTRATED THAT THE
VACCINES WERE WORKING REALLY
WELL AGAINST PREVENTING SEVERE
DISEASE AND DEATH, AND IF YOU
HAPPENED TO GET A BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTION, YOU COULDNT TRANSMIT
THAT ALPHA VARIANT TO OTHERS.
SO WHATS HAPPENED IN THE LAST
TWO MONTHS?
WHATS HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO
MONTHS IS THAT NOW WE HAVE 83%
IF NOT MORE OF OUR SEQUENCES
THAT ARE THE DELTA VARIANT.
WE KNOW THE DELTA VARIANT IS
MUCH MORE TRANSMISSIBLE, EVEN IN
THE ABSENCE OF THE -- IN THE
ABSENCE OF VACCINATION.
WE SEE THAT IN THE MAP AND WHY
ITS GOTTEN SO RED SO FAST.
WHAT WE LEARNED, REALLY JUST
EVEN IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS,
IS THAT IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A
VACCINATED PERSON THAT WAS A
SO-CALLED BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTION, SOMEBODY WHO IS
VACCINATED BUT GOT INFECTED
ANYWAY, A RARE EVENT, THAT THOSE
PEOPLE CAB NOW, WITH THE MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE DELTA VARIANT,
TRANSMIT TO OTHER PEOPLE.
THAT WAS REALLY WHY WE UPDATED
OUR GUIDANCE WITH THE UPDATE OF
NEW SCIENCE THAT CAME OVER THE
LAST SEVERAL DAYS.
>> SO IN THE LAST DAY OR SO,
WEVE HEARD FROM NEW YORK CITY,
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,
THAT THEY ARE REQUIRING PEOPLE
TO BE VACCINATED OR PROVIDE
PROOF OR ONGOING TESTING.
DO YOU THINK WE ARE APPROACHING
A TIME WHERE WE SHOULD BE
EMPOWERING ORGANIZATIONS AND
COMPANIES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT,
TO MANDATE VACCINATION?
>> YOU KNOW, SINCE MAY WE HAVE
ALWAYS SAID THAT LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS NEED TO REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHATS GOING ON
LOCALLY.
WE HAVE A VERY HETEROGENOUS
POPULATION RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE AREAS OF THIS COUNTRY
THAT HAVE ENORMOUS RATES OF
VACCINATION AND VERY LOW RATES
OF THE DISEASE.
WE HAVE AREAS OF THIS COUNTRY
THAT HAVE LOW RATES OF
VACCINATION AND EXTRAORDINARILY
HIGH RATES OF DISEASE.
SO WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT THE
RESPONSIBILITY WAS GOING TO HAVE
TO FALL LOCALLY TO MAKE THESE
POLICIES.
SO YES, I THINK THAT IS EXACTLY
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
>> ARE YOU CHANGING ANY OF YOUR
BEHAVIORS IN TERMS OF TRAVEL,
INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE, HOW
YOURE DEALING WITH OTHER
PEOPLE?
WEVE BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT THE
REOPENING OF AMERICA.
>> YOU KNOW, THIS WEIGHS HEAVILY
ON ME.
WEVE BEEN DOING THIS 18 MONTHS.
AMERICA IS TIRED.
AMERICA IS SICK.
AMERICA HAS SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE
SUFFER.
AND AMERICA HAS SUFFERED A LOT
OF LOSS.
SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I
EXPECTED WOULD BE WELCOME NEWS.
IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING
THAT I WANTED TO DO.
BUT MY JOB IS TO PROTECT THE
SAFETY AND HEALTH OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
SO THIS IS WHAT I FELT WE HAD TO
DO WITH THE NEW SCIENCE THAT WAS
GIVEN TO US.
I AM DEFINITELY MASKING MORE