Should We Worry About The End Of Mask Mandates? | MSNBC

President Biden this week made the announcement Americans have been waiting a year and a half for: those of us who are vaccinated no longer have to mask up. It’s great news, but does the new directive carry any risk? Doctor Uche Blackstock, Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, joins American Voices with Alicia Menendez to give her the lowdown on why vaccinated Americans can stop worrying and start living their old lives again.

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#MaskMandates #CDC #Walensky

101 comments

  1. LOL I live in Oklahoma… what mask mandate? I’m the only one EVER wearing a mask and I’m constantly stared at like I’m the wack-o. Even when I had bronchitis and wore a mask, they still gave me dirty looks smh, but even so I haven’t caught Covid while the majority of the people who wouldn’t mask up are either dead now, in hospital or dealing with long term covid effects from their petty ignorance.

    1. @Mo Weems First, the mRNA vaccine platforms have been in development for around 20 years, mostly against oncoproteins. It wasn’t as quick as you imply. If we’d had to wait for a conventional vaccine, it could have taken years. But, even during the SARS outbreak, mRNA vaccines, were tried. By the time a working one was made, the epidemic was over, but we learned a few things, that were applied to this virus. The main thing we learned was, the best target for a Coronavirus vaccine is a spike protein, but don’t use the whole spike protein, because that can result in vaccine induced immunopathy. With that knowledge, robust mRNA vaccine platforms, and the gene sequence of Covid-19, development of vaccines only took weeks. What has taken almost a year, was testing, trials for efficacy and safety. It used to take years for a scribe to copy a book, but with the printing press, hundreds of copies could be made in a day. Was that fishy, or just technology making the world better? If you weren’t so ignorant about virology, immunology, and biochemistry, you wouldn’t be so suspicious.

    2. @Shane Adverse reactions to antibiotics shouldn’t stop you getting vaccinated. I can’t take several antibiotics, because of G6PD deficiency (a metabolic disease found in people of middle eastern origin). And, I once went into shock from a vaccine (cholera, which I already had a high titer against). But, I had both doses of the Pfizer. And, while I did have a rather severe immune response, it passed in a day. And now I know I’m immune. The relief is worth transitory fever and pain.

    3. @Deborah Freedman
      Not their fault.

      If you got the vaccine, then there is nothing to worry about

  2. IDAF What the CDC says I’m well into my immunity and
    Still wearin my mask 😷 & still keeping my distance for now

    1. @Mark Eddy First, doesn’t, not don’t. Second, the mRNA vaccines are about 95% effective, the J&J about 70%. If everyone was vaccinated, that would put the odds in favor of not getting sick. But, there are a lot of morons who refuse to be vaccinated. So, if you’re in a crowd, and proof of vaccination is not required, it’s safer to just keep the mask on.

    2. @Mark Eddy Probably it isn’t necessary to wear a mask for me, but I still want to follow the rules wherever they require masks.
      Besides, variants are unpredictable.

      Covidiots are hosting the virus, and helping it to reproduce and mutate in their cells.

    3. @Mark Eddy Nope. Alex Trebek (RIP) would give you the “fail” buzzer. The vaccines provide (roughly) 95 percent LOWER RISK of getting a Covid-19 infection–your risk of subsequent hospitalization (from Covid) is extremely/extremely low, and your risk of death (from Covid) is almost zero/0 [only a couple confirmed deaths in the fully vaccinated]. As to why someone who’s fully vaccinated would want to continue masking up–well, obviously, 95 percent is NOT 100 percent. Also, there are variants of the Covid going around, and the current vaccines may/may not be as effective against these mutations. Certainly other reasons, too…

  3. I will wear a mask in public!! Germs are everywhere! The world isn’t over this virus!!

    1. @GreatWhiteBuckwheat ?? Former-Pres Trump lost his reelection bid because he wasn’t a very good incumbent president, and his platform (such as it was) wasn’t appealing to the majority of Americans.

    2. @Ken C That’s absolutely accurate. The Covid deniers and the fools that refused to wear their masks led to more Covid infections and deaths. That led to more people trusting Biden with the pandemic than they trusted trump. The deniers were a contributing factor, in my opinion.

  4. I trust the science but I’m sorry I live in the south and as much as i love it you know who most people here follow so I’m gonna continue to wear a mask because of wackadoos.

    1. Don’t let the wackadoos make you wear a mask. Just because they wear one, it doesn’t mean you have to. Most people know the cloth mask will not protect you from anything anyway, at least the ones with a brains!

    2. “I trust the science” are the words of a religious zealot. the whole point of science is to avoid trust.

    3. If it makes you feel safe, then go for it, I don’t care, I respect your right to wear it. Just don’t force me to do it.

    1. After they saw ppl putting gas in boxes and bags the cdc said maybe it’s a good idea to have ppl take off the masks. I think they have just given up at this point.

  5. can we end the pants mandate? they’re chaffing me, all i want is a coffee while in my underwear…

    1. @Joe Boyko This questioner could be an “early adopter” of this fashion trend; who knows? Who cares?

  6. I will wear my mask for a lot longer than the end of this year ! I don’t care how I am looked upon or what anyone says !

    1. @Derek Mulready next of kin for a virus that a greater than 90% survival rate. Lol why are u acting like its Ebola man u are such a tool

    2. @keshia nowden you must care u responded to my post, people that dont care just move on to other stuff

    3. Good. Wearing a mask can easily tell who you vote for. No longer do we need to see your Democrat voting card. Your mask is like a huge Jersey. You probably got vaxs but are a hypocrite to your party since you don’t believe it enough to do its job and keep you safe. Either you believe in the science or you don’t. Your caught in a rock and a hard place. Your probably questioning your whole party existence. 🐑🐑🐑🐑

    1. @John Disher Wow so much for the tolerant left. This is a virus with a 99.8% survivability rate and a 1%-5% hospitalization rate for people in the 20-50 age group (if you exercise regularly). Are you sure this virus is as deadly as you say it is?

    2. @gawrbage again never said nothing about death but now you mentioned it. We’re up to just about 600,000 souls in over a year. You are stupid you needed to take that mask off along time ago

  7. My county is still at high risk with more than 30 new Covid cases just this week. I will still wear my mask when around others until our risk level comes down.

  8. In the last few days there have been many many major music festivals announced and all the bands are going back on tour full on. I suspect we will have another outbreak, but they won’t be able to shut things down again.

    1. @Noc Roxie we never really shut down. Other countries did and their numbers are much lower. And their economies are doing nicely.

    2. @WardenJune The only country that’s doing significantly better than anywhere is Australia. And that’s because of water. They’ve also stranded their citizens in other countries, while prioritizing first class passengers on airlines. This is American! I want it kept that way. You love dictators!

  9. Anyone else feel the End to the Mask mandate is only temporary? This virus has way of going BOOGA BOOGA!

  10. The only people who should be worried about the end of mask mandates are the “Karens” who’d been so egregiously emboldened during this whole year of non sense.

    1. That would be true if not for the Luddites who refuse to be vaccinated. We need proof of vaccination to be required. Then we can relax in crowds.

    2. @Deborah Freedman that’s not how vaccines work. If you’ve been vaccinated it hardly matters what anyone else does. It’s called freedom of choice and body autonomy. I read somewhere on a sign a slogan “my body my choice”.

    3. @Deborah Freedman What do you say to somebody who is concerned about the animal challenge tests being skipped or the criminal conviction histories of the pharmaceutical companies that make these vaccines?

    1. A reminder of how you were manipulated by the msm…youre genderless offspring will be proud of your courage.

    2. Lucky you, all I got was a CDC card. I guess I could have taken a selfie, at one of the stations set up at the mass vaccination center.

  11. I don’t know about everyone else, but I have no problem wearing a RESPIRATOR and using hand sanitizer. I haven’t been sick in over a year. This is great!

    1. @G B you are correct. But that doesn’t mean that the person I called a Trump sheep is not a Trump sheep. Lamb, whatever.

    2. @WardenJune ok. As long as you’re being logical about idiots continuing to wear masks for no reason or for stupid reasons I can live with that👍

    3. @G B I didn’t say that at all. And you will still live regardless of what I think. Anyway you want to slice it masks filter out some of what you breathe and therefore if people want to wear them so be it. You do not need to look down on them for doing it. Besides you don’t know who is vaccinated and who isn’t either. So yes people will still wear masks. And that does not make you Superior to them in any way. If you’re okay with that I can live with it.

    4. @G B if somebody on an airplane sitting behind you coughs and sneezes throughout the flight, don’t you wish they had a mask on? Maybe you would even put one on yourself. Vaccinated for the flu or not. Think about it. I guess we will be learning a lot about the transmission in the coming months because they’re a whole bunch of music festivals and concerts coming up. I hope you’re right about everything.

    5. @WardenJune right now I would follow cdc guidelines and mask up on a plane where we have to crammed in with each other. However, as long as I’m vaccinated, which i am, I’m not worried about getting sick, or getting anyone else sick

  12. Oh shoot! I have to buy make-up again!😉💕🤪 Haven’t needed to wear any while masking.

    1. Same here!! I am waiting a bit longer to unmask – my parents do not want the vaccine and I have little ones – but I can’t wait to go shopping for lipstick again!!! 💋💄

  13. These mask rules are as confusing as Father’s Day in Harlem. Can our overlords please give us clear guidance?

    1. @jasiel morales What? If the good Doctor wears a mask, when others have forsaken theirs, that is the antithesis of your crude pejorative.

    2. @G B You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about [which is a criticism I’m sure you hear frequently].

    3. @Ken C perhaps you haven’t been paying attention… Nobody is getting sick if vaccinated. Also, masks don’t protect you, they protect others FROM you…but you’re vaccinated… Logic! 😉

    1. If it makes you feel safe, then go for it, I don’t care, I respect your right to wear it. Just don’t force me to do it.

  14. It’s a set up for the new variant. They want you to take off your masks now to expose you more.

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