CDC's announcement of masking vaccinated people is another step to defeat COVID-19: US President

Washington: US President Joe Biden has issued a statement following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) masking guidance and said it is another step to defeat COVID-19.

In a statement, the President said: "Today's announcement by the CDC--that new research and concerns about the Delta variant leads CDC to recommend a return to masking in parts of the country--is another step on our journey to defeating this (COVID-19) virus. I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas."

"Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fall--full time. "Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection," he said.

Biden said the most important protection we have against the Delta variant is to get vaccinated. Although most US adults are vaccinated, too many are not. While we have seen an increase in vaccinations in recent days, we still need to do better.

"On Thursday, I will lay out the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated. Vaccinations are free, safe, and effective for every American. They've been available to every adult in this country for more than three months--at locations within 5 miles of 90 per cent of the US population," he added.

He also said: "When I ran for President, I promised to be straight with you about COVID--good news or bad. And I promised to follow the science. That strategy has worked: in my first six months in office, we've given out over 300 million shots--and have 60 per cent of adults fully vaccinated and nearly 70 per cent started on vaccinations. Cases are down, and deaths are down dramatically. One estimate suggests that our rapid deployment of the vaccine has saved 100,000 American lives--perhaps more," he said.

The CDC announced new recommendations on Tuesday (local time) that even vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the US where the coronavirus is surging.