In the News All Things COVID-19 – Part III

(Masking continued…)

The CDC’s website details the following mask recommendations (which is fluid depending on your local government regulations):

• Everyone 2 years or older who is not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in indoor public places.
• In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings. In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
• Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and while indoors at U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Travelers are not required to wear a mask in outdoor areas of a conveyance (like on open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered top deck of a bus).

Besides masking and using the proper hygiene, getting a COVID-19 vaccine and booster is also the best way to help slow the spread of this illness. Everyone over the age of 5 is now eligible to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine.

There are currently three different COVID-19 vaccines available – Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – the CDC says that ANY of the vaccines are more effective than NO vaccine. The dosage is altered for children aged 5 to 11, and boosters are currently available to most adults (depending on your location).

With more than 67 million cases to date in the United States, we can only hope that we are soon approaching the end of the pandemic. By using your best judgement when it comes to illness, isolating when necessary, using proper hygiene, wearing a mask, and getting your vaccine, we can help combat COVID-19 together and get back to a normal life sooner rather than later.