This episode of Michigan Minds is part of a special series. Listen to more episodes.
As part of a special series that focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda Valyko joins Michigan Minds to discuss the delta variant, the reason for masks amongst people who are vaccinated, and tips for how people can analyze a situation to determine if they should wear a mask. Valyko is the Director of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology at Michigan Medicine. Her work focuses on quality improvement related to preventing infections and ways in which implementation can be used to try to reduce infections.
Valyko talks about recent public health guidelines for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors, which are becoming more common across the nation. She explains how in the early summer, when cases of the virus were low, the CDC recommendation was that those who have received a full regimen of the vaccine no longer had to wear masks. However, that recommendation has changed with the increase of cases.
“I think there are a couple things that are contributing to the need to mask again. One is that, besides the increasing numbers, the variant that we’re seeing is much more contagious than previous strains. Another thing you have to consider is that our population is not fully vaccinated—so, if we were a fully vaccinated population, we probably wouldn’t see very much transmission but there’s a pretty significant mix of vaccinated versus not vaccinated and that allows the virus to transmit and be spread more readily.”
Another consideration in regards to why masking continues to be recommended is because the vaccine may not be as efficacious with the delta varian than it has been with previous strains. She explains that while the vaccine does a good job of keeping people from getting a severe disease or having to go to the hospital, there will be some level of breakthrough infections.
Valyko says source control is critical in preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially in unvaccinated populations like children in schools. Elementary schools present a large population of people who are unvaccinated as most elementary school children are under the age of 12.
“Masking in elementary school is the major prevention strategy that we have to keep from seeing transition in that setting. When you look at older students, the vaccination rates are still pretty low—enough that it’s still really important to have that source control,” she says.
On the topic of masking, Valyko establishes two key points. The first is that wearing a mask keeps your respiratory droplets contained, keeping your germs from getting out too far and landing at someone else. Furthermore, if you sneeze or cough, wearing a mask can help prevent the particles from getting into the air, reducing the opportunity to land in some else’s nose, eyes or mouth. The second key point is that covering the nose and mouth makes it more difficult for the virus to land directly on the face, decreasing the possibility of infection.
“That’s why the fit and filtration of your mask is important. A mask that fits well doesn’t have gaps, and masks that have multiple layers are most protective,” Valyko says.
As the episode concludes, Valyko provides a takeaway for all listeners: the most significant thing that people can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to receive the full regimen of a vaccine.
“I would add that when the COVID-19 numbers are really high in your community, even if you’re vaccinated, it makes sense to wear a mask for a period of time to avoid being one of those breakthroughs until the numbers go back down.”
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