Vaccinated? Good … but still wear a mask

As vaccination rates increase across Southern Oregon — thanks in large part to your work — you may be wondering, If I’m fully vaccinated, do I need to wear a mask at work?

The answer is yes. The CDC has loosened its masking guidelines for people who are vaccinated (meeting in small groups within private settings outside of the workplace), but health care professionals, whose job exposes us to many people every day, must still use an abundance of caution.

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are more than 90% effective at preventing infection in health care workers who also practice mitigation measures, such as masking, physical distancing and daily symptom screening.

Even though growing evidence shows that vaccination prevents severe illness if you do become infected, and limits the chances of transmitting the virus to others, until everyone has access to COVID-19 vaccines we can’t let down our guard.

Our mandate is to provide safe and high-quality care to our patients. Vaccination and masking are proven measures to protect ourselves and patients, especially those who are elderly or part of a vulnerable population.

If you’re still curious or skeptical about mRNA vaccines, please watch Dr. Kirsten Schutte’s webinar, “Mythbusting COVID-19 Vaccines” on the design, safety and efficacy of these vaccines.

While life is beginning to feel somewhat “normal,” we still have a long way to go. Doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 through masking, adhering to infection-prevention protocols and becoming vaccinated, will help us return to a normal state much faster.