WASHINGTON — Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Friday firmly blamed recent setbacks in preventing the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus squarely on unvaccinated Americans who have defied federal guidance to continue wearing masks.
With the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 spreading nationwide, and new scientific data indicating that vaccinated people can spread the virus just as easily as those who have not been vaccinated, the CDC earlier this week reversed its guidance and said fully vaccinated Americans now should wear masks indoors.
“Our guidance in May said that fully vaccinated people could take off their masks safely, and that unvaccinated people should continue to wear them. Unfortunately, that’s not how it played out,” Walensky said in a phone interview with McClatchy. “Unvaccinated people took off their masks as well. And that’s what led us to where we are today.”
