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Unmasking the Unvaccinated? Questions About the Latest COVID Guidance

May 20, 2021

The masks aren’t coming off as quickly in Connecticut, especially indoors, as people might have expected after both the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted most mask protocols for fully vaccinated people.

Here’s a Q-and-A with Dr. Jurate Ivanaviciene, an infectious disease specialist at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, from an interview with News 12 Connecticut that might resolve some of your concerns. (It has been edited for clarity and length.)

Q: There have been some big changes in mask guidance. People have been waiting a long time. Your reaction?

A: I’m actually very happy for those people who got vaccinated. Finally, we’ll be able to live a normal life again. But I’m slightly worried about the people who didn’t get vaccinated. In the last month or so, we’re seeing people being hospitalized — not people who’ve gotten the vaccine, but the people who did not receive the vaccine. We’re seeing younger and younger people getting hospitalized who are not vaccinated.

Q: Some people are  saying, “I didn’t get vaccinated and now the mask mandates are gone in New York and Connecticut and I’ve outlasted this whole governmental process.” What do you say to that mindset?

A: I would say be very careful. As I mentioned before, we’ve seen elderly people getting hospitalized, sick and dying, and now I see some who are very young without any underlying conditions being hospitalized. Most of them tell me, “Oh, I thought this was  joke.” After they end up in the intensive care unit, they’re changing their minds. So I really hope that those people who didn’t get vaccinated will get vaccinated.

Q: What do you say to those who are vaccinated but are concerned that unvaccinated people might abuse the new mask recommendations?

A: The unvaccinated population taking their mask off is taking a chance on getting sick. They’re taking their own risks. I’m really proud of the ones who got vaccinated. They’re finally ready to go out and have some fun.

Q: What if you’re vaccinated but exposed to an unvaccinated person who is infected with the virus? Can I spread the virus to someone else, maybe a child in my house who is not yet eligible for a vaccination?

A: Our recommendations, even for those vaccinated, is if you get exposed to somebody who is positive you don’t need to quarantine. You just have to observe yourself (for possible symptoms). There’s always a little chance that the vaccine doesn’t work 100 percent. If you’re concerned about bringing the virus back into your house, I would recommend you continue to wear a mask in public.

Q: Have we hit a plateau with the number of people getting vaccinated?

A: As the eligible age groups change, we probably will see younger people getting vaccinated. The younger population wants to go back to the concerts, they want to go to the coffee shops. So they want to get that vaccine.

Q: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks about what he calls the youthful and the doubtful, people who  are just not sold on the vaccine. Is it worth trying to get these people to roll up their sleeves with incentives?

A: I think we can try anything to increase the numbers of vaccinated people and to end this pandemic or at least to minimize sick people and people who are entering the hospitals and dying.

Q:  Can we achieve herd immunity?

A: It would be be good if we would have at least 70 percent vaccinated, but it’s going to be hard to achieve. It will take some time. In the end, the ones who did not receive the vaccine and get the virus will have some natural immunity from the disease.

Q: How do you combat vaccine hesitancy, even among people in your own life?

A: I tell them that it’s really safe. It protects you from getting a severe disease. It protects you to from going into the hospital and ending up on a ventilator for eight to 10 weeks. And afterward you’re not the same. You still have all those symptoms, you have the mental fog and you don’t feel the same. So people are really struggling, especially the ones who end up in intensive care units.