- The director of the CDC has recommended masking up in a new interview
- The recommendation comes as Americans are largely avoiding masks and vaccines
- READ MORE: Up to four times more Americans refuse updated Covid vaccine
Health officials still recommend masking up during the holidays even as Covid cases continue to decline.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended in an interview to mask up when traveling or gathering with loved ones — and to get the latest Covid vaccine before the holidays.
The guidelines come as Covid cases continue to decline and up to four times more Americans are avoiding updated vaccines compared to last year.
Dr. Cohen, who headed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services before taking her place as CDC director in July, said she and her husband, as well as her 9- and 11-year-old daughters, have all had their Covid-19 have received a certificate. flu vaccines.
She said, “I’m not just a CDC director. I am also a doctor and a mother. And I want to tell you what I do for my own family.”
Dr. Mandy Cohen recommended wearing masks this holiday season, even as Americans avoid masks and vaccines
Dr. Cohen indicated an interview Yahoo about recommendations for staying safe during the holidays. The site asked her to answer six frequently asked questions about health and the holidays, and she answered every question.
When asked how to prevent illness while traveling and gathering with loved ones, Dr. Cohen’s answers included washing hands, improving indoor ventilation by opening windows and wearing a mask.
In response to a later question about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Dr. Cohen said, “I would encourage (parents) to use the same practices that we’ve always done, which is stay home when you’re sick, wash hands, stay away from others who may be sick, and make sure you use tools to protect yourself – whether that’s masks, ventilation, or others.”
The CDC did not respond to DailyMail.com’s repeated requests for clarification on its official recommendations.
On its website, the health department currently recommends masking up around others for at least 10 days if you’ve tested positive for Covid, and up to 10 days if you’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive.
“Another thing you want to think about is your own personal risk,” Dr. Cohen said of masking up during the holidays
Hospitalizations continue to decline and are significantly lower than last year, according to CDC data
Dr. Cohen said, “I wouldn’t recommend anything to the American people that I wouldn’t recommend to my own family.
“I hope people can hear that and get to know me as a person so they can cut through some of the information they’re hearing and understand why I recommend it to my family and want them to be healthy too.”
She added, “Another thing you want to think about is your own personal risk.
‘Are you over 65? Do you have an underlying condition? Are you visiting someone who is over 65 years old? Are you with someone who is receiving cancer treatment?
‘Those people are at greatest risk of something bad happening, so in those cases you want to use as many of those tools as possible.’
After a sharp increase earlier this summer, Covid cases have steadily declined since mid-September, CDC data reports.
According to the most recent data available, there were 15,745 hospitalizations as of Oct. 28. At this time last year there were 23,311.
Now, Americans are feeling Covid fatigue — 52 percent say they ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ won’t get the latest Covid booster vaccines.
Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician, previously told DailyMail.com that younger adults did not need the vaccine because they were already at low risk of severe disease.