City And County Of Broomfield: CDC And Broomfield Public Health And Environment Recommends Wearing Masks Indoors

Broomfield CO

30 July, 2021

5:10 PM

Description

Press release from the City and County of Broomfield: July 29, 2021 CDC and Broomfield Public Health and Environment Recommends Wearing Masks Indoors While Closely Monitoring Impacts of Delta Variant The City and County of Broomfield maintains high vaccination rates, and the vaccine remains highly-effective in protecting against the COVID-19 virus, but due to increases in cases of the new and highly transmissible delta variant across the metro-area and nation, Broomfield Public Health and Environment (BPHE) is following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in recommending the community wear masks in schools and indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status. "Broomfield has done an outstanding job of getting vaccinated and following public health protections but new data suggests fully vaccinated people who are infected with the delta variant can transmit the virus to other people" said Public Health Director Jason Vahling. "The single most important step you can take is to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and the most vulnerable among us."  COVID-19 vaccines are the leading public health strategy to prevent the virus. All three COVID-19 vaccines in the United States protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the delta variant. On rare occasions, vaccinated people can have a breakthrough infection and may be contagious; however, vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission occurring around the country. The indoor mask recommendation takes a cautious and proactive step as BPHE continues to closely monitor the hospitalizations and death rates, especially as they are impacted by the new variant. Data shows the delta variant is far more contagious than past strains of COVID-19, and emerging evidence suggests it spreads more than twice as easily as previous strains. Currently, similar to the rest of the Metro area, the City and County of Broomfield is in the CDC's "Substantial" zone of transmission with a seven-day incidence rate greater than 50 per 100,000 people. BPHE will continue to monitor the data to determine if further protections are needed.  For local and convenient vaccine opportunities, including information on getting vaccinated at Broomfield's National Night Out on Aug. 3, visit Broomfield.org/COVIDVaccine. Additional Info... This press release was produced by the City and County of Broomfield. The views expressed are the author's own.