The US government has vaccinated nearly 39 percent of its population with full two doses of the COVID19 vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well has offered some relaxation in mask-wearing guidelines. The agency has said that people who have been immunized with two doses can remove their face masks at indoor and outdoor locations. People who have been fully vaccinated are allowed to host a gathering of people who as well have received two doses of the vaccine, said the agency. However, some health experts have said that as people return to normal life and start to lead their daily activities without wearing masks, they might quickly catch a common cold and the flu. They have said that people might be suffering from cough, cold and flu-like symptoms more frequently. Health experts have said that face masks can protect people from a number of diseases. Now, as they remove their face masks, they might be susceptible to more diseases. Experts have advised that to keep these ailments at bay, people should wear a mask whenever they feel sick even if they catch a cold to protect others from infection. Recently the CDC has reported that the percentage of people who are testing positive for flu in the US has remained unusually low in the last week. Health experts have said that during the COVID19 pandemic, there have been virtually no cases of flu during the traditional season of flu in the US as people have been wearing face masks due to fear of contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Health experts have reported that there has been around an 85 percent reduction in influenza cases in the US as people have been wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, keeping personal hygiene, and washing their hands regularly. The rate of hospitalization due to flu has been only 7 in 100000 people in the US in the last year. As per the report, this has been the lowest rate of hospitalization during the flu season in the US. The CDC has said that as people have been wearing face masks for COVID19, the country has virtually seen no cases of flu or common cold. Many people living in the US as well are considering wearing facemask during the next flu season. Health officials have said that closure of the schools and allowing people to work from home have played an essential role in reducing the spread of the flu virus last year. In the last week, only five deaths related to the flu have been reported across the country as compared to around 1094 deaths linked to COVID19 that have taken place in the same week, said the experts. Health experts from UNC Health have advised that people need to understand the idea behind wearing masks. They have said that face masks not just protect people who wear them but others as well. Wearing masks is still not a part of the traditional culture of the US when people fall sick with flu or the common cold.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is one of the well-known Infectious Disease experts in the US, has said that mask-wearing should be made mandatory during the flu season after the COVID19 pandemic is over. Dr. Anthony Fauci has claimed that people in the US have understood the importance of wearing masks and they are well aware of the fact that mask-wearing can reduce the transmission of respiratory diseases. In some countries around the world, wearing masks is standard when people fall sick with the common cold. Many health experts have said that making mask wearing a regular thing in the US will be quite hard. A childcare expert, Mercedes Reyna has said that wearing masks is very crucial for kids and it makes a difference. She has said that children have not fallen sick with the common cold during the pandemic, as people have been wearing masks. Reyna has said that despite some crucial benefits of the mask-wearing practice, some people are eager to remove their face masks as soon as possible. On the other hand, experts have said that wearing masks doest not make any significant changes in the functioning of the immune system. They have claimed that in the next flu season, cases might shoot up; therefore, it is advisable to be vaccinated against the flu.
