Those who are fully vaccinated are well protected, but experts say masks may be advisable for some people in some situations.<\/b>
\nWith many people vaccinated, masks mostly shed and low case numbers, it\u2019s been easy this summer to feel like Mainers might be turning a corner in the fight against COVID-19, but health officials are warning against declaring victory just yet, with a turn for the worse in case trends and a new, highly contagious variant in play. The delta variant\u2013 a highly transmissible form of the disease first detected in India that has led to recent lockdowns in other countries, including Australia in the United Kingdom\u2013 has officially made its way to Maine. As of July 9, the official count of delta variant cases in Maine is five, with an additional five cases under investigation. MaineHealth, the state\u2019s largest hospital network, had reported as many as 18 cases of the variant as of last week and has forwarded the hospital network\u2019s samples to the Maine CDC for full genetic sequencing. The variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is especially dangerous to unvaccinated and immunocompromised people, so as cases drive up across the country, health officials in other states like California and Missouri, as well as World Health Organization officials, are urging vaccinated individuals to once again don their masks to prevent transmitting the virus to those who are most at risk. People who are unvaccinated, who have only had one dose of the vaccine, or who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed and elderly people with underlying health conditions, even if they are vaccinated, are most at risk. People who fall into those categories are encouraged to continue wearing masks, keeping six feet of distance and following all other coronavirus mitigation practices. The vaccines are doing their job and remain the number one source of protection against COVID-19. They are protecting people from serious disease, hospitalization and death, but officials are still seeing some \u201cbreakthrough\u201d cases of COVID cropping up in patients who are fully vaccinated. According to Mills, the majority have been either asymptomatic or with mild infection or are immunocompromised or elderly with underlying health conditions. As vaccine rates increase, it\u2019s likely that there will be more positive cases in people who are fully vaccinated, she said in her post. This is a matter of \u201cdenominators,\u201d rather than proof the vaccine has lost its effectiveness, she said. The Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 541 breakthrough cases, a tiny fraction among the more than 750,000 people who have received at least a first dose of a vaccine. As for masks, Mills views them as an extra layer of protection both for yourself and your community, but so far the state of Maine and the U.S. CDC have not mandated masks in public or outdoors. However, many health officials are once again urging Americans to mask up, expressing concerns that vaccinated people could become infected by the delta variant but not show symptoms and then transmit it to those who are unvaccinated. Maine has one of that highest vaccination rates in the country, but delta has already made an appearance, and health experts expect it to become even more prevalent. Pfizer-BioNTech announced last week that it is planning clinical trials for a booster shot that would potentially be used against delta. Federal officials may have an answer soon. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that a federal advisory panel is expected to consider whether healthcare workers should be allowed to give coronavirus booster shots to patients with fragile immune systems. Top U.S. health officials have said an additional dose of vaccine is not widely needed. Next week\u2019s panel discussion will not address Pfizer\u2019s request for regulatory approval. Rather, it will focus on updating clinical considerations for coronavirus vaccines, which doesn\u2019t require an advisory panel vote. People who are unvaccinated face a higher risk from the delta variant than people who are, and without an approved vaccine for anyone younger than 12, children remain mostly unvaccinated. For much of the pandemic there has been the idea that kids just don\u2019t get COVID-19, Blaisdell said, and if they do, they don\u2019t get that sick. \u201cBut we\u2019re starting to see more illness in children with these variants,\u201d she said, attributing the increased rates to both how contagious this new variant is, as well as how closely children play and interact with one another. It\u2019s too soon to say how it might impact school in the fall, but Blaisdell worries that schools, which last year managed to largely escape becoming virus hotbeds, may see more community transmission. Masks may need to stay on for younger children, and distancing, hand hygiene and health screenings will almost certainly stick around. \u201cMost of us feel like we\u2019re going into the waning hours of the pandemic, but the pandemic certainly isn\u2019t over for children,\u201d she said, adding that it\u2019s now more important than ever for parents and family members to get vaccinated. \u201cBecause children cannot get vaccinated, we need to provide a protective cocoon around them,\u201d she said. Again, it\u2019s too soon to say exactly when a vaccine will be readily available for children, but experts hope to see something this fall. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna are still doing clinical trials to see how the vaccines work in younger children\u2013if they\u2019re safe and what the right dose may be. It\u2019s a lengthy process, there\u2019s a greater burden of proof for efficacy and safety since children are such a vulnerable population, Blaisdell said. Still, she hopes to see a vaccine for at least school-aged children, if not those as young as two, by Thanksgiving. Families should consider what their risk factors are and what level of risk they are comfortable with. Who are you traveling with? Who are you going to visit? Where are you going? Traveling by car a few states away is different from an international flight, Mills said, and vaccinated adults visiting vaccinated friends is different than unvaccinated children going to see immunocompromised grandparents. However, with all the \u201clayers\u201d of precautions we have now, like masking, social distancing, hygiene and improved ventilation, \u201cit\u2019s possible to travel relatively safely compared to a few months ago,\u201d Mills said. Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. Enter your email and password to access comments. Forgot Password? Don’t have a Talk profile? Create one. Invalid username\/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. You will receive an email to complete the registration. Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. Already registered? Log in to join the discussion. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here\u2019s why. Use the form below to reset your password. 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