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Given that experts are recommending vaccinated people wear masks due to their ability to contract and transmit the delta variant, why is there so much messaging suggesting that unvaccinated people are putting others at risk? It seems to me that everyone is able to contract and transmit COVID, and whether someone has the vaccination or natural immunity via antibodies, those defenses only protect an individual from serious symptomatic disease - and everyone (vaccinated or not) is equally putting each other at risk.
All the data from vaccine effectiveness studies show that the unvaccinated are at very high risk of infection, hospitalization and death—i.e., vaccination strongly prevents hospitalization and death from COVID. However, the Delta variant is showing such ease of transmissibility that even the vaccinated may get infection—let me be clear, vaccination continues to protect against the more severe illness caused by infection (prevents hospitalization and death). Therefore, in an effort to try and reduce the transmission of the virus through all communities (whether highly vaccinated or having low vaccination rates), the wearing of masks is still an important component in mitigating risk—this was demonstrated by the use of masking and physical distancing as an effective means to reduce risk before the introduction of the vaccines.
