Masks On

Let’s be clear: Nobody wants to be here, in this moment in time, so tantalizingly close to being out of a deadly pandemic, yet bogged down and even slipping backward. We’re all frustrated, and nobody wants to wear a mask anymore. It’s summer. And, beyond that, we’re just all over it.

So it’s even more important, now, to display the kind of stoicism to just … do it. Muster up some civic pride, don’t worry if some acid-tongued detractors see it as “virtue signaling.” Just put the mask on when you’re indoors, whether you’re vaccinated or not. Be part of the solution, not the viral load.

The Express News Group is planning a special event next week aimed at those who have yet to be vaccinated, to try to take their concerns seriously and to, without judgment, answer their questions and try to close the space between where they are and where they need to be to comfortably get the shot. The state, and this region, have been pretty solidly united in getting protected as a community, but until we reach that tipping point — until “herd immunity” is achieved, though there are varying opinions about when that point arrives — there are risks that need to be considered and addressed.

As another summer mecca, Provincetown, recently discovered, vaccinations are a big part of the equation, but not the entire thing. Breakthrough cases are part of any vaccination effort; COVID vaccines actually are quite effective compared to those tackling other diseases, but there still are going to be vaccinated people getting sick. The good news is that most will get through the infection with symptoms that are only a shadow of COVID’s potential — but the bad news is that, from what medical researchers have found studying the Provincetown outbreak, it’s possible that an infected person who was vaccinated is just as contagious as someone who isn’t vaccinated.

The answer to that? From the start, social distancing and masking have been remarkably effective in keeping COVID in check — real data, from real medical research, has confirmed it. Nothing is perfect, but the truth is that the simple act of wearing a face mask makes a significant difference in limiting the spread of the virus.

There are obvious reasons why that’s important, but one lurks ominously in the background. We are currently dealing with the Delta variant, which is the result of the virus mutating and, in Darwinian fashion, discovering a new, more effective way to spread. That happened because there were plenty of human bodies to infect, and many chances to mutate. The terrifying notion is that the longer COVID finds adequate hosts around the world and continues to expand its presence, the more chance of future mutations. Perhaps the Epsilon mutation will be even more contagious, even more deadly — maybe even more resilient against vaccines. Then we’re all in even worse trouble.

The good news: There is something you can do. Vaccinated or not — let’s leave that conversation for another time — go back to early 2021 levels of social distancing and hand-washing. More important, wear a mask indoors, or when you’ll be in close contact with others, or in public places like stores and restaurants. Yeah, it’s a pain. But it works, and we need to resist the urge to give up the fight before it’s over. And it’s far, far from over.