Thread by @kazweida

A study of a clustered outbreak of the South African variant in Maryland highlights a few important takeaways:

-at least three fully vaccinated people were infected, but the only hospitalizations and deaths occurred among the unvaccinated

(THREAD)

https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1387816462744793090

(2) Contact tracing indicates this exposure occurred at an indoor small gathering where masks were worn but removed for eating. At least one person at the gathering was symptomatic at that time and is presumed to be the origin of the infection.

(3) The symptomatic person appears to have contracted the variant at a workplace that had already been reported to the CDC for coronavirus safety violations including people reporting for work sick and lack of social distancing and masking.

(4) The BIG takeaway? Vaccinations work in preventing hospitalization and death even when they don't prevent spread.

And there remain far too many unvaccinated and too many variants to return to indoor maskless gatherings, even small ones.

(5) What could have prevented this outbreak and these deaths? Employers taking accountability for safe workplace environments with proper social distancing and mask-wearing indoors.

You can help by taking your small gatherings outdoors and staying masked up. This isn't over yet

I’m not a doctor or infectious disease expert. Just reading the details the CDC linked up here and offering a few observations about the outbreak.

As always your best source of advice to stay safe during the pandemic are actual scientists & health experts.