Fauci to the Fully Vaccinated: ‘Go the Extra Mile,’ Mask Up in Places with Low Vaccination Rates

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that if people were in places with low vaccination rates, they should “go the extra mile” and wear a mask even if they are fully vaccinated.

Anchor Chuck Todd said, “Well, let’s talk about a specific here. We know Mississippi is one of the lowest —I believe the lowest vaccinated, has the lowest vaccination rate in the country. You’re in Biloxi, Mississippi, right now, Dr. Fauci. Would you be wearing a mask—  you are fully vaccinated, but you be wearing a mask in Biloxi, Mississippi?”

Fauci said, “I think there would be good reason to do that. As we’ve said so often, vaccines, even as good as they are and they are highly effective, nothing is 100%. if you put yourself in an environment in which you have a high level of viral dynamics and a very low level of vaccine, you might want to go the extra step and say, when I’m in that area where there’s a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile, to be cautious enough to make sure I get the extra added level of protection even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective.”

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