Why some critics think the CDC's messaging on masking is 'astonishingly bad'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced updated guidance on Tuesday which states that people living in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates (which is a significant portion of the United States) should once again wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated.

The agency has faced criticism throughout the day for a variety of reasons, including the fact that some experts think the latest messaging is off-base when it comes to the cause of the latest wave of infections. For instance, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a medical analyst for CNN, took issue with the CDC Director Rochelle Walensky's emphasis on the finding that "in rare occassions some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others." Walensky said that "this new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.