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Covid Advice #14 (05/26/2021):
The CDC is Wrong About Masks -
Even Moderate, Mild or Asymptomatic Covid is Bad


- from Dr. Dennis Fong -


I think the CDC is wrong in saying that "fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing." I think fully vaccinated people should not do that because even moderate, mild or asymptomatic Covid is bad, as I will explain. Now what the CDC says may be OK when the pandemic has died down a lot more, like closer to South Korean levels. In South Korea they think it's a national emergency to get 500 new cases a day and since we have six times their population, that would translate to 3,000 a day here in the U.S. The reality is, however, we are celebrating merely because last week on some days we've been down to 25,000 new cases a day.


My Advice

My advice is, even if you are vaccinated, when you are around people who are unvaccinated, as in stores or when with children under 12, keep your mask on and continue to social distance. Do not dine in indoor restaurants. That's because 9-10% of those who are fully vaccinated are still not protected from getting Covid, so, even fully vaccinated, you have 9-10% as much chance of catching Covid as when you were not vaccinated. Yes, you won't die or get ill enough to need hospitalization, but even moderate, mild or asymptomatic Covid is bad, as I will explain in "My Reasoning" below.

Of course, if you are only meeting with other fully vaccinated people, and again, that means no children under 12 at this time, the risk is much less. It is 9-10% of what it is when you are with non-vaccinated people, which is in turn also 9-10%. Since 9-10% of 9-10% works out to 1%, you have 1% as much chance of catching Covid as when both sides were not vaccinated. That, however, does not mean no risk. With serious car accident injuries, which are preventable by the seat belt, the risk is also very low, yet we always put our seat belts on, every car trip. It is the same with even moderate, mild or asymptomatic Covid - here too the consequences may be permanent and significant.

Therefore, if you are fully vaccinated, I think what exactly to do when only with other vaccinated people depends: for each situation, you need to weigh your risks of catching moderate, mild or asymptomatic Covid vs your benefits from closer social interaction during that situation. Where the risks seem to outweigh the benefits, you should put your mask on and maintain social distance - just graciously explain it to the other people. As for me, when indoors I eat and drink only with other vaccinated people whom I know are still taking the precautions of wearing masks and doing social distancing when with non-vaccinated people or when out in public. With vaccinated people whom I know to be not taking the precautions, or whom I don't know if they are or not, I eat and drink with them outdoors if possible, and indoors only in well-ventilated rooms and at a different table.


My Reasoning

The reason the CDC gives for saying that masks and social distancing are not necessary is that "research shows the vaccines provide a very high level of protection against getting sick from Covid-19 and spreading it to others." Now that is not quite true: the vaccines do not provide a very high level of protection against ALL sickness from Covid-19; what the vaccines do provide a very high level of protection against is death and sickness severe enough to require hospitalization during the first few weeks.

Death and sickness severe enough to require hospitalization during the first few weeks, however, are not the only bad things you can get from Covid. Even moderate, mild or asymptomatic Covid can give you the following significant long term problems:

  1. Strokes and heart attacks during the first few weeks, many of which can be silent - no other virus does this;
  2. Multi-system inflammatory syndrome, where multiple organs like heart, lung and kidney, get inflammed and one can get so ill as to need ICU care;
  3. "Long haulers" who get tiredness, dizziness, "brain fog", or shortness of breath and heart palpitations on exertion;
  4. Depresson and other psychiatric problems, data to date show that a very large percentage get this after Covid.

There may be more. We do not know yet what all late complications there are, who all will get affected, and how late these complications might show up - it could be years or even decades like with other known viruses. For example, shingles, usually in old age, is from the chickenpox virus in childhood; liver cancer, also usually in old age, can be from the hepatitis virus that could have been contracted, completely asymptomatically by the way, as early as birth from one's mother if she's a carrier.

The problem lies in 3 things:

Again, wait until the pandemic has died down a lot more, like to South Korean levels, before considering taking off your masks and stopping social distancing in stores and with the non-vaccinated. I am not trying to be a naysayer, but I feel it is only my responsibility as a doctor to advise caution when there are all these possible known and unknown long term complications even for moderate, mild and asymptomatic Covid.

Wish you happiness! Stay healthy and stay safe!

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