CDC says Americans should wear masks in 73.8% of U.S. counties

[July 31, 2021]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that 73.8% of U.S. counties had transmission rates of COVID-19 high enough to warrant indoor masking in public spaces and should immediately resume the policy.

The transmission rate was up from 69.3% as of Thursday's report. In total, 54.6% of U.S. counties have high COVID-19 community transmission rates and 19.2% have substantial rates, the CDC said.

The CDC revised its mask guidance for fully vaccinated Americans on Tuesday telling them they should wear masks in COVID-19 hot spots.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content