It’s a question more people are asking now that the variant makes up 99 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S. While doctors are adamantly warning against trying to catch the virus on purpose, for those who have been diligently wearing a mask for the past almost two years, the idea of being able to leave the house without a face covering is the faintest of silver linings. Being able to take a deep breath without sucking in a piece of cloth? How freeing! But before you stash your masks away, it’s worth it to hear from infectious disease specialists if it’s truly a good idea—for yourself and others.
Protecting yourself and others before and after having Omicron
If you haven’t had Omicron, Dr. Beth Linas, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI International, says the best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated and to wear a mask. Both, she says, are important. “Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is the most important defense. Wearing a mask adds another layer of protection because masks work,” she says. “They are effective when worn correctly and consistently.” If you do test positive for COVID-19, Dr. Linas says that typically you won’t know which variant you are infected with. Yes, Omicron does account for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases right now, but one percent of cases are the Delta variant. “In the U.S., we do genomic surveillance to understand variant spread. It’s very expensive to sequence every individual COVID-19 test, which is why we do surveillance at the population level,” Dr. Linas says. “The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention uses NowCast, a model that estimates proportions of circulating variants from random samples of positive COVID-19 cases across the U.S.” This, she says, tells us what variant is most prevalent now. Since for most people who test positive for COVID-19 there is no way to know what variant they have, Dr. Linas says it’s best to continue wearing a mask when around others. “Omicron is only one variant of COVID-19. While it doesn’t seem like it, there are still other variants circulating, including Delta and the original virus strain,” she says, adding that wearing a mask helps curb serious illness and transmission. She says that even if you are around other people who have also tested positive for COVID-19, it’s still a good idea to continue wearing a mask. “This is because while we can be pretty sure people with COVID-19 now have Omicron, it is possible they had a different variant and remain at risk for Omicron and therefore spreading it,” she says.
Immunity after infection
Dr. Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, feels slightly differently. “Once someone has had Omicron, in the immediate few months after infection, it’s extremely unlikely that person will be reinfected,” he says. While they are no longer at risk for contracting Omicron, Dr. Adalja says that continuing to wear a mask will help protect against other sicknesses, like influenza. In other words, if you’ve had Omicron, you are not likely to contract it again in the next several months and therefore don’t need a mask to protect you against it, but your mask could protect you from other illnesses. Dr. Adalja says that the length of time someone who has had Omicron is protected against reinfection varies, depending on their individual immune system. “[Once you’ve had Omicron], the immunity is with you for the rest of your life to varying degrees, but what we know from other COVID-19 variants is that reinfection is fairly common after a year or so,” he says, adding that these reinfections are mild. “Immunity from any reinfection is something that probably lasts at least three months, with immunity from severe disease lasting much longer.” Not only are people who have had Omicron unlikely to be reinfected in the next several months, Dr. Adalja says it’s unlikely they will infect others as well. For this reason, he believes people who have had Omicron don’t have to wear a mask to protect themselves or others from the virus, though they may consider continuing to wear one to protect themselves from other illnesses.
Will we ever be able to stop wearing masks for good?
Even though medically someone who has had Omicron is not likely to be reinfected in the following months, Dr. Adalja points out that they may have to continue wearing a mask due to mandates, depending on where they live. “In some cities and states, there is not a mask mandate and in others there are,” he says. As the number of people with Omicron continues to rise, it does mean more people develop the type of immunity Dr. Adalja explains. Does this mean that soon we’ll collectively be able to ditch our masks for good? Dr. Adalja believes mask-wearing will eventually come down to a personal choice. “I do think that mask mandates issued by public health authorities are starting to fade,” he says. “However, I believe some people will continue to wear a mask voluntarily because they are high-risk and want to avoid infection of COVID-19 as well as other respiratory viruses.” Both Dr. Adalja and Dr. Linas say that if you are high-risk for contracting airborne illnesses, wearing a mask will protect your health more than going mask-free. Dr. Linas says that higher filtration masks, like KN95 masks, offer the most protection, but she emphasizes that any mask is effective. “Any mask is better than no mask,” she says. The bottom line is this: If you’ve had Omicron, your chance of being reinfected or infecting others is unlikely for the next several months. However, continuing to wear a mask and take other COVID precautions can protect you from other COVID-19 variants as well as other illnesses. It’s also important to consider your own personal risk level as well as mandates in your city and state. Keep this info in mind and you’ll have your health protection…covered. Next up, will there be an Omicron-specific vaccine? Here’s what experts say.
Sources
Dr. Beth Linas, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI InternationalDr. Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
