Michiganders who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t have to wear a face mask anymore when around other people, according to both health experts and state guidelines.
That doesn’t mean they’re all ready to ditch the extra protection just yet. But why?
While the available vaccines have proven to be effective in preventing most cases of COVID-19, masks can continue to provide not only additional protection, but an added sense of security against coronavirus and other viruses. That goes for the wearer and their families, including youth who are not yet able to get a shot.
Some who are fully vaccinated will choose to keep wearing a mask to ease the minds of high-risk people around them, or to avoid being perceived as irresponsible or anti-mask. And beyond the conscious reasoning, behavioral health and psychology experts say some people will continue to mask-up, and take other precautions, “for some time” out of a lack of reason to give it up.
“The question becomes ‘Why not?’” said Brian Zikmund-Fisher, a professor of health behavior and education at the University of Michigan. “When people have an answer to why not, they’re stopping (wearing a mask). When they don’t, because we know there is some benefit to continuing to do so, it falls back to why not?”
In Michigan, nearly 47% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t are required to wear a face covering in indoor settings until July 1, when the remaining mask mandate is lifted. At that time, it will still be recommended that those who aren’t fully-vaccinated wear a mask to limit their risk.
The state pivoted its mask mandate May 15 after the CDC updated its guidance regarding the growing fully vaccinated population. Individual businesses can choose whether to require all visitors/staff to wear masks.
Sean Kenny, a Grand Rapids-based psychologist, said he’d place fully-vaccinated individuals who still wear their mask in three categories, though there’s likely some overlap. They include:
- The “why not” crowd. They see it as “I’m not hurting anyone” by wearing a face covering, “I’m already used to it” and I could be providing additional protection to myself against coronavirus or other viruses.
- The empathy group. They believe others who see them in a face mask will be more at ease, whether they are vaccinated or not. Some people will choose to wear a mask at the grocery store to put employees at ease while on the clock.
- The anxious crowd. Kenny proposed that this was the largest grouping, made up of people who are still experiencing trauma from the pandemic and feel more at ease in public settings if they’re wearing a face covering.
For a majority of people alive today, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the longest-lasting traumatic event of their lives, leaving them with post-traumatic stress. Kenny noted that the duration of a traumatic event is critical because the feeling of there being no end in sight can amplify anxiety.
At any given time, Kenny said about one in eight people are suffering from an anxiety disorder, and the pandemic likely pushed some who were already close to the edge, over it. He estimated that 5-10% of people had their system shocked so much that they likely flipped into a panic disorder or a generalized anxiety disorder, which could take 4-5 years to event out, he said.
For the average person, Kenny said they should feel substantially better from the pandemic-induced anxiety in about six to 12 months. However, it could be longer for those who are more susceptible to anxiety disorders, or who are going through other traumatic events simultaneously.
“As a psychologist, as I think of society as a single entity, I’d say to this patient: You’ve been through a lot,” Kenny said. “It’s going to get better but it’s going to take longer than you think. Everyone wants it to be fast but, like grief when you lose someone you care about, it’ll take awhile. We shouldn’t put pressure on ourselves to get better quicker than we’re able.
“I think about half of us will be humming along and forgetting about it by this time next year, but for some folks, it’s going to be two, three, even four years. And that’s OK.”
Kenny and Zikmund-Fisher have both been vaccinated. Kenny said he keeps his mask with him, choosing to wear it based on the size of crowds and level of ventilation at places he travels.
Zikmund-Fisher doesn’t wear his mask outdoors, but if he’s in the grocery store he wears it to keep up the social norm for folks who aren’t vaccinated.
“We really care that the people who are not vaccinated continue to wear their mask and it’s easier when more people are wearing them,” he said. “Could I take it off there? Sure, but I think it’s important that if I’m still wearing it, others who need to will hopefully do so too.”
Where you live and what the social norm is regarding mask wearing there could also play a role in the extended use beyond what is necessary. In Washtenaw County, mask-usage is high and thus it might be more comfortable to wear yours, while in other parts of the state, those choosing to wear face masks have been in the minority for a while.
“If I trust those around me to be doing what they need to, then I feel one way about someone wearing a mask or not,” Zikmund-Fisher said. “If I don’t trust them, my behavior may be different.
“For example, if I was going some place where I didn’t trust that the non-masked people were in fact vaccinated, that would make me more likely to wear a mask because I would look at that saying I’m less confident this is a safe space, even though I’m vaccinated.”
Part of the subconscious issue, Zikmund-Fisher explained, is you can’t feel the protection the vaccine gives you. It’s the opposite problem from the beginning of the pandemic, when it was difficult to get people to worry about a virus they couldn’t see and didn’t know of anyone who had been affected by it.
“Our sense of safety comes not just through what our rational brain says but through experience, and the experience of the last year has been fearful and risky,” he said. “That doesn’t just turn off (with the snap of a finger) and it’s not going to turn off instantaneously.”
He explained further that it’ll take individuals stepping out of their comfort zone, acknowledging that nothing bad happened, and then stepping out a little further until returning to a greater sense of normalcy.
“For some people, it’s going to take longer than others and that’s not right or wrong,” Zikmund-Fisher said. “It just is. From a public health standpoint, that’s a good thing because we’re not risk-free yet so we don’t want everyone to go do whatever they want just yet.”
As of early June, new daily cases, deaths and hospitalizations are on the decline within the state and across the country. Michigan is averaging 383 cases and 26 deaths per day over the last week, down from 3,203 cases and 67 deaths per day a month ago.
Cases and hospitalizations have been trending downward since mid-April, indicating the trajectory is likely to continue. However, the state has experienced three big waves since last spring, and there’s always a chance of another wave, especially if new variants lessen the effectiveness of the available vaccines.
All-in-all, Kenny said there’s no need to argue over getting rid of masks. Instead, he said it should be treated as more of a kindness if someone chooses to wear a mask near you.
Zikmund-Fisher agreed.
“There’s no reason, public health or socially, to push people to stop wearing masks,” he said. “I suspect each of us have our own motivations for changing our behavior, going back to certain things, but I’d strongly encourage respect for difference choices.”
To be fully vaccinated means to have waited two weeks after your first dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. No vaccine is 100% effective, but the three shots available in the U.S. have proven to be largely effective against symptomatic and serious cases of COVID-19.
Vaccine appointments, including walk-ins, are available throughout the state for individuals 12 years and older. For more information, visit the state’s COVID-19 vaccine website.
Read more on MLive:
Whitmer calls for stimulus money to be spent on $15 hourly wages, unemployment transition
All Michigan public universities participating in White House’s COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge
Michigan coronavirus data for Friday, June 4: 66 counties at or below 5% positivity rate
Why Leelanau County ranks No. 1 in Michigan vaccination rates
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