People Who Get COVID-19 Vaccines Can Go Back to Life as Normal: Rep. Issa

People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 shouldn’t be told to continue wearing masks and social distance, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Friday.

“For 100 years almost, since we’ve been developing immunity capability, people have always known if you survive smallpox, you don’t get it again. You get chickenpox, you don’t get it again. You get a vaccine; you stop worrying about polio, etc. For the first time ever, here is a series of vaccines, safe and effective, 95 plus percent effective, and what’s happening? They’re telling us to leave our masks on, to continue social distancing. That’s absurd,” Issa told The Epoch Times “American Thought Leaders” at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida.

“The reality is that the benefit of taking this safe and effective vaccine is so you can get about your life, go back to doing things as usual. And as a result, we should be celebrating, mask-free,” he added.

Over 47 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to federal data last updated on Friday, with 22.6 million getting two shots.

A pharmacist prepares a syringe with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination site at NYC Health + Hospitals Metropolitan, New York, on Feb. 18, 2021. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, meanwhile, are dropping sharply.

But federal officials are urging people to change little about their life if they get vaccinated.

“There are things, even if you’re vaccinated, that you’re not going to be able to do in society: for example, indoor dining, theaters, places where people congregate,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of President Joe Biden’s top medical advisers, told reporters in a virtual briefing this week.

Officials say it’s still unclear if the vaccines prevent transmission of the virus. “And for that reason, we want to make sure that people continue to wear masks despite the fact that they’re vaccinated,” Fauci said.

Issa took issue with the recommendations, which some experts say are dampening enthusiasm for getting vaccinated.

Fauci “is telling us to put a second [mask] on,” he told The Epoch Times. “The president of the United States was immunized back in December, and yet he’s still pretending that the mask serves a purpose. It doesn’t.”

When the host noted Biden is perhaps wanting to model recommended behavior to Americans, Issa said that, in that case, Biden should never remove his mask.

Issa has received two vaccine doses and therefore chooses not to wear a mask. “The reason I’m not wearing a mask right now is I’ve had my two shots; I am immune,” he said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials did say this week that people who have been vaccinated can take fewer precautions, such as not quarantining after being exposed to a COVID-19 case.

“So we are starting to emerge with some guidance in this area, and more will be forthcoming,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a recent briefing.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.