This week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released its first set of guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.[1] People who are fully vaccinated can safely visit other vaccinated people inside without wearing a mask or social distancing. Vaccinated people can also see unvaccinated people without masks or social distancing as long as the unvaccinated person is at low risk for severe disease.
For hundreds of millions of Americans, this is extremely welcome news. Not having to wear a mask in lower-risk scenarios is great news for individual freedom and for everyone's mental health.
However, even after many people are vaccinated, it doesn't mean that our experience with masks is over. The nature of COVID-19 virus mutation and evolution -- and its endemic and airborne nature in modern society[2] -- tells us that SARS-CoV-2 will be with us for a very long time, if not forever. After all, H1N1 is still with us today, 100 years following its appearance in the 1918 pandemic. The novel coronavirus is now much more contagious, with new emerging strains like B.1.1.7[3] replacing the original as the predominant strain in some locales. It's also possible that a few mutational generations will result in vaccine escapism[4] for the virus, re-introducing the need for mask mandates until another generation of vaccines can be formulated and administered.
For that reason, protective mask technology requires continued innovation. The best protection possible is also critical for those of us more vulnerable due to immune disorders and other comorbidities, as well as for front-line healthcare workers.
Enter UVMask
In late June of 2020, a fledgling Brighton, Colorado startup, UM Systems[5], initiated