Wake Forest Baptist Health Expert, Dr. Christopher Ohl, spoke Thursday on masks, vaccines and the Delta Variant.
Dr. Ohl says he applauds the decision to wear masks this upcoming school year. "When case numbers are going up and schools are starting to open, I think it's a good idea."
This week Guilford County Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools approved mask mandates for students and staff.
Health officials are still determining how many transmissions are occurring from vaccinated people.
"It looks like people who have symptomatic breakthrough infections, those small numbers who do, can transmit it to an unvaccinated person.
Recent data shows In North Carolina, 47 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated. Dr. Ohl says the question is can an asymptomatic person with a positive test transmit the virus to the unvaccinated?
"Obviously asymptomatic people don't have a big 'A' on their forehead so you don't know. And so, while this is all being sorted out the recommendations for masks to come back came through," said Dr. Ohl.
He says for vaccinated people, the more unvaccinated people who have COVID-19 you are around, the more likely you will get infected.
"If you're surrounded all by vaccinated people your odds of getting COVID are pretty darn low. This is particularly important because I told you, where is all this transmission occurring now, is in the household," said Dr. Ohl.
For folks who are hesitant to get the vaccine, he is encouraging you to talk to someone you trust who can help provide you with more clarity. But for those who are just completely against it, "you're going to get immune to COVID, just about everyone will and you're going to get it through a vaccine, or you're going to get it the hard way and the hard way is getting the disease," said Dr. Ohl.