Letter to the editor: Denying science on masks

In no small part due to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the U.S., the spread of covid-19 has been significantly decreased across Pennsylvania. Nationally as of May 10, more than 115 million Americans are fully vaccinated, yet there are less than 1,000 cases of hospitalizations and less than 200 fatalities due to covid-19 among us. While this number may not reflect the total number who get covid despite vaccination, these vaccines have an efficacy of more than 95%, making them more effective than practically any vaccine used in clinics today. Why is it, then, that after your entire work staff has been voluntarily vaccinated, you are still being mandated to wear masks at work by the state?

In my opinion, the office of the governor is plainly denying the scientific data to appeal to a group of fearful individuals to avoid the serious issues of rising inflation, stagnant job growth and high unemployment in Pennsylvania. The longer the public remains in fear post-vaccination, the less capable the people of Pennsylvania will be in recovery.

Pennsylvania has been without leadership for too long; it’s beyond time the state removes its “mask mandate.”

Joe Galley

Upper St. Clair

The writer is a doctoral candidate in the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.