"I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNN, confirming the authenticity of the internal document. "It's one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chickenpox, this – they're all up there."
In light of the newer findings, the CDC is again recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where COVID-19 transmission is sustained or high.
Pennsylvania and much of the Northeast are not among the states that have seen the largest surges in COVID-19 in recent weeks, but transmission rates are clearly on the rise despite relatively higher levels of vaccination in these states.