In the country's fourth-most vaccinated state, viewpoints vary on the necessity of a return to mask-wearing amid the rapid spread of the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Many people, liberated from masks since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May said the vaccinated no longer needed to cover up in public, are not thrilled with the CDC's recent about-face on the issue. But some are more willing than others to accept it.

All eight counties in the state have been designated areas of "substantial" transmission of the coronavirus. The state Department of Public Health has recommended that all residents over the age of 2 years — vaccinated or unvaccinated — return to wearing masks in indoor public spaces.

Related story: How shops and restaurants in southeastern Connecticut are handling the latest CDC mask guidance

Gov. Ned Lamont has stopped short of reinstating a mask-wearing mandate, but he did authorize an executive order on Thursday allowing municipal leaders to require masks within local borders.

Jennifer O'Neill, a grandmother from Mystic, said she feels the state isn't going far enough to protect its youngest residents. "It's because of the children," she said. "That population that hasn't had the vaccine is really what concerns me."

She said failing to require masks in indoor spaces is a "cop out" on Lamont's part based on pushback from people who are uninformed about the risks. "People are not looking at the science," she said.

Hartford HealthCare in a release reiterated state and federal guidance that "strongly recommends" wearing a mask in public spaces like stores and offices. The health care provider noted that a fully vaccinated person who becomes infected with the virus can spread it to the unvaccinated, which includes all children under 12.

O'Neill said there is also not enough known about the chances of coming down with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. "I could be asymptomatic and able to spread the virus to my grandson," she said.

She said she has several friends who recently have had mild cases of COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

The DPH said cases in which a vaccinated person becomes infected — often referred to as "vaccine breakthrough" —  remain rare. Data released Thursday shows there have been 1,171 reported coronavirus cases among vaccinated people in the state. Of those, 162 were hospitalized and 27 have died. Those deaths represent 3% of all COVID-19 deaths since Feb. 9, according to the agency.

John Hughes of Waterford sees those relatively low numbers as a justification for not wearing a mask. "I'm confident in the science," he said. "If I've been inoculated, I don't feel that I will get the COVID virus, and I have to trust something."

He described himself as adamantly opposed to masking up at this point, though he adhered to all required restrictions when they were in place earlier in the pandemic. He said he came down with COVID-19 in March 2020, along with seven other family members. They followed all quarantine protocols and were vaccinated as soon as they became eligible.

"We all wore masks and feel we did what we could to stem the tide of the disease," he said.

Bob Nowicki of Norwich goes unmasked inside and out. "I think there's no longer a pandemic. Those conditions no longer apply," he said. "So we should go back to normal and live with it."

Nowicki said he doesn't personally know anyone who has become extremely ill or died from COVID-19, and is aware of "a very low number of people" in his extended family who have contracted the coronavirus.

He said now that he's vaccinated, he feels protected enough without a mask. And he doesn't buy the argument that he should wear one to prevent the spread of the virus among those who haven't gotten the shot. "If you don't feel you need it, I'm not going to tell you to get vaccinated," he said. "But don't expect me to wear a mask to help you."

Both Hughes and Nowicki said the resurgence has been overblown by the media, pointing to the relatively low number of breakthrough cases and the proportionally low risk of dying.

"Maybe the journalists are jumping on this bandwagon and it's scaring the hell out of people," Hughes said.

'A humanitarian story not a political story'

On the other side of the debate, Priscilla Janssen of Niantic said more real-life stories about those affected by COVID-19 need to be shared to persuade the unvaccinated to get shots before the masks can come off for good.

"Those against vaccinations can largely be divided into two groups, those that believe that COVID is real but are afraid of the vaccine and those who don't believe COVID is all that bad and consequently think getting vaccinated is an overreach," she said. "Both groups need to be educated or we will be headed to another shutdown."

She said she thought Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, was wrong in February and March of 2020 when he initially advised the public against wearing masks to spare them for health care workers. When the CDC three months ago said the fully vaccinated didn't need to wear masks anymore, she thought the agency was wrong, too.

"Lifting the mask mandate in May slowed the number of individuals seeking vaccinations," she said.

She recommended that health care providers and the state government gear education efforts toward the unvaccinated through outlets like the news media, television, billboards and signs.

"Everyone needs to stop drawing political lines amongst the vaccinated and unvaccinated," she said. "Politicizing the issue is just causing more resistance to vaccine. This a humanitarian story not a political story."

Nakia Hamlett, assistant professor of psychology at Connecticut College, said the pandemic has been marked by uncertainty and change.

"As humans we like certainty, we like to be able to categorize, we like to be able to predict what's going to happen," she said. "And with COVID, as we've seen, that's not always the case. So that level of confusion or unpredictability can foster anxiety."

Some people might find wearing a mask gives them a sense of security or safety, she said. Others might feel a loss of control because they're being told they have to do something they don't want to do.

"You've got to do what you're comfortable with," she said, "but sometimes we have to weigh that against ideas about what's best for the greater good."

e.regan@theday.com