The people who most need protection against the virus are those least likely to seek it

This week, with the delta variant spreading more rapidly than authorities expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reverted to a recommendation of mask-wearing in some circumstances even for those who have been vaccinated. It’s a tough row to hoe, as they say, given the freedom that the vaccinated have come to enjoy over the past few months. But it’s also a recommendation that will probably not do much to influence those who remain most at risk from the virus: those who aren’t vaccinated.