I am willing to concede that I may have been wrong about the importance of mask mandates, not from a viral transmission perspective, but from a social cohesion perspective.
According to the CDC report, by March, and possibly sooner, this new variant will surpass the original virus as the leading cause of Covid-19 in the U.S.
The concept of breakthrough is when a fully vaccinated person later gets an infection. It is important to remember that not everyone responds to vaccines equally.