As the COVID delta variant spreads, county officials recommend indoor masks

Los Angeles (CNS)-Breaking the current guidelines that currently allow residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to take off their masks in most cases, Los Angeles County health officials on Monday “strongly” advised everyone to wear masks in indoor public places because of the height The spread of infectious virus mutations.

The County Department of Public Health urges everyone—whether vaccinated or not—to wear masks in places such as grocery or retail stores, theaters, home entertainment centers, and workplaces when the vaccination status of other workers is unknown.

The agency said in a statement: “Before we better understand how and to whom the’delta’ variant spreads, everyone should focus on maximum protection and minimize interference with daily work, because all companies There are no other restrictions on the operation of the company, such as physical distance and capacity restrictions.”.

The “Delta” variant of COVID-19 originated in India and is believed to be the cause of rampant infections in the country and outbreaks in the UK and other regions. Federal health authorities estimate that 20% of all new COVID infections in the country are now caused by “delta” mutations, up from 10% a week ago.

This variant is believed to be more contagious than previous mutations of the COVID-19 virus and may aggravate the patient’s condition. Health officials say people who are fully vaccinated can be protected from the variant.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Monday: “While the COVID-19 vaccine provides very effective protection against hospitalizations and deaths due to the Delta variant, However, the strain has proven to be more infectious and is expected to become more popular.” “Masks are still an effective tool to reduce transmission, especially indoors. The virus is easily spread by inhaling aerosols released by infected persons.”

Last week, Ferrer said that a total of 123 cases of the “Delta” variant had been detected in the county, about twice as many as a week ago. But because the county’s sequential tests required to identify mutations are very limited, she said the ever-increasing numbers mean that there may be more such infections in the community.

Health officials pointed out that although fully vaccinated people can resist this mutation well, only partially vaccinated people are still vulnerable to infection. Health officials say that because the “delta” variant is easily spread, people who have not been vaccinated are at high risk.

When California lifted most of the COVID-19 restrictions on June 15, the rules for wearing masks were significantly relaxed. In most cases, fully vaccinated residents can stop wearing masks, except for large-scale indoor events where 5,000 or more people participate, and businesses that continue to need to wear masks.

The guidelines announced by the County Public Health Bureau on Monday to urge everyone to resume wearing masks in indoor public places are only recommendations, not formal health orders. But health officials said the agency “strongly recommends” that people wear masks indoors. The recommendation reflects the recommendations made by the World Health Organization over the weekend.

The county reported 3 new COVID-19 deaths on Monday, bringing the death toll to 24,480. Another 238 cases were confirmed, bringing the cumulative total to 1,249,560.

According to state data, as of Monday, 229 people in the county were hospitalized due to COVID-19, down from 238 on Sunday. There are 55 people in the intensive care unit, up from 52 people on Sunday.

As of June 20, the county had received more than 10.2 million doses of the vaccine, 67% of residents 16 years and older had at least one dose, and 58% had been fully vaccinated.

The county will continue to encourage people to get vaccinated. Continuing until Thursday, people aged 18 and over who are vaccinated at locations operated by the county, Los Angeles City or St. John’sville Children’s and Family Center will have a chance to win one of Six Flags’ two season pass packages, Los Angeles Zoo, The Museum of History and La Brea Tar Pit, as well as a ticket package for the California Science Center.

Anyone who goes to one of the participating locations to get the first dose of the vaccine, or anyone who gets the second dose of the vaccine and carries the first dose of the patient can participate in the competition.

Ferrer emphasized the level of protection provided by the COVID vaccine, and published statistics showed that between December 7 and June 7, 99.6% of new COVID infections in the county involved people who were not vaccinated. Among those hospitalized with the virus during this period, 98.7% were not vaccinated. Among those who died, 99.8% were not vaccinated.

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