#16,066
Exactly 30 days after ending their indoor face mask mandate, along with many other social distancing requirements (see June 15th COVID-19 Transmission Remains Low as Los Angeles County Reopens, last night the LA County Health Department reversed course as the number of new COVID cases has risen sharply.
This change comes a little more than two weeks after the LA County Health Department `Strongly Recommended' Indoor Mask Wearing Due to The Delta Variant.
Not enough people apparently heeded that `advice', despite warnings from the ECDC (see Threat Assessment On Spread of COVID Variant B.1.617.2 (Delta) VOC), and the WHO ( see WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear face masks) that - with the Delta variant spreading - this was not the right time to abandon pandemic precautions.
This reversal of pandemic fortune isn't just in California, of course. We are seeing it across the nation, and around the world. On Wednesday, in WHO COVID Epidemiological Update #48 - Global Cases & Deaths Rising Again, we saw that 5 of the 6 WHO global regions are reporting upticks in COVID cases over the past week.
First the text of the the LA County Health Department's announcement, then I'll return with a postscript.
July 15, 2021
L.A. County Community Transmission of COVID-19 Increases from Moderate to Substantial; Reinstating Masking Indoors for Everyone - 1,537 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and 3 Deaths
Community transmission of COVID-19 has rapidly increased from Moderate to Substantial, based on the trend in daily new cases of COVID-19. The Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will be modified to require masking for everyone while indoors, regardless of vaccination status, as Los Angeles County sees more than a seven-times increase in new cases since the June 15 reopening. Wearing a mask when indoors reduces the risk of both getting and transmitting the virus. This additional layer of protection can help to slow the spread and does not limit business occupancy and operations.
The L.A. County indoor masking requirements for everyone will be effective Saturday, July 17 at 11:59 p.m. Some exceptions will apply, similar to masking requirements that were in place prior to the June 15 reopening. The modified Health Officer Order will be posted online by Friday, July 16 and will become effective at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, July 17.
On June 15, the day of the full reopening, the County saw 210 new cases and today the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since mid-March with 1,537 new cases. Today’s test positivity rate is 3.7%; on June 15, the test positivity rate was around 0.5%
Because of this rapid rise, as well as the increasing presence of the more easily transmitted Delta variant of the virus, and the millions of people potentially at risk of infection, together we must reduce our risk of infection and our risk for potentially infecting others.
Tracking the proliferation of the Delta variant is a priority because the Delta variant is more easily spread between people – more than other variants of concern. And while emerging data affirms that fully vaccinated people are well protected from severe infections with Delta variants, people with only one vaccine are not as well-protected, and there is evidence that a very small number of fully vaccinated individuals can become infected and may be able to infect others. From June 27 to July 3, the number of sequenced Delta variants was 124, 71% of all sequences collected that week. Given that slightly under 4 million residents in L.A. County are not yet vaccinated, the risk of increased spread of this variant within the County remains high.
To date, Public Health identified 1,262,578 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,566 deaths. Of the three new deaths reported today, one person that passed away was over the age of 80, and two people who passed were between the ages of 50 and 64. Testing results are available for more than 7,142,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. There are 406 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU.
"We share our deepest condolences with those of you who have lost friends, loved ones, and family during this difficult time,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “We expect to keep masking requirements in place until we begin to see improvements in our community transmission of COVID-19. But waiting for us to be at high community transmission level before making a change would be too late. Masking indoors must again become a normal practice by all, regardless of vaccination status, so that we can stop the trends and level of transmission we are currently seeing. We continue to urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves and their family and friends. Becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19 remains the best protective action that people can take if they are eligible for it. Although not at 100%, it significantly reduces the risk of infection and, for the small number of people that get infected, it reduces the risk of hospitalization and death once you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”
As of July 11, more than 10,712,037 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,946,447 were first doses and 4,763,590 were second doses. Among L.A. County residents 16 and over, 69% have received one dose of vaccine and 61% have been fully vaccinated. Among L.A. County seniors 65 and over, 88% have received one dose of vaccine and 78% have been fully vaccinated.
While requiring masks in schools is an excellent way to prevent transmission among children, now is a great time to plan on vaccinating your children who are 12 and older against COVID-19 before the school year starts. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use in children aged 12 and older. If your child begins their two-dose series for the Pfizer vaccine today, they would be able to get their second dose of the vaccine on August 5 and would be fully vaccinated as of August 19. As a reminder the first and second doses of this vaccine need to be given three weeks apart, and a person is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after the second vaccine.
Beginning tomorrow, Friday, July 17 through next Thursday, July 22 at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of seven packages of tickets to family fun at the Staples Center, including performances by the Harlem Globetrotters, Disney on Ice, and the Gold Over America tour starring Simone Biles. The Celine Dion, Grupo Firma, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, and Dan and Shay at Staples Center tickets, and box seats to four classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl sweepstakes is in effect through today.
Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. To find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment, connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
COVID-19 Sector Protocols, Best Practices, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
Laboratory Confirmed Total Cases 1262578*
- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas) 1196893
- Long Beach 54201
- Pasadena 11484
Deaths 24566
- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas) 23268
- Long Beach 947
- Pasadena 351
(Continue . . . )
As weary as we all are of this COVID pandemic, it requires a certain amount of hubris to believe that we can simply declare victory, and go back to how things `used to be'. While I certainly don't enjoy wearing a mask - and I've been fully vaccinated since April - I've never stopped wearing one in public.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been in stores where most people are going maskless, including some who are visibly sick; coughing and sneezing. `Allergies', they will say apologetically. Or `It's just a summer cold'.
And perhaps it is.
But some small percentage of these people are probably COVID positive. And while I'm quite happy to have the protection from the vaccine, I recognize there are limits to its ability to prevent infection, particularly against the Delta variant.
Over the next few months - regardless of local mandates - the public will have to make personal decisions on how to best protect themselves and their loved ones against COVID infection.
Because edicts or not, the virus shows no signs of fading away anytime soon.
