Here's what experts say about endemic phase. What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily? California lifted its statewide mask mandate on June 15 for people who were vaccinated, a date Gov. One training complex in Arizona features two Bryce Millers as Padres, Mariners dive into preseason slate, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |, Merrilee Kazarian wears a face mask while waiting for the ferry in downtown San Diego on July 7, 2022. 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. COVID-19 deaths have been in the headlines again, as Californias death toll surpassed 100,000 last week. Copyright 2023 KFSN-TV. I wasn't a BeyHive member. A county in Californias Bay Area is reviving its mask mandate for most indoor public settings to limit the impact of a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. 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. Were saying there is need to worry, Ferrer said. Critics say some measures, such as school and business closures, did more harm than good. He is an East Bay native who has a Master's degree in journalism from Stanford University. All Rights Reserved. A lot of people continue to refuse to get the vaccine for various reasons. Ferrer acknowledged that, for many, reinstituting an indoor mask order will feel like a step backward and that for others it will feel unnecessary because of the availability of powerful vaccines and therapeutics., The reality is that because were living with a mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus, there remains uncertainty around the trajectory of this pandemic, she said. This additional layer of protection can help to slow the spread and does not limit business occupancy and operations. Mandatory indoor mask mandate goes into effect on Wed. Dec. 15. To learn more about Los Angeles County Public Health, please visit www.publichealth .lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lapublichealth, facebook.com/lapublichealth, instagram.com/lapublichealth and youtube.com/lapublichealth. Theres mostly universal agreement that the vaccines helped keep people from becoming ill from COVID-19, or lessened the symptoms when they did. Column: Is the renewed Dream Act more than a tease this time? list of masks recommended by the California government. 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. We are not asking people not to gather with the people they love. Should L.A. County remain in the high COVID-19 community level, which is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the next two Thursdays, a new masking order would be issued with an effective date of July 29. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Starting mid-March, masks will no longer be required, but will be 'strongly recommended' in California schools, according to updated guidance issued by Gov. But its a serious piece of scientific work and needs to be taken as such, ideally free of the familiar political context. Solano had the worst case and hospitalization surge in the region, but that may have more to do with the county's low vaccination rate (66%) when compared with its Bay Area neighbors (the next least vaccinated county is at 77%). Click here to open it in a new window. Nevertheless, the vaccines helped reduce the spread of COVID-19, which relieved pressure on the health care system, which at times was nearly overwhelmed during the pandemic. COVID-19 Face masks can help slow the spread of coronavirus and single layer cloth masks are the least effective, unless they are layered, preferably with three or more. 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. Webthe Superior Court of Alameda County lifts its mask mandate, no longer requiring masks in Court-controlled portions of courthouses. RECOMMENDED: Los Angeles County outdoor mask mandate to be lifted at midnight, including at schools. We continue to urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves and their family and friends. On Tuesday, San Diego County and the state of California officially rescinded their COVID-19 emergency declarations, long after many of the safety restrictions had been dropped. RELATED: Valley parents await state announcement on masks in schools. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, state will reassess the current mask requirement for schools, lifted the universal mask requirements for most indoor public settings, Mask mandate to remain in place for CA schools as guidelines lift for other indoor activities, Mask mandates to be lifted in almost all of Bay Area, Could the pandemic end soon? Washington 2905 ( 12031 ), Los Angeles - North Hollywood 21324 ( 14083 ), Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades 881 ( 4138 ), Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands 155 ( 4030 ), Los Angeles - Panorama City 13703 ( 18210 ), Los Angeles - Reynier Village 276 ( 6528 ), Los Angeles - St Elmo Village 709 ( 15467 ), Los Angeles - Sycamore Square 33 ( 5100 ), Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry 5156 ( 13059 ), Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace 149 ( 11409 ), Los Angeles - University Hills 276 ( 8049 ), Los Angeles - University Park 3626 ( 13207 ), Los Angeles - Valley Village 2140 ( 8657 ), Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls 2900 ( 16860 ), Los Angeles - Vermont Square 1497 ( 19551 ), Los Angeles - Vermont Vista 7664 ( 18608 ), Los Angeles - Vernon Central 11198 ( 21535 ), Los Angeles - Victoria Park 1073 ( 12775 ), Los Angeles - Wellington Square 596 ( 12126 ), Los Angeles - West Los Angeles 2532 ( 6728 ), Los Angeles - West Vernon 10297 ( 19195 ), Los Angeles - Wholesale District* 6500 ( 17991 ), Los Angeles - Wilshire Center 5707 ( 11375 ), Los Angeles - Woodland Hills 5292 ( 7776 ), Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest 33 ( 2651 ), Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont 6519 ( 15360 ), Unincorporated - Athens Village 1090 ( 22259 ), Unincorporated - Avocado Heights 1099 ( 16221 ), Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon 49 ( 4567 ), Unincorporated - Canyon Country 872 ( 11284 ), Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak) 1557 ( 11846 ), Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands 369 ( 14801 ), Unincorporated - East Covina 35 ( 10638 ), Unincorporated - East La Mirada 512 ( 9675 ), Unincorporated - East Lancaster 17 ( 14912 ), Unincorporated - East Los Angeles 25143 ( 20071 ), Unincorporated - East Pasadena 223 ( 3483 ), Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez 2810 ( 18356 ), Unincorporated - East Whittier 482 ( 9084 ), Unincorporated - El Camino Village 850 ( 9669 ), Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake 82 ( 4937 ), Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone 13752 ( 21253 ), Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon 1 ( 8333 ), Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights 5291 ( 9461 ), Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons 273 ( 19334 ), Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose 1139 ( 5752 ), Unincorporated - La Habra Heights 16 ( 2367 ), Unincorporated - Ladera Heights 414 ( 5855 ), Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles 1621 ( 12475 ), Unincorporated - Leona Valley 114 ( 6511 ), Unincorporated - Littlerock 539 ( 13405 ), Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills 126 ( 9715 ), Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom 540 ( 15130 ), Unincorporated - Marina del Rey 427 ( 4537 ), Unincorporated - North Lancaster 165 ( 13773 ), Unincorporated - North Whittier 1130 ( 13517 ), Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel 1652 ( 6873 ), Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula 23 ( 3704 ), Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano 129 ( 6595 ), Unincorporated - Pellissier Village 170 ( 27464 ), Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon 4 ( 870 ), Unincorporated - Quartz Hill 1241 ( 9616 ), Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez 400 ( 15032 ), Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena 158 ( 13244 ), Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez 510 ( 15174 ), Unincorporated - Rowland Heights 3686 ( 7224 ), Unincorporated - San Clemente Island 0 ( 0 ), Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon 15 ( 1748 ), Unincorporated - San Jose Hills 3527 ( 17442 ), Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island 164 ( 61423 ), Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains* 734 ( 3942 ), Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country 44 ( 12360 ), Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley 28 ( 6154 ), Unincorporated - South El Monte 348 ( 19387 ), Unincorporated - South San Gabriel 947 ( 10703 ), Unincorporated - South Whittier 8481 ( 14321 ), Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley 79 ( 10115 ), Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch 1198 ( 5714 ), Unincorporated - Sun Village 964 ( 15971 ), Unincorporated - Sunrise Village 197 ( 15201 ), Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain 99 ( 5971 ), Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills 728 ( 6257 ), Unincorporated - Walnut Park 3095 ( 19172 ), Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley 58 ( 3839 ), Unincorporated - West Carson 2304 ( 10432 ), Unincorporated - West Chatsworth 2 ( 16667 ), Unincorporated - West Puente Valley 1726 ( 17550 ), Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez 202 ( 14864 ), Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos 4267 ( 15848 ), Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills 46 ( 3538 ), Unincorporated - White Fence Farms 284 ( 7711 ), Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows 22 ( 183333 ), Unincorporated - Willowbrook 6225 ( 17830 ), Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From June 27 to July 3, the number of sequenced Delta variants was 124, 71% of all sequences collected that week. Not only were the hospitalization figures identical, but Orange County actually had a lower case rate. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. (County data shows a higher rate of 58%). Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from? You can email her at agraff@sfgate.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With the high rates of transmission fueling the increased risks, sensible safety precautions that can slow down the spread of the virus are warranted, and that includes universal indoor masking, she said Thursday. The new rule applies to schools and child care facilities. The latest rate was 10.5 new weekly hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents, according to the county Department of Public Health. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. A renewed mandate would apply indoors for those 2 and older at a familiar host of establishments and venues including shared office space, manufacturing and retail settings, event spaces, restaurants and bars, gyms and yoga studios, educational settings and childrens programs. (Last weeks combined rate for L.A. and Orange counties, which was published by the CDC, was 9.7.). This comes as California Governor Gavin Newsom's office announced earlier in February that the state's indoor mask mandate will expire after Tuesday, February 15. The state of California's indoor mask mandate, which was issued on Dec. More on California. Laboratory Confirmed Total Cases 1262578*, Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas), Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas), Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas), Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas). California will end its statewide indoor mask mandate on Feb. 15. Having trouble loading the tracker above? Los Angeles County health officials are expected to reach a decision Thursday on whether to reinstate an indoor mask mandate. According to federal estimates, BA.5 accounted for 65% of the nations coronavirus cases over the weeklong period ending Saturday, an astonishing climb from a month ago, when it made up 17% of cases. Disputes about whether coronavirus vaccines work have been settled, but questions about their side effects or whether they should be required have not. That study compared Massachusetts school districts after the state allowed them to lift mask requirements with two districts in the Boston area that chose not to. Most Bay Area counties will follow the state's lead and lift their indoor mask mandate in public settings on Feb. 16. I wasn't a BeyHive member. Masks will still be required in high transmission areas like buses, hospitals, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities. | (213)240-8144 | media@ph.lacounty.gov. The Bay Area native is a graduate of UC Berkeley and started at the Los Angeles Times in 2004. Included are each county's vaccination rate, the peak number of cases per 100,000 residents, the current case rate, the peak number of hospitalizations per 100,000 residents and the current hospitalization numbers. San Luis Obispo, CA County of San Luis Obispo Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein announced today that the local Health Officer Order requiring masking in all indoor public places will be lifted next Wednesday, Feb. 16 in alignment with state masking policy. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenzalike illness (ILI)/COVID19 like illness compared to not wearing masks, according to the study, which also reviewed the effectiveness of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of the virus. Universal masking of all staff and residents, regardless of vaccination status and Community Level, is required in all clinical areas (or when any healthcare is being A second, published in March by the CDC, said school districts in Arkansas with universal mask requirements from August to October 2021 had a 23% lower coronavirus case incidence than districts without a mask order. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and got her start in news at the Daily Californian newspaper at UC Berkeley where she majored in English literature. The CDC has said cloth masks are not that effective against omicron, but Dr. Cody said residents in her county still need this protection. He earned his bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Arizona. People wear face masks walking down Chestnut Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Jan. 4, 2022. Avalanche in Tahoe-area forces evacuations of apartment building, Palisades Tahoe reaches 500 inches of snow this season, 2 teen girls arrested in SF scooter attack, police say. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Court will be transitioning to Zoom for all remote appearances. Children are still required to keep their masks on at school, For details, see the LA County COVID-19 Response Plan. The new rule applies to schools and child care facilities and will begin on Saturday, March 12. VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine. We've received your submission. The state requires employers to provide unvaccinated employees with NIOSH-certified respirator masks for voluntary use when working indoors, or in a vehicle with others. Here is a list of masks recommended by the California government. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication in Orange County, and before that wrote for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. The state extended the mask mandate in January 2022 before announcing earlier in the month that it will expire after 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday. L.A. County health officials plan to lift the mask order once the county dips back into the medium COVID-19 community level for two consecutive weeks. While several counties have imposed their own mask mandates after Californias grand reopening on June 15, about half of the states population has lived in Some California counties including eight in the Bay Area and some in Los Angeles and Sacramento implemented new indoor mask mandates in response. However, on a local level, the mandate will stay put in Los Angeles County, according to the county's health officials. Eric Ting is SFGATE's politics editor. 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