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Weekly Message from the Executive Director
By the Numbers
This week we reported five positive COVID-19 cases for our consumers and two for direct support professionals. While we didn't have any hospitalizations to report this week, we reported one breakthrough case and two more deaths of unvaccinated consumers. One of the two deaths was a long-haul case that lasted almost an entire year. This week the country stopped to pay their respects and commemorate the over 800,000 Americans who lost their lives to COVID-19 and though the daily death rate is around 1300 it is half the number as last year and the vaccination and booster rates continue to increase throughout our community and our country.
New Rule on Masks
On Wednesday we received a "Guidance For the Use of Masks" from Tomás J. Aragón, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director & State Public Health Officer, California Department of Public Health. The guidance said the state is now requiring everyone to wear masks, in all indoor public settings through January 15, 2022. Dr. Aragon recommends that the unvaccinated wear surgical or higher-level masks and says "no person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a business." The spread of COVID-19 is rapid all over our country and the world. Some parts of the state have low vaccine rates and high infection rates and our California hospitals are reportedly at or over capacity. This rule is meant to "bring additional protection to individuals, families and communities during the holidays when more travel occurs, and time is spent indoors." Here are a few reasons for the new requirement:
· Since Thanksgiving, California's seven-day average case rate increased by 47% and hospitalizations by 14%.
· At least ten large current studies have confirmed the benefit of universal masking in community level analyses.
· Each analysis found new infections fell significantly after following directives for universal masking.
· Studies focused on over 200 countries, including the US, showed reductions in mortality.
· Another 10-site study showed reductions in hospitalization growth rates following mask mandate.
· Implementing a universal masking requirement not only has proven to decrease the rate of infections but is able to slow community transmission.
· Nationally during the Delta surge in July and August 2021, jurisdictions without mask requirements in schools experienced larger increases in pediatric case rates, and school outbreaks were 3.5 times more likely in areas without school mask requirements.
Exceptions: The CDPH says young children under 2 years must not wear a mask because of the risk of suffocation. The following are three more exceptions:
· Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask.
· Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
· Persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx
I know many of you may get upset to hear about the new numbers and return to mandatory masks, and others get even more worried or frightened to learn that the omicron virus is rapidly spreading, and the delta virus is still our number one concern. However, we are still doing so much better than we were last year at this time and we are fortunate to have access to the lifesaving vaccinations and everyone can get the booster which is also readily available.
Finally
This is our last Health Advisory for the Calendar year, we call it HA90, because we figured we'd give you a holiday break, but we'll be right back in the new year to get you all the information you need every week to stay informed and learn about the many new exciting developments for our community in 2022.
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