Health officials urging masks again amid COVID, flu spikes
LOS ANGELES — With COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory diseases circulating widely in Los Angeles County and elsewhere, many officials are urging residents to use a familiar tool to help thwart transmission: masks.
But why should residents consider donning face coverings again, especially since mandates are no longer in place?
Health officials are largely united in noting that wearing a mask reduces the risk of viral transmission. There’s also a body of academic research supporting this.
“We also encourage you to wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing with reporters last week. “CDC continues to recommend masking for anyone choosing to travel by plane, train, bus or other form of public transportation.”
Here are some reasons why officials are again urging people to put on their masks.
Higher case rates
California has recently seen a marked uptick in coronavirus transmission.
These increases come with additional risk. As case rates rise, “your chance of catching COVID during your routine activities — grocery shopping, eating out, running errands, going to work — will increase,” according to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
For instance, with L.A. County’s recent coronavirus case rate around 260 cases a week for every 100,000 residents, if you were to attend a party with 200 people, the chance that at least one person there is infected is 80% to 90%, Ferrer said.
If the case rate were to rise to 350, the chance of that happening is almost 100%, she added.
“If you’re going to an event such as a concert or a large Christmas party, there is now a higher likelihood that one or more persons at the event is infected, they could unknowingly infect you, and you in turn could unknowingly infect your friends, your co-workers or your family,” Ferrer said.
While a coronavirus infection may be mild for many, other segments of the population are far likelier to become severely ill.
“For the millions of people in the higher-risk categories — our elderly family members and friends, those with underlying health conditions and those who are immunocompromised — increased chances of being exposed can have a devastating impact,” Ferrer said.
COVID-19 remains deadlier than the flu
In L.A. County, COVID-19 deaths are increasing. For the seven-day period that ended Thursday, the county reported 82 deaths, up from 58 the prior week.
“We’re concerned about the possibility of seeing even higher increases in these numbers a few weeks from now,” Ferrer said.
Since the start of October, some 25,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19. About 4,500 have died from the flu, the CDC has estimated.