Outbreaks hitting workplaces
County health leaders say the delta variant is proving the need for masking and vaccinations
Fueled by a rapid spread of the delta variant, at least 140 recent coronavirus outbreaks have struck workplaces in Los Angeles County — a 150% increase since the middle of July — officials said Wednesday.
Public health leaders also cited another 15 virus-related deaths and 2,454 new cases.
California leaders rekindled the state’s indoor mask guidance Wednesday, echoing the county’s revived mandate of nearly two weeks ago.
The county’s positivity rate on Wednesday crept above 6% for the first time since February, climbing to 6.05%, officials said.
“With the highest case rates occurring among people ages 18 to 49 years old, who comprise much of our workforce, workplaces can easily contribute to the spread of the virus,” said Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer in
announcing the latest tolls.
Unvaccinated people continue to bear the brunt of the disease, which, if caught at work, can be taken home to homes and other sites where it can spread, Ferrer said.
Outbreaks are defined by the county as three or more infections at an individual work site.
Since the county revived its mask mandate, requiring face coverings at indoor public settings, inspectors have been busy encouraging compliance at hundreds of gyms, restaurants, bars, food markets, salons, barbershops, manufacturing hubs and retail malls.
Ferrer noted this week that overall compliance has been good, but inspectors say not all employers are providing masks for their employees or posting signage requiring customers to wear face coverings.
The county’s mandate foreshadowed what has become a statewide and national push regarding indoor mask wearing regardless of vaccination status.
“The delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the state’s Public Health Officer and director of the California Department of Public Health.
The state’s action came after the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance to recommend all teachers, staff and students in K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of whether they were vaccinated.
The federal guidance said children should return to full-time, in-person learning in the fall, but with “layered prevention strategies in place.” Those strategies include masking and more vaccinations to eligible people.
“There is consensus among all leading authorities — including the CDC, CDPH and the American Academy of Pediatrics — that universal masking is the safest and surest approach to full in-person instruction,” according to the CDC.
But that consensus has not come without major pushback in a society polarized over masks and vaccinations.
“The arbitrary restrictions that have been implemented by progressive politicians throughout the pandemic have seldom been based on the science, and the recent resurgence of these measures is further proof,” said Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Saugus, in a statement reacting to the measures. “It is time to stand up to government overreach, allow Americans to choose for themselves how best to protect their health and get our communities back to normal.”
But in L.A. County, many physicians and public health experts say masking and vaccinations remain the top tools they have to deal with a mutant strain of COVID-19 that threatens millions who have not gotten their shots.
In June, unvaccinated people represented 80% of all cases among L.A. County residents, health officials said. From July 1-16, there were 13,598 cases diagnosed in L.A County, with 74% of the cases among the unvaccinated.
Hospitalizations and case rates have jumped over the last few weeks among unvaccinated people as well, with 92% of hospitalizations in June coming from that population.
L.A. County hospitalizations increased by 27, to 918, on Wednesday, according to the state’s count.
The 15 new deaths brought the total in L.A. County to 24,658. The 2,454 new coronavirus cases brought that total to 1,290,226 since the the pandemic began.