should Sacramento County have been more aggressive with the recommendations for wearing mask in places where vaccination status does not have to be proven. I think it’s important for us to remember that the most important thing that we can do right now to get us out of the current surge is vaccination. So in Sacramento County that has been our focus. And of course we have had discussions about masking, but it’s only up to this week when we started seeing a sharp increase in cases that we re assess that and that’s the reason for putting out the recommendation um for masking indoors. And speaking of those increase in cases, we’ve reported that there was an expected increase because of the reopening. Was this number what you expected or do you expect there to even be a greater increase in the number of cases? Well, it’s hard to know, but we are trying everything that we can to make sure that we slow down the spread. And so the message is we’re putting out if you’re sick. If you have any symptoms, please stay home. And then also masking and also being careful in gathering large gatherings. And also, again, the most important message is that if you’re not vaccinated, please get vaccinated. Um, we’re hoping that we will be able to bend the curve quickly because that’s what we really want to do is get to that plateau and start seeing a reduction in cases. So it’s hard to say how long it’s going to take us. But we are definitely working hard to get out there and get people vaccinated. And also get the message out about how people can keep themselves safe sure. But let me ask in a different way. So when there was news that the county was in the state was reopening, obviously, many health experts have said that there was an increase of cases to be expected um based on your knowledge of, you know, the county and what was to be expected. What did you expect? What numbers did you expect to see go up as the state and the county reopened. What we expected was that there’d be a little bit of an increase in cases. Um and a small increase, maybe one or two percentage points in increase in the case rate. But what we’re seeing now is that the numbers are continuing to climb. And again, our concern is with the increase in the number of cases that are that sequence to be the delta variant. And as we know, the delta variant is more contagious. And so there is concern that uh we might be seeing a further increase in our cases. And what is the concern that this increase in cases could lead to businesses having to be shut down again or there to be more travel restrictions throughout the county. At this point, there is no consideration of that one is that we we do have a substantial number of our population vaccinated. And when you look on our dashboard, if you look at the map, especially for the last 30 days, you will see that the number of affected zip codes with high case numbers has reduced. Its just that we do have these hotspots and they tend to overlay with the areas that have low vaccination rates. So that points to what we need to do which is to continue with the vaccination because once we are able to do that, we expect that the case rates will begin to go down and.
Sacramento County recommends masks indoors as delta variant of COVID-19 spreads
Sacramento County has become the latest California county to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public places amid concerns about the fast spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. “While cases continue to surge and until vaccination rates have increased in Sacramento County, vaccinated residents are strongly recommended to wear masks in indoor settings where vaccination verification is not required and the vaccination status of others is unknown,” a Thursday release from Sacramento County said. “For example, in a workplace where employee rules allow for no masking after self-attestation of vaccination status, masks do not need to be worn by those who are vaccinated. But in a public space such as a grocery store or restaurant, masks are strongly recommended, regardless of vaccination status.”Those who are unvaccinated are still supposed to be wearing masks in indoor public spaces and health officials are urging those who are unvaccinated, and face the greatest risks from COVID-19, to get the shot. Yolo and Los Angeles counties have made similar recommendations regarding masks indoors.The recommendation from Sacramento County comes amid case rate increases of COVID-19 from the highly infectious delta variant, the county said. In less than a month, Sacramento’s daily case rate has risen drastically, from 3.8 per 100,000 residents on June 20 to 10 on July 14. The county’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has jumped to 5.5% from 4.5% last week, according to a county dashboard.Sacramento County had 101 confirmed delta variant cases as of Thursday, but health officials noted that not every specimen is tested for the variants and that actual numbers may be higher.”The drastic increase in cases is concerning – as is the number of people choosing not to get vaccinated,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer Olivia Kasirye said in a prepared statement. “Our best protection against COVID-19 continues to be the vaccine. We urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves, and their family and friends.” About 47% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. By comparison, Los Angeles County has 61% of the county fully vaccinated and recommended indoor masking for all last month. Asked during a briefing with reporters Thursday whether Sacramento County should have been more aggressive with the masking recommendation prior to now, Kasirye said the “sharp uptick” in COVID-19 cases happened in recent days. Experts have said that some coronoavirus case increases would be expected as the state opened up. But Kasirye said she had thought the case rate increase would rise by “one or two percentage points.” “The numbers are continuing to climb and our concern is the increase in the number of cases that have sequenced the delta variant,” she said. Hot spots in places like Rio Linda, North Highlands and Citrus Heights are driving the surge, Kasirye said. Issues with the vaccination effort there have included barriers that prevented some people from going to clinics, as well as a level of vaccine hesitancy that has been fueled by misinformation on social media, she said.–Daniel Macht and Brandi Cummings contributed to this story.
Sacramento County has become the latest California county to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public places amid concerns about the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19.
Those who are unvaccinated are still supposed to be wearing masks in indoor public spaces.
“While cases continue to surge and until vaccination rates have increased in Sacramento County, vaccinated residents are strongly recommended to wear masks in indoor settings where vaccination verification is not required and the vaccination status of others is unknown,” a Thursday release from Sacramento County said. “For example, in a workplace where employee rules allow for no masking after self-attestation of vaccination status, masks do not need to be worn by those who are vaccinated. But in a public space such as a grocery store or restaurant, masks are strongly recommended, regardless of vaccination status.”
Yolo and Los Angeles counties have made similar recommendations regarding masks indoors.
The recommendation from Sacramento County comes amid case rate increases of COVID-19 from the highly infectious delta variant, the county said.
In less than a month, Sacramento’s daily case rate has risen drastically, from 3.8 per 100,000 residents on June 20 to 10 on July 14. The county’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has jumped to 5.5% from 4.5% last week, according to a county dashboard.
Sacramento County had 101 confirmed delta variant cases as of Thursday, but health officials noted that not every specimen is tested for the variants and that actual numbers may be higher.
“The drastic increase in cases is concerning – as is the number of people choosing not to get vaccinated,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer Olivia Kasirye said in a prepared statement. “Our best protection against COVID-19 continues to be the vaccine. We urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves, and their family and friends.”
About 47% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated.