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Health

What To Do After Testing Positive for COVID-19 in Massachusetts – NBC Boston

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With COVID-19 cases rising in Massachusetts and most of the state now considered high risk for community transmission, it may be time to revisit quarantine guidance.

What should you do if you test positive for COVID-19?

The latest virus quarantine guidance, as posted on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website, is primarily based on two factors – how long since your positive test result, and whether or not the activity you want to do allows you to wear a mask.

If you test positive, you should stay home and isolate for at least the first five days. If you never experienced symptoms, or your symptoms are improving, you can resume most normal activities that you can do wearing a mask on day 6. You should wear a mask around others for a full 10 days, including the people you live with.

If you cannot wear a mask, or the activity you want to do doesn’t allow for a mask, you should stay home and isolate for 10 days. If you’ve never had symptoms or your symptoms are improving, you can resume normal activities on day 11. You are still encouraged to wear a mask around others in your household for 10 days.

This guidance is the same whether you are vaccinated against COVID-19 or not.

How do I count days to isolate?

  • Day 0 of isolation should be your first day of symptoms OR the day your positive test was taken, whichever is earlier.
  • Days 1-4 are strict isolation days, unless you’re going out to receive medical care.
  • Day 5 is the last full day of isolation if you were asymptomatic or if symptoms have been improving.
  • Day 6 is when you can leave isolation, if wearing a mask.
  • Day 11 is when you can leave isolation without a mask.

Mass. DPH notes that there may be circumstances where individuals may be allowed to return to child care, school or a health care job sooner under certain conditions. More on that here.

What if I was exposed to someone with COVID-19?

Here is where the guidance differs depending on your vaccination status. If you are a close contact of someone who tested positive for the virus, and you are up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, you do not need to quarantine, but you should wear a mask around others for 10 days, including at home. You should also take a rapid antigen or PCR test on day 5, or if you develop symptoms. If you test positive, follow the isolation guidance. If you are not able to mask, you should quarantine for 10 days after the exposure, and follow the same testing guidelines as above.

If you are a close contact and you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations or unvaccinated, it is recommended you quarantine for five days after exposure, wearing a mask around others, including at home. It is also recommended that you wear a mask around others for an additional five days after that quarantine period, including at home. If you cannot wear a mask, extend that quarantine to 10 days. You should test on day 5, or if symptoms develop. If you do not take a test on day 5, you should quarantine for a full 10 days.

When should I seek emergency medical attention?

The CDC recommends you look out for the following emergency warning signs* for COVID-19:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion
  • Inability to wake or stay awake
  • Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Top Boston doctors discuss COVID cases in Massachusetts, the BA.2.12.1 omicron subvariant and whether masks should be required for schools in high risk communities during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

When should I get tested?

The CDC outlines several scenarios for getting tested — if you are experiencing symptoms, if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19 (as outlined above) or if you are going to an indoor event or large gathering. The last one is especially important if attending a gathering with high-risk individuals, older adults, anyone who is immunocompromised, or anyone who is not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including young children who cannot be vaccinated yet.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 can manifest in a variety of ways. Here are the most commonly reported symptoms. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Massachusetts’ latest COVID-19 data

All but three of Massachusetts’ 14 counties are now considered high risk for COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Massachusetts’ COVID metrics, tracked on the Department of Public Health’s interactive coronavirus dashboard, have declined since the omicron surge, but case counts and hospitalizations are starting to increase once again.

State health officials reported 5,576 new COVID-19 cases Thursday. The last time there were over 5,000 new cases reported in a single day was at the end of January. The state’s seven-day average positivity rate increased to 8.24% Thursday, compared to 7.89% on Wednesday. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts schools has also shot up significantly, rising 62.6% in the past week.

What about the rest of New England?

In New Hampshire, the entire state is now considered either high or medium risk. Grafton, Rockingham and Sullivan counties are designated as high risk, while the rest of the state is medium risk.

In Vermont, only Essex County remains low risk. Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Franklin, Orange, Rutland Washington and Windsor are high risk, with Caledonia, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans and Windham counties at medium risk.

Four Maine counties — Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot and Piscatiquis — are considered high risk, with the remainder of the state in the medium risk category.

In Connecticut, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, Tolland and Windham counties are all high risk, with Fairfield and New London in the medium risk category.

All of Rhode Island remains in the medium risk category for the second straight week.

Residents in counties with a high risk are urged to wear masks indoors in public and on public transportation, to stay up to date with vaccines and to get tested if they have symptoms, according to the CDC.

Residents in areas with medium risk are encouraged to wear a mask if they have symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Anyone at high risk for severe illness should also consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions, the CDC says.

The majority of cases in New England right now are still being attributed to the “stealth” omicron variant BA.2, although cases of the BA.2.12.1 subvariant are on the rise. Increases in cases in South Africa and other countries are raising concerns that the U.S. could soon experience another COVID-19 wave.

Despite the rising cases here, Massachusetts and the other New England states have yet to take any steps to bring back mask mandates or any other COVID-related restrictions that were relaxed following January’s omicron-fueled surge.

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US

New York Schools Can Drop Mask Orders Starting Wednesday – NBC New York

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What to Know

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an end to the statewide indoor mask mandate in schools effective Wednesday, March 2
  • On the heels of her announcement, Mayor Eric Adams said he plans to lift the order for New York City schools the following Monday
  • These decisions follow new CDC guidance essentially saying most people don’t need to wear face masks in indoor public settings unless there’s a high level of severe disease

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had a clear message for families and educators on Sunday: It’s time to ditch the masks in schools.

Appearing for a rare weekend press conference as many students and teachers prepared to return following mid-winter break, Hochul announced that the statewide order requiring indoor mask use in schools would be lifted on Wednesday.

The governor pointed to the latest advice from the CDC, which essentially says most people don’t need to wear face masks in indoor public settings unless there’s a high level of severe disease, as well as overwhelming evidence the omicron surge is in the rearview for New York.

A drop in new cases of COVID-19 by a whopping 98% since omicron’s peak in early January, whose highest single-day total skyrocketed past 90,000 cases, is one of several improving metrics that the governor says supports lifting restrictions. She also pointed to a drop in hospitalizations and “strong vaccination rates.”

Counties and cities, the governor stipulated, will still have the authority to require masks in schools after the statewide order expires this week. Parents and guardians can also still send their kids to school in masks regardless of the change.

Students and teachers returning from mid-winter break on Monday are guaranteed to have at least two more days of face coverings in the classroom until the statewide order lifts. But all eyes turn to local leaders now to see who will keep local orders in place beyond the state’s.

“We will lift the statewide requirement based on all the data that I’ve just outlined. However, there are some counties in the state that have a higher rate of transmission — we will allow them the flexibility to determine what’s best for their county. We would encourage them to take a look at this and follow the CDC, but this will no longer be a mandate,” Hochul explained.

Those waiting to hear word from the largest school district in the nation didn’t have to wait long. Hours after the governor’s announcement, Mayor Eric Adams announced his intention to end the city’s indoor mandate the following Monday, March 7. It comes just days after the city dropped mask requirements for students and staff while outdoors.

Education leaders in the city announced the slight change in masking on Friday, the same day the CDC eased federal mask guidance, essentially saying that most Americans needn’t wear masks in indoor public settings unless there’s a heightened risk of severe disease or health system strain.

New York City school kids will be able to unmask outdoors but the mandate for masks remain in place indoor for now. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.

A statewide teachers union representing more than 600,000 members in New York released a statement Sunday reacting to Hochul’s announcement.

“We welcome this step toward normalcy. The governor is striking the right balance by empowering local officials to use data to determine if and when the mitigation strategies need to change in their areas,” Andy Pallotta, the union’s president, said. “As the guidance changes, one thing must remain constant: It’s essential that districts work closely with educators to ensure there is confidence in their health and safety plans.”


CDC

The CDC is looking at community-level risk in its latest mask guidance. People who aren’t overly vulnerable don’t need to wear masks in most indoor public settings in areas where the community level is low or medium.

A growing number of states have already eased mask guidance — or removed rules entirely — amid the rapid decline of omicron variant-linked new infections and continuous slowing of hospitalization and death rates connected to COVID.

Schools are one place in New York where the mandates have lingered, even as New Jersey looks to lift its indoor school mask rules early next month.



CDC

Over 70% of the U.S. population, including New York City, is now in a location with a COVID community level described as low or medium, the health agency said Friday, which means it wouldn’t advise masks indoors for nonvulnerable people.

The new recommendations are part of an overall shift in focus for the Biden administration, which is moving from an infection containment approach to mitigating severe illness and death linked to COVID-19, the AP has reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “cautiously optimistic” about the downward trend in omicron-fueled COVID cases. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said they were considering new benchmarks for masking, based on levels of severe illness and hospital capacity.

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US

COVID Spike Forces Changes to Times Square New Year’s Eve Bash – NBC New York

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What to Know

  • New Year’s Eve in Times Square won’t be the same triumphant emblem of pandemic recovery the mayor hoped it would when he announced weeks ago a fully vaccinated, “full strength” return in person
  • Skyrocketing increases — unprecedented, day after day — in COVID cases fueled by the omicron variant, many of them breakthrough infections, have forced some changes to the plan. More may change
  • As it stands, the city will still allow fully vaccinated people to attend but the audience will be almost four times smaller than it usually is. Masks will be required for all; proof of vaccination and photo ID are required

New York City has modified its plans for its fully vaccinated New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, limiting the crowd to roughly 15,000 people, nearly four times less than the non-pandemic crowd, and requiring masks for all amid an omicron surge that’s spawning unprecedented increases in COVID infections.

As eye-popping as the numbers have been in recent days, Thursday afternoon’s report from the state was still stunning — 38,835 positive tests in just one day, an increase of 10,000 from the day before. Of those, 22,208 were in New York City alone, orders of magnitude greater than anything either the city or state faced before omicron.

Against that backdrop, Mayor Bill de Blasio was under heavy pressure to do something about the city’s New Year’s Eve plans. The mayor said Thursday that viewing areas will be filled with fewer people to allow for social distancing — around 15,000, about 75% less than usual.

Visitors will not be permitted entry until 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, which is much later than prior years. Proof of full vaccination — meaning the last dose of the regimen was at least 14 days before New Year’s Eve — with valid photo identification will remain required as the mayor had previously announced.

Attendees aged 5 and up must also present proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the event. Minors not yet eligible for vaccination can still attend the Times Square bash but must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult.

Anyone who can’t get vaccinated because of a disability must provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event as well. See more FAQs here.

More could change in the coming days, though, the mayor’s office warned. The event is outdoors, of course, and for fully vaccinated people only, but omicron’s stunning dominance over New York City in just the last few weeks means officials are allowing room for any additional changes if needed before next week.

“There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year,” de Blasio said.

At an earlier, unrelated event, a more exuberant mayor said for the third time in as many days that omicron would be a setback but not stall the city’s progress.

“We are not shutting down. We are not falling back. We are going to fight our way through this,” de Blasio said at an earlier event in Brooklyn — and reminded people of the $100 cash his administration is offering to get boosted before the new year.

Shortly before, the mayor reported nearly 11,500 new COVID cases, a nearly 5% increase over numbers he described as “staggering” a day before. De Blasio added another 198 hospitalizations to the count; those rates, while up in recent weeks, have been manageable and far less jarring than the skyrocketing case numbers.

The development comes little more than a month after the outgoing mayor triumphantly declared fully vaccinated crowds could return to Times Square to celebrate New Year’s Eve this year with no size limitations. It was a to be a moment to consummate what de Blasio described as the five boroughs’ epic and ongoing recovery after unthinkable human and economic loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.

11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 marks the end of his mayoral run in New York City. The hope was that it would put a symbolic cap on the pandemic and unlike New Year’s Eve 2020, allow New Yorker and the world to truly look forward to a more hopeful 2022.

Once again, the ferocious tenacity of a virus that didn’t even exist when de Blasio was reelected to overwhelm the globe again and again with its ability to mutate into more contagious or more severe strains (or both) has cramped those plans.

Both the Broadway Association, which has seen iconic productions ravaged by breakthrough infections and the Times Square Advertising Coalition on New Year’s Eve in Times Square pleaded with the mayor Tuesday to let the show go on.

The organizations released a joint statement this week that read:

“At this moment, all eyes are on New York City and a festive, safe, vaccinated, and masked, outdoor celebration like New Year’s Eve in Times Square is exactly what we all need, now more than ever, to bid farewell and good riddance to 2021, as we look forward to celebrating a new year when we follow the science to remain open and safely welcome New Yorkers and visitors back to the Crossroads of the World.”

Last year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square was a socially distanced affair, attended by small groups of essential workers. De Blasio said last month it would come back at “full strength” to ring in 2022. That won’t be the case now.

Amid new concerns, the mayor called omicron a “fast, temporary phenomenon” that is expected to surge in the next few weeks then likely dissipate. He noted that most city residents are vaccinated, making the recent outbreak more manageable than when COVID-19 first appeared in early spring 2020.

That is still the case, but the surge is now. It’s expected to be short-lived, perhaps a matter of weeks, but it comes at the height of the holiday season.

The city’s rolling case weekly average is up nearly 139% over the averages for the prior four weeks, Thursday’s data shows. Hospitalizations are up 20% in the same time period. Authorities have said the vast majority of those more severe cases are people who aren’t vaccinated and urge all New Yorkers to get dosed and boosted.

Omicron has already usurped the delta variant as the most dominant COVID strain in the United States, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all new cases last week, officials say.

In the New York area, the CDC estimates the variant’s prevalence has topped 90%.



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Business

Trevor Noah Drags Anti-Masker Who Wore a Red Thong on His Head and Compared Himself to Rosa Parks

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On Thursday night, The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah took aim at a particularly absurd example of anti-mask protest.

“While we are being reminded about just how serious this pandemic is, there are still some people who are taking it just a little more lightly,” announced Noah.

He then introduced a man named Adam Jenne from Cape Coral—yes, in Florida—who decided to mask up on a recent United Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport by wearing red thong underwear on his head (women’s to boot). He was subsequently kicked off the plane and banned from future United Airlines flights.

In a video he posted online after the ridiculous episode, Jenne said he’d worn underwear on his head as a mask since the beginning of the pandemic and even compared himself to Rosa Parks.

“Rosa Parks? My man, don’t be so modest! You’re more than Rosa Parks! If anything, you’re the Martin Luther King of white dudes comparing themselves to Black heroes for no reason. Shit!” exclaimed Noah, adding, “You know, for real, sometimes I think conservatives are right: America shouldn’t be teaching the history of racism in schools, because then at least white people wouldn’t know who to compare themselves to after they get kicked off of airplanes for doing dumb shit.”

The comedian then suggested that maybe Jenne just has a kink for wearing panties on his head and has used the pandemic as a convenient excuse to explain away his bizarre behavior.

“And by the way, can we all agree there’s no way this dude just started sniffing thongs during the pandemic?” asked Noah. “I bet he’s been going around for years like, ‘Well, looks like I got kicked out of the dorm because I’m once again the Rosa Parks of my sister’s friends’ underwear drawer! Yeah, someone’s gotta do it!’”

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World

New Indoor Mask Mandate or Vaccination Requirement Starts Monday – NBC New York

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All indoor public places across New York state must require masks for all people or proof of full vaccination prior to entry, a sweeping measure the governor announced Friday in an effort to curb a winter COVID surge that shows no signs of slowing.

It goes into effect on Monday. and covers any indoor space that is not a private residence.

Noncompliance comes with fines up to $1,000 for each violation and local health departments are being asked to enforce the requirements. The measure will be reassessed on Jan. 15, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. In the meantime, here’s a look at three options the affected places will have starting Monday and what businesses, patrons and employees need to know about each of them. Learn more here.

Read the full text of the new state mask mandate right here.

1. Proof of Full-Course Vaccination Requirement

Businesses and venues that implement a proof-of-vaccination requirement can accept Excelsior Pass, Excelsior Pass Plus, SMART Health Cards issued outside of New York state or a CDC Vaccination Card.

In accordance with CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated, full-course vaccination is defined as 14 days past an individual’s last vaccination dose in their initial vaccine series (14 days past the second shot of a two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine; 14 days past the one-shot Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine).

The state also accepts WHO-approved vaccines for these purposes. Parents and guardians can retrieve and store an Excelsior Pass and/or Excelsior Pass Plus for children or minors under legal guardianship.

New Yorkers can retrieve their Excelsior Pass or Excelsior Pass Plus here. Businesses and venues can download the Excelsior Pass Scanner app — free for any business nationwide and available in more than 10 languages — here.

Businesses and venues that implement a mask requirement must ensure all patrons 2 years and older wear a mask at all times while indoors.

3. Continued Masking Requirements

People who aren’t vaccinated are still responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance. The state’s masking requirements continue to be in effect for pre-K to grade 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and healthcare settings per CDC guidelines.

New York state continues to strongly recommend mask-wearing in all public indoor settings as an added layer of protection, even when not required. Children under 5 who remain ineligible for vaccination must wear a proper-fitting mask.

COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses are free and widely available statewide. New Yorkers can visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.

To schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site, New Yorkers can visit the Am-I-Eligible site or contact their health providers, county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health centers or pharmacies.

New York City and New Jersey Vaccine Providers

Click on each provider to find more information on scheduling appointments for the COVID-19 Vaccine.

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US

NYS Mask Mandate or Vaccine Requirement for Indoor Public Places Starts Monday, Hochul Says – NBC New York

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What to Know

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul says stricter measures are needed to curb COVID spread across the state; delta has driven hospitalizations to months-long highs while omicron may be fueling the latest case surge
  • Daily COVID deaths in NY topped 50 (54) on Thursday for the first time in months, while the daily caseload topped 12,400 for the first time since late January — and hospitalizations are up 86% in the last month
  • Omicron has now been identified in at least half of U.S. states and 60-plus countries; preliminary data on severity has been encouraging, Fauci says, but delta continues to drive up the hospitalization rate

Come Monday, all indoor public places in New York that do not require proof of full vaccination for entry must implement a mask mandate, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday. She called it a “major action” to address the worst COVID surge the state has seen in more than half a year across all of the key indicators.

The decision was based on mounting concern of the state’s weekly seven-day case rate and rising hospitalizations, Hochul said. Noncompliance comes with fines of up to $1,000 per violation. The order will be reassessed on Jan. 15. Here are three key things businesses, employees and the public should know about it right now.

The statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43% since Thanksgiving and hospitalizations are up 29% in that timeframe, the governor said. Vaccinations have increased 2% in that window, not enough to outpace the spread.

In total, COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide are at their highest levels since late April and have soared 86% in the last month alone, the latest data shows. Hochul and health experts say that’s a reflection of the still omnipresent grip of delta, which accounts for 99% of all genetically sequenced positive samples in New York — and the nation — and has been scientifically linked to more severe cases of infection.

Those across-the-board upticks combined with the looming threat of holiday-related spikes warrant intense, early action, Hochul said. Local health departments are being asked to enforce the new requirements.

“The temporary measures I am taking today will help accomplish this through the holiday season,” the Democrat said. “We shouldn’t have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers’ frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet.”

Daily COVID deaths in the state topped 50 (54) on Thursday for the first time in months, while the daily caseload topped 12,400 for the first time since late January. The latter increase could be reflective of omicron’s spread throughout the state. Hochul and New York City leaders have said community transmission appears to be well underway. While just 20 cases statewide have been detected so far (13 of them in New York City), officials believe the actual number is significantly higher.

Hochul’s announcement comes a day after she said nearly three dozen upstate hospitals had to suspend non-essential elective procedures to secure bed capacity, part of what she described as a preemptive strike to “fight this impending surge.”

The previously announced order to suspend elective surgeries is designed to ease capacity strains on hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge. It only applies to hospitals that have less than 10% bed capacity available, many of which are in areas where Hochul says lower vaccination rates correlate with the higher, concerning metrics.

The omicron COVID variant is a growing cause of concern during the holiday season as New Yorkers anticipate travel and group events, but should we cancel plans? Here’s what several experts suggest. News 4’s Linda Gaudino reports.

Hochul said the state will reassess the surgery pauses on Jan. 15, the same date she’ll review the new mandate, because she doesn’t want to order long-term protocol changes without giving people an idea of how long they may be needed.

The mid-January review allows time for the holidays to pass and any potential spikes related to travel or gatherings to materialize. It also provides more protection for people when they’re more likely to be indoors, at the coldest time of the year.

“I have warned for weeks that additional steps could be necessary, and now we are at that point based upon three metrics: Increasing cases, reduced hospital capacity, and insufficient vaccination rates in certain areas,” Hochul said Friday.

Even in cases where vaccination rates are higher, COVID’s recent spread, whether omicron-induced or otherwise, is far outpacing them. While more data is needed to determine whether omicron is linked to more severe outcomes or reduced vaccine efficacy, experts say it certainly appears to be more infectious than earlier strains, possibly even more infectious than delta.

The CDC said this week that of the 40-plus U.S. people who have been found to be infected with omicron so far, more than 75% of them were vaccinated. Breakthrough infections have been rising in New York since early November, though still account for a fraction of new infections compared with the non-vaccinated.

There has been an uptick in hospitalizations among vaccinated New Yorkers but it’s meager — and the discrepancy between hospitalizations among non-vaccinated and vaccinated New Yorkers is far more significant than the infection one.

Importantly, the vaccine efficacy rate in terms of new cases and hospitalizations has not changed since early November for those aged 50 and older. In fact, it’s up slightly compared with October, an encouraging sign for the most vulnerable. For those aged 18 and 49, though, it’s marginally down, the latest state data shows.


A number of local governments where omicron has been detected have intensified COVID efforts in the last week or so in an effort to curb the spread.

New York City’s mayor outlined a strictest-in-the-nation vaccine mandate earlier this week that is set to take effect on Dec. 27, while new vaccine requirements for kids under 12 go into effect on Tuesday.

In Oneida County, where two omicron cases have been detected, officials will require masks to be worn in indoor public places and for temperature checks to be conducted at social gatherings taking place outside of private residences starting Monday. There will be an opt-out if proof of vaccine is required for entry.

“We expect these numbers to continue to rise, and at this point, we are prepared to say what we have is community spread,” Hochul said Thursday. “It is not coming from people who have traveled.”

Both she, de Blasio and health officials across the country have upped their urgency around vaccination and boosters in recent weeks. That message has only grown more urgent in the last few days at all levels of government.

Half of U.S. states and more than 60 countries have now detected omicron, New York’s health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, has said. She noted early evidence does show vaccines protect against severe COVID illness and death linked to the new variant but at a time of multi-faceted threats, strong precautions are needed.

“Community spread requires a community-minded solution, as the omicron variant emerges and the overwhelmingly dominant delta variant continues to circulate. We have the tools we need to protect against the virus – and now we must ensure we use them,” Bassett said Friday.

“There are tools each individual can use, and there are actions we can take as government,” the health commissioner added. “Getting vaccinated protects you, and wearing a mask is how we will better protect each other. Both vaccination and mask-wearing are needed to slow this COVID-19 winter surge.”

The state Department of Health has produced nation-leading studies, published by the CDC and the New England Journal of Medicine, which demonstrate the COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness – particularly in preventing severe disease.

More than 81% of New York’s adult population is fully vaccinated, CDC data shows, though that number plunges when it comes to the youngest eligible for shots. Just 65% of kids aged 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, while kids aged 5 to 11, who only become eligible in the last six weeks, have a 6% full vaccination rate.

In New York City, 37% of kids aged 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated, while 48% have had at least one dose. Eighty-two percent of adults in the city are fully inoculated.

A day ago, the CDC and FDA recommended Pfizer vaccine booster doses for children aged 16 and 17. Officials urge parents take advantage. Learn more here.

UCLA’s Dr. Timothy Brewer says coronavirus vaccine booster doses can help your immune system against the Omicron variant much better than your first and second shots. Immune systems that have received more doses are able to have “a broader response,” he explains.



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Health

Bay Area mask mandates: Health officials release guidelines for ending restrictions

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Health officers for the nine Bay Area jurisdictions that require face coverings in most indoor public spaces Thursday reached consensus on criteria to lift those orders.

The counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the City of Berkeley will lift the indoor masking requirement in public spaces not subject to state and federal masking rules when all the following occur:

  • The jurisdiction reaches the moderate (yellow) COVID-19 transmission tier, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and remains there for at least three weeks
  • COVID-19 hospitalizations in the jurisdiction are low and stable, in the judgment of the health officer
  • 80% of the jurisdiction’s total population is fully vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson (booster doses not considered)
  • OR Eight weeks have passed since a COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use by federal and state authorities for 5- to 11-year-olds

Why is there an eight week window?

“Because it will take at least that long for kids to start getting their two doses, they are three weeks apart, and you need another week or so to be fully immune,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a Stanford Professor of Pediatrics and Infectious Disease Physician.

Bay Area residents react to possibility of mask guidelines being eased

Cody says the metrics were designed to be simple but thorough.

“Essentially we want to ensure that we have many layers of prevention, we want to make sure that the vaccination layer is really robust before we peel back the masking layer,” Cody said.

Santa Clara County is currently in the CDC’s orange tier, but transmission is trending down.

RELATED: Los Angeles passes one of the strictest COVID vaccine mandates in the US

“I think it’s going to be hard to say when we will meet all three metrics,” said Cody.

Cody says the most important metric to meet will be the vaccination requirement – adding some counties will get there faster.

“We are seeing 900 to 1,000 new first dose vaccinations across the county every single day,” said Contra Costa Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano.

Farnitano says if that pace keeps up, the county could reach the 80 percent mark within two to three months.

“We may be looking at December or maybe even January depending on the timing of the FDA authorization,” he said.

RELATED: Solano Co. defends past decision to keep businesses open

All Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley have adopted these guidelines with the exception of Solano County. Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas says he stands by his decision not to implement an indoor mask mandate.

“None of the counties that had such a mask mandate showed any benefit,” Matyas said. “All of them should have seen a reduction in disease within at most two weeks, none of them did.”

So far no Bay Area county meets the qualifications for all three metrics. Health officers say even if mandates are lifted, it won’t prevent individual businesses from imposing their own restrictions.

RELATED: SF General Hospital says 115 staff members are off schedule pending vaccine status

Separately from the other Bay Area jurisdictions, SF announced a more immediate easing of masking requirements beginning on October 15 in certain, select indoor settings where stable groups of fully vaccinated people gather. These settings include offices, gyms, and fitness centers, employee commuter vehicles, religious gatherings, and indoor college classes or other organized gatherings of individuals who meet regularly, not exceeding 100 people.

Currently every Bay Area county is in the orange tier, which means no county is eligible to ease the restrictions for three weeks.

Lifting a local indoor mask mandate would not prevent businesses, nonprofits, churches or others with public indoor spaces from imposing their own requirements.

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Bay Area health officials to announce criteria for lifting regional mask mandates Thursday

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NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) — With COVID case rates on the decline, many wonder how long we’ll have to keep our facemasks on. Thursday, Bay Area health officers are expected to announce plans for a possible end to the region’s indoor masking mandate but the order may not end overnight.

“It’s time, it’s been 18 months,” said Adam Kovacks.

Kovacks says you’re working out at his Novato gym Sonoma Fit, you must still wear a mask, that’s not always easy, he hopes that mandate ends soon.

RELATED: UCSF doctors eyeing Santa Cruz after county drops indoor mask mandate

“If you’re still worried, wear your mask but it’s time we put the responsibility on the people, not small business,” said Kovacks.

Bay Area health officials could announce new criteria on Thursday, for easing COVID restrictions like indoor masking. That criteria may include vaccination rates, case rates and hospitalizations. Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody told supervisors, the numbers are improving.

“The plan is to develop a set of metrics we can share across the region in order to lift indoor masking, we’re getting very close,” said Cody.

Many in the Bay Area are hoping for a target date, when wearing a mask isn’t required.

RELATED: Los Angeles passes one of the strictest COVID vaccine mandates in the US

It’s hard to breathe with the masks on,” said Jesse Tassey from Novato.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told ABC7 News on Midday, she trusts health officers but will keep wearing her mask.

“Rule or no rule, I’ll keep wearing my mask inside restaurants, better safe than sorry,” said Schaaf.

San Mateo County officials say although vaccination rates are high it’s too early to lift masking rules.

“We know one thing is certain, COVID-19 is uncertain. I wouldn’t be surprised if two months from now, if mask orders are lifted we may be back to another mandate,” said San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa.

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Mask Mandates Prevent School COVID Outbreaks

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(Newser)
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Schools that ask kids to wear masks are seeing fewer COVID outbreaks. The CDC released three reports on Friday. One summed up a study comparing outbreaks in schools that required masks and schools that didn’t in two school districts in Arizona, where Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona has banned mask mandates. Some schools there required them anyway, Yahoo News reports. Another one compared COVID case numbers in counties with school mask requirements and counties that didn’t. The third is simply a roundup of which schools have in-person, remote, or hybrid learning modalities, and which were closed for COVID outbreaks, and showed that most schools are open, even as the Delta variant spreads nationwide. Schools without mask requirements were 3.5 times more likely to have a COVID outbreak, per the Wall Street Journal.

Mobeen Rathore wasn’t involved in the studies, but he is chief of infectious diseases at a children’s hospital in a Florida county with no mask requirement for schools. In Duval County, where Rathore is, COVID cases among schoolchildren hit a high shortly after classes started, then declined when the school board changed the policy, mandating masks for 90 days. “Masks work,” Rathore told the WSJ. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also banned mask mandates, but some schools rebelled, and DeSantis docked bard members’ pay, per Yahoo News. In a press release accompanying the reports, the CDC continued to press the message that masks save lives, and not just of the kids in schools. Mask mandates “can reduce the burden on the health care systems that support these school districts,” the press release says. (Read more face masks stories.)

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Hunter Pepper, Unvaxxed Teen Councilman Who Attacked Mask Mandates, Now Battling ‘Terrible’ COVID Pneumonia

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A teenage city council member in Morgan County, Alabama, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday after railing against mask mandates said he’s now battling coronavirus-related pneumonia in the hospital.

“I am still shallow in breathing but my oxygen remains okay for now,” Decatur City Councilman Hunter Pepper, 19, wrote on Facebook Thursday. He received a CT scan on Wednesday night that confirmed he has COVID pneumonia, “which is absolutely terrible,” he wrote.

On Wednesday, Pepper—who’s repeatedly slammed mask mandates and refused to get vaccinated— said that he took two rapid tests and a PCR test for the coronavirus after he started to feel sick on Monday.

“Well, it has finally happened to me. Unfortunately, this morning I have confirmed two positive [tests] for Covid-19,” Pepper wrote Wednesday on Facebook. Everything In me wants to tell myself it is something different but every way I look it’s ‘Covid this, Covid that’ and it has terrified me and my family.”

Pepper wrote that he was “terrified” by the way that the media “continues to report on Covid-19 and explains ‘Death’ each time they do,” adding that he has “faith in the lord.”

“Maybe this will clear up soon and the symptoms of this sickness shall not progress as I can tell you, it feels terrible not to be able to breathe.”

He later told the Decatur Daily News that he had begun to show a “massive amount of symptoms” of the virus on Wednesday and that his oxygen levels were “holding a little well, and I don’t feel good at all.”

Pepper’s diagnosis has raised concerns over whether he may have exposed other local officials during a city council work session earlier in the week.

Carlton McMasters, a councilman who was seated beside Pepper at the in-person meeting, told the outlet that he has not had any symptoms.

“I’m fully vaccinated,” McMasters said, according to the outlet. “I’m trying my best to follow the CDC guidelines.”

Pepper, who is training to become an emergency medical technician, has routinely challenged pandemic-related restrictions as a city councilman, both slamming mask mandates and opting not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the outlet reported.

“I don’t believe you should be forced to do something like this, it’s wrong and it’s government overreach,” Pepper said in April as the city considered repealing a local mask mandate, according to WAFF.

“Me wearing a mask should be my choice,” Pepper said, days later, in an April 9 vote to end the city’s mask order, per WAAY.

Last month, Pepper, who became the youngest person elected to Decatur’s city council last year, vowed that he would “fight to the end” against another city mask mandate.

Only 41 percent of the county’s eligible population has been vaccinated, CDC data shows.

“Everybody at City Hall is over 18 and old enough to make their own medical decisions,” he declared at the time.

On Aug. 18, the Alabama Hospital Association said that there were “negative 29” ICU beds available in the state, meaning that dozens of people in the emergency room were kept waiting for beds to be vacated for treatment, WBRC reported at the time.

As the Delta variant ripped through the state over the summer, Alabama saw a massive COVID-19 spike, with more cases recorded in August than in any month since the pandemic began.

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