![]() Vaccination rates in those facilities are quite high. One area the county is examining is the protocols surrounding nursing homes, which have been a particular point of focus given the vulnerability of their residents to COVID-19. "Obviously, if there's emerging information that requires us to rethink the safety messaging, we'll be coming back both to the board and to the public." "We need people to be sensible and cautious, and we're going to pay a lot of attention to the science," Ferrer said. While wearing masks in public, avoiding indoor crowded settings and, especially, getting vaccinated all afford some degree of protection, those tools work best when used together. Health officials have long stressed the importance of taking a layered approach to combating the coronavirus. "I think if we didn't have that requirement, we probably would be suggesting that, because that is the next line of defense." "Obviously, if the vaccines aren't as effective, those masks are super important, and we already have a requirement on masking," she said. It already has become the dominant variant in South Africa. With its "unusual constellation of mutations," Ferrer said, Omicron could be more infectious than other variants. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical advisor for the pandemic, said in a briefing. Omicron is getting attention because of its many mutations - around 50, far more than in previous variants, Dr. Also unknown is whether the newly discovered strain, which has yet to be found in the United States, might cause more severe disease or potentially evade some of the protective power afforded by existing vaccines. 11 in Botswana and three days later in South Africa - can spread as easily as the still-dominant Delta variant. It's unclear whether Omicron - which was first detected Nov. "I think the best way to put all of this in perspective is we actually have a lot more powerful tools at our hand right now than we did last year." "This has been an extraordinarily long and challenging time, and people are right to feel fatigued," she said. While residents may feel exhausted by all they've been asked to do during the past 20 months, it's important to stay vigilant, Ferrer said. "Boosters are absolutely essential, particularly for people who got vaccinated a while ago," Ferrer said. The basic strategy remains getting more unvaccinated people - including young children - their shots and encouraging eligible vaccinated adults to get boosters. Officials are quick to note that the state of the pandemic is much different this year, given the ample supply and availability of vaccines, which are expected to provide at least some degree of protection against Omicron, particularly against severe illness and death.Īlso on the horizon is the likely authorization of pills that can reduce the risk of severe disease. "We’re going to fight COVID this winter - not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more," President Biden said Monday. That attitude is also reflected at the federal level. and throughout California are nowhere close to publicly discussing the kind of stringent restrictions that were in effect at this time last year, when a round of regional stay-at-home orders shut down or severely constrained many aspects of the state's economy and residents' lives. ![]() But despite the worries accompanying the new variant and the approach of winter, officials in L.A. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |