As COVID-19 hospitalizations tick upward, Los Angeles County has slapped a mask mandate back on visitors and employees in all healthcare facilities. A precautionary move was announced against a backdrop of swelling case numbers post-holidays. According to a CBS/City News Service report, with the county's COVID hospital admissions crossing into the "medium" level as defined by the CDC, public health officials decided to take action effective last Saturday.
The recent spike, signaling an increase in reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, was notable but not wholly unforeseen, officials say, The figures, however, are still trailing below last year's peak—a silver lining in the situation. This resurgence nudges LA's healthcare services to reset to protocols many hoped were part of the past, "Over the past week in Los Angeles County, there have been notable, yet not unexpected, increases in COVID-19 reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released in a statement obtained by CBS/City News Service.
A mixed basket of healthcare facilities falls under this mandate, encompassing general acute care hospitals, skilled nursing, and a variety of specialized care and treatment centers, this list was detailed by KTLA. While the rise in cases comes with the holiday season's increased indoor gatherings and a potentially more contagious variant was also noted, it's referred to by Dr. Annie Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, "We're starting to see the effects of gathering during the holidays, a variant that is likely to be more contagious, more easily infecting people, low rates of immunization," she told KTLA.
The order demands all healthcare personnel and visitors to done masks while in the proximity of patients or areas where patient care is provided. The ascend in local transmissions may be fueled by emerging COVID-19 strains, one such being JN.1, a derivative of the BA.2.86 Omicron lineage, which fortunately does not seem to induce more severe illness according to health department officials, "Based on the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order posted on December 27, 2023, when the COVID-19 hospital admission level in Los Angeles County meets or exceeds the CDC's Medium Level, all healthcare personnel, regardless of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status, in licensed health care facilities that provide inpatient care are required to mask while in contact with patients or working in patient-care areas," shared the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in their directive per CBS/City News Service.
As part of this safety strategy, the mask mandate won't be lifted until the county's COVID-19 hospital admission level drops below the CDC's medium level for two consecutive weeks. As it stands, there were 609 COVID-positive patients reported in county hospitals as of December 23, up from 259 on November 1, though these numbers are still less than the over 1,200 reported this time last year, many of whom were admitted for reasons other than COVID but were found positive upon routine testing.
