Mandatory indoor mask-wearing could return to Los Angeles County in a matter of weeks, possibly by the end of June, absent a downturn in the rate of new COVID-19 cases and virus-related hospitalizations, the county’s public health director said Wednesday.
"While these hospital metrics remain well below the threshold for"high' in the CDC's community-level framework, both our weekly case rate and the rate of increase in hospital admissions are of concern,'' Ferrer said. ``If we continue on the current trajectory ... we're likely to move into the CDC 'high' community level within a few weeks, towards the end of June, indicating an increased stress on the health care system.
"Actual hospital admissions could increase at a faster rate, or if case numbers stabilize or decrease in the next two weeks, the rate of increase in hospitalizations could be a lot lower,'' she said. ``As we look to the near future, it reminds us that we ourselves also have the ability to influence where these numbers go.
According to one study, which was conducted in California, the odds of testing positive for COVID were 56% lower for people who reported always wearing a mask in indoor public settings, versus those who never wore one. The odds were 83% lower for people who work higher-grade masks -- such as N95 or KN95, Ferrer said.The second study, conducted in Arkansas, found that school districts with universal masking requirements had 23% lower case rates.
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