Health Dept: Get Your Masks Back On

A surge in cases of COVID-19 and its Omicron variant is prompting Alameda County health officials to re-enforce face coverings for public settings indoors regardless of your vaccination status.

“We have learned that Omicron can spread even among the vaccinated and those who had prior COVID infection,” said Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda County Health Officer. “Masks work and are a critical layer of safety for everyone this winter.”

This change does not impact face masking requirements for school and youth group settings. The health order comes at a time when people are gathering more indoors because of the weather and to celebrate holidays. Health experts suggest avoiding large or crowded and poorly ventilated settings. You can improve ventilation by opening doors and windows in addition to a protective face covering.

“Omicron may be more transmissible, but we have the tools to prevent infection,” said Dr. Moss. “Because even a mild infection in a vaccinated person may be passed on to someone who could become hospitalized, we must take every precaution this winter.”

The local daily case rate is 18.7 per 100,000 residents and rising, and Alameda County community transmission is now categorized as “High” on the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker. 

Hospitals saw a 7-day average spike in confirmed positive cases to 37.29 per day on New Year’s Eve, up from 16.0 positive cases per day on Christmas. While the number of available ventilators in county hospitals is at 80 percent, the number of beds to handle intensive care (ICU) cases has dipped to 40.6 percent, which includes COVID and non-COVID cases, according to Public Health Department data.

“Rapidly increasing case numbers will cause significant stress on our hospitals, even if only a small percentage of those infected require hospital care,” said Dr. Moss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus. A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting two days before they develop symptoms, or two days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms. 

If you have contact with an infected person, the CDC now recommends five days of quarantine (down from 10 days previously) if you are unvaccinated. Once that period ends, you should practice strict mask use for an additional five days.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Vaccine Distributed:

State – 64,980,040

Alameda County – 3,170,642

Castro Valley – 56,126

San Leandro – 76,862

Confirmed Cases:

State - 5,191,438

Alameda County – 134,392

Castro Valley – 4,357

San Leandro – 8,171

Deaths:

State – 75,847

Alameda County – 1,545

as of January 3, 2022