VIA – Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
To limit the impact of increasing COVID-19 cases on hospitalizations, todayAlameda County health officials announced that masks will be required in most indoor public settingsbeginning 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022. This Order does not apply to the City of Berkeley, which is anindependent Local Health Jurisdiction. The Alameda County Health Officer continues to monitor COVIDcases and hospitalizations to determine when this Order can be lifted safely.
COVID-19 DATA BY GEOGRAPHY
Alameda County will not require masking in K-12 school settings through the end of the 2021-22 schoolyear, but masking is still strongly recommended. Masks will be required in all other children and youthsettings, including childcare, summer school, and youth programs, as practicable.
Daily reported COVID-19 cases have exceeded the peak of last summer’s Delta wave and are nowapproaching levels seen during the winter 2020-21 wave, at comparable lab-reported testing levels.Reported cases are an underestimate of the total due to home testing and unidentified infections.Hospitalizations are also rising after remaining stable during the early weeks of this wave. Daily newadmissions of patients with COVID-19 rapidly increased in recent days and now exceed last summer’s peak.We expect to reach CDC’s “High” COVID-19 Community Level soon, given current trends.
In addition, when COVID-19 cases started to rise again in April, we did not observe in our data thedisproportionate impacts on communities of color. That is no longer true and Hispanic/Latino residentsnow have the highest case rate in Alameda County among the largest race/ethnicity groups.
“Rising COVID cases in Alameda County are now leading to more people being hospitalized and today’saction reflects the seriousness of the moment,” said Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nicholas Moss.“We cannot ignore the data, and we can’t predict when this wave may end. Putting our masks back ongives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities.”
While COVID-19 vaccination, boosters, prior infection and available medications provide protection againstsevere illness, the virus that causes COVID is circulating at very high levels in Alameda County. Even withstrong protections, such high numbers of infections put more people at risk and in the hospital.
Masking provides an added layer of protection against infection from a virus that spreads through the air.Wearing a high-quality mask protects both the wearer and those around them, and having more peoplemasked will help slow the spread of COVID-19. Children under age 2 should not mask.
“We thank Alameda County residents, employers, and businesses for continuing to rise to the challenge inresponse to this pandemic,” said Colleen Chawla, Director of the Alameda County Health Care ServicesAgency (AC HCSA). “Unfortunately, COVID has not gone away and once again, we must take measures toprotect ourselves, friends and community members, and employees and patrons from this very infectiousvirus.”Throughout the pandemic, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, and Pacific Islander residents havebeen disproportionally impacted by COVID-19. These same communities have historically experiencedhealth disparities and the pandemic revealed and exacerbated those issues. Alameda County is committedto mitigating COVID-19 disparities where possible.
“We are seeing the same pattern of disproportionate impact on hard hit communities play out again withrising cases,” said Kimi Watkins-Tartt, Director of AC HCSA’s Public Health Department. “Many Black andBrown residents are frontline workers who can’t work from home and are in workplaces where theyfrequently interact with the public. A masking order will limit the spread of COVID in these vulnerablecommunities.”In addition to masking, residents are reminded to continue taking other steps to limit spreading COVID-19:stay home if sick or positive; test if symptomatic or exposed; and keep gatherings small and outdoors orincrease ventilation if gathering indoors.If you are not vaccinated or boosted, we strongly urge you to drop into a clinic if you are eligible and talk toyour health care provider about treatment if you test positive for COVID and have mild or moderatesymptoms.
Visit the COVID-19 website for informational resources.
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