| (June 29, 2021, 9:20 a.m.) -- In a late afternoon June 27 release, the LA County Dept of Public Health cites increased circulation of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant to strongly recommend that everyone -- regardless of vaccination status -- wear masks indoors in public places as a precautionary measure.
Those indoor settings include grocery or retail stores; theaters and family entertainment centers. "In the week ending June 12, Delta variants comprised of nearly half of all variants sequenced in Los Angeles County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that Delta variants are now responsible for about one in every five new infections across the country, up from approximately one in every 10 the week before...Until we better understand how and to who the Delta variant is spreading, everyone should focus on maximum protection with minimum interruption to routine as all businesses operate without other restrictions, like physical distancing and capacity limits." LA County's Health Dept. release acknowledged that "fully vaccinated people appear to be well protected from infections with Delta variants, however people with only one vaccine dose of Pfizer or Moderna are not as well-protected. The smaller number of COVID-19 infections identified in people who are fully vaccinated have been mild illnesses..." LB's Health Dept. has separately confirmed the presence of the Delta variant in Long Beach, said its presence is of "grave concern" especially for unvaccinated individuals whom it urged them to get vaccinated but didn't offer masking recommendations for those already vaccinated. [Scroll down for further.] |
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