As you place away these zombie masks and Halloween decorations, it is likely to be time to tug out that field of surgical or KN95 face masks once more as respiratory virus season will get underway, particularly if you’re headed to the physician’s workplace quickly.
In Santa Clara County, everybody — sufferers, caregivers and healthcare suppliers — might be required to put on face masks in public affected person care areas in hospitals, clinics, and long run care amenities for the “winter respiratory virus interval,” beginning Nov. 1 and lasting 5 months via the top of March.
Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa, and Sonoma counties would require well being care staff to masks up in affected person care areas beginning Wednesday, after native public well being officers handed mandates earlier this fall requiring seasonal masking guidelines.
As respiratory virus season positive aspects steam, well being officers say it’s a good suggestion to test shares of fast COVID exams. Customers may nonetheless be eligible for an additional supply of free COVID exams from the federal authorities. The Biden administration resurrected this system as of Sep. 25, and if you happen to haven’t but you’ll be able to request a cargo of 4 fast at-home exams via the USPS website.
In California, COVID positivity charges had been on the rise beginning in July, and peaked in late August. In September the positivity price began to come back again down, however plateaued in mid-October at simply above 6%. It has risen just a little since then.
Wastewater knowledge exhibits medium ranges of COVID in all of Santa Clara County’s sewersheds on the finish of October, down from excessive transmission ranges over the past two months.
Past masking in well being care settings, public well being officers have been encouraging everybody 6 months and older to get the latest COVID shot, a flu shot, and for essentially the most weak, the vaccine to guard towards RSV.
