California: Los Angeles County Recommends Face Masks Indoors Due to Delta Variant Despite Vaccine Status
In the wake of the Delta COVID variant, the Los Angeles County in California recommends people to wear face masks indoors, whether they are COVID-19 vaccinated or not.
On Monday, Los Angeles officials recommended wearing the said covering, especially in public indoor places, to all the residents of the county, according to a report from Reuters. The county made the move due to the increased circulation of the Delta variant, which was known to be highly transmissible.
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California: Delta Variant Prompts LA County to Recommend Wearing Face Masks Indoors
The announcement of Los Angeles' new recommendation on face masks indoors, came days after President Joe Biden warned the Americans about the Delta COVID variant, emphasizing the importance of young Americans getting vaccinated.
Los Angeles County's Public Health mentions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their news release saying that the Delta variant was now responsible for one in every five infections across the U.S.
Because of this, L.A. county's Department of Public Health recommended their residents to wear face masks when in places such as grocery stores, workplaces, and theaters, and family entertainment centers. The department also emphasized wearing face masks in places where everyone's vaccination status is unknown.
The exact date until when the face mask shall be worn indoors was not specified. However, the department noted that "everyone should focus on maximum protection" should be administered until authorities gain a better understanding of how Delta variant spreads among people.
The department also underscored that fully vaccinated individuals are well-protected against the Delta variant. However, people who were partially vaccinated are still vulnerable to the highly transmissible variant.
"If you aren't fully vaccinated, your mask is one of the most powerful tools you have to protect yourself and other unvaccinated people," the department said in their release.
WHO Recommends Wearing of Face Masks Due to Delta Variant
Apart from the Los Angeles County who took the initiative in recommending wearing of face mask indoors, the World Health Organization also issued wearing the covering as means of protection against the Delta variant. The organization recommended wearing facemask once again during a briefing in their headquarters in Geneva, in the previous week.
Quartz reported that the new COVID variant known as Delta is rapidly spreading around the world. In the U.S., the outlet noted that 10 to 20 percent of the new cases of COVID are because of the Delta variant.
"People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated places, [practice] hand hygiene, [maintain] physical distancing, avoid crowding," said WHO's assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, Mariangela Simao. Simao also underscored that vaccines alone won't be able to stop community transmission.
It can be remembered that the WHO also warned world leaders and public health officials on the spread of the Delta variant. The organization also promoted the COVID-19 vaccine, and its role in protecting individuals against the highly transmissible variant, that is now spreading around the world.
READ NEXT: Delta Variant Seen Spreading Fast in California, Described as Highly Contagious COVID Strain
WATCH: LA County Recommends Indoor Mask Wearing As Delta Variant Circulates - From CBS Los Angeles
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