Santa Clara County is working on ways to implement the latest COVID-19 changes as the state lifts its masking and vaccination rules in April.
The county will follow new state guidelines starting Monday as California relaxes requirements, but officials will be cautious a month after declaring the state’s COVID-19 emergency to be over.
Starting next week, masks will not be required in California’s high-risk medical facilities, including prisons, homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities. Changes include health care workers no longer having to be vaccinated for her COVID and anyone who has the virus can end isolation five days after her.
A spokesperson for the county health department said there remains a serious threat, especially during peak times, for people with certain medical conditions and those in need of critical medical services.
“Generally, county public health officers align local requirements with state and federal COVID regulations and guidance,” a spokesperson told the San Jose Spotlight.
The county has issued an updated health order requiring masks to be worn in health facilities during the winter from November 1 to March 31 to protect people from illness and prevent overcrowding in hospitals. bottom. County officials also require health facilities to closely monitor local and internal data, and set masking requirements and other policies to best protect patients and ensure continuous access to critical services during times of high risk. It is strongly recommended that access to Her COVID dashboard for the county will continue to work and post data about the virus.
Santa Clara County has been at the forefront of the government’s response to COVID, becoming the first in the country to declare COVID-19 a public health emergency on February 10, 2020. 13 confirmed nationwide.
Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, Professor of Global Health, Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, said COVID is not gone and it is important to continue to monitor trends, including assessing the need for additional boosters. I said yes.
“Given the high degree of herd immunity from infection and vaccination, this is the right time to lift emergency measures,” she told the San Jose Spotlight.
She said the number of people who have obtained booster shots is still low and is encouraging residents to obtain them.
According to county data, only 33% of eligible residents have received the latest bivalent COVID booster and 12% have not completed their first series of COVID vaccines. Only 25% of the eligible population statewide receives bivalent boosters.
Maldonado added that masking is an effective tool to reduce disease transmission and that health care workers should be vaccinated to maintain protective immunity among patients and staff.
Santa Clara County health officials stressed that federal regulations continue to require all Medicare and Medicaid-certified providers to ensure that applicable medical staff are vaccinated against COVID.
While significant progress has been made in responding to the virus, Santa Clara County has highlighted moderate levels of COVID being detected in wastewater samples, prompting officials to warn against congested environments such as health care facilities. In high-risk environments, it is strongly recommended to wear a mask indoors. Or a nursing home.
Local updates on COVID-19 are available from the county on that website.
This story was originally published by San Jose Spotlight and Joshua Ram.
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-relaxes-covid-19-coronavirus-rules/
To contact Josh Ram, [email protected] or @Joshua Lam on Twitter.
