The Los Angeles Post

With COVID-19 Conditions Improving, State Public Health Leaders Modify Omicron Surge Policies

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SACRAMENTO – As COVID-19 conditions continue to improve across California and the Omicron surge subsides, temporary measures the state had put in place will expire in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 cases and the rate of community transmission have steadily decreased statewide since early January, and hospitalizations are either plateauing or declining in most regions of the state. Since California’s peak during the Omicron surge, the state has experienced a 65% decrease in case rates.

Additional visitation requirements that took effect on January 7 for long-term care facilities will expire today. Definitions for indoor and outdoor mega events will return to pre-surge guidance (from 500 to 1,000 attendees for indoor events, and 5,000 to 10,000 attendees for outdoor events) after February 15. The indoor masking requirement will expire after February 15 reverting to the previous guidance which requires masking for unvaccinated individuals in all indoor public settings and required masking for all individuals regardless of vaccination status in higher risk settings like public transit and congregate living. Workplaces will continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention standards set by CalOSHA.

The state is continuing to work with education, public health and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to adapt to changing conditions and ensure the safety of kids, teachers, and staff.

Additional adjustments to the state’s policies will be shared in the coming week.

“Omicron has loosened its hold on California, vaccines for children under 5 are around the corner, and access to COVID-19 treatments is improving,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “With things moving in the right direction, we are making responsible modifications to COVID-19 prevention measures, while also continuing to develop a longer-term action plan for the state.”

Additional information on visitation requirements can be found here:

CDPH All Facilities Letter

CDSS Provider Information Notice

 

Statewide COVID-19 Data

Rates of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are highest among unvaccinated individuals and lowest among boosted individuals. This is true for all age groups. See additional data for unvaccinated and vaccinated cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Vaccinations

  • 70,183,793 total vaccines administered.
  • 82.3% of the eligible population (5+) has been vaccinated with at least one dose.
  • 88,099 people a day are receiving COVID-19 vaccination (average daily dose count over 7 days).

Cases

  • California has 8,079,771 confirmed cases to date.
  • Today’s average case count is 43,532 (average daily case count over 7 days).
  • Unvaccinated people are 7.5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than boosted individuals (January 10, 2022 – January 16, 2022).

Testing

  • The testing positivity rate is 9.5% (average rate over 7 days).

Hospitalizations

  • There are 10,595 hospitalizations statewide.
  • There are 2,101 ICU patients statewide.
  • Unvaccinated people are 14.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted individuals (January 10, 2022 – January 16,2022).

Deaths

  • There have been 80,539 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
  • COVID-19 claims the lives of 120 Californians each day (average daily death count over 7 days).
  • Unvaccinated people are 30.0 times more likely to die than boosted individuals (January 1, 2022 – January 9, 2022).