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The State Department of Health recommends masking indoors during the current coronavirus pandemic, even as the average number of cases decreases.
During a conversation with Honolulu Star-Advertiser Spotlight Hawaii on Friday, Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Libby Char said that camouflage is not only easy to do, but sensible with the current high levels of COVID-19. in the community. “The masks work,” Char said. “We know they work. They help reduce transmission – absolutely wear your mask, especially indoors and even outdoors, if you go somewhere crowded and are around a bunch of people you don’t usually stay with. “
DOH advises camouflage, especially with all of Hawaii’s major counties, which are currently classified as high-level orange communities for COVID-19 risks.
However, she said the return of the mask mandate would be difficult and would require the governor to issue another emergency proclamation to enforce it. Hawaii’s indoor mask mandate expired on March 25, along with the COVID-19 emergency proclamation.
The average number of cases has dropped in the past three weeks, she noted, from an average of seven days from 1,210 on June 1 to an average of seven days from 832 on Wednesday. However, she believes the number of cases is probably five to six times higher, taking into account the results of home tests.
At the same time, Char is monitoring the growth of the more portable omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which were first discovered in January in South Africa. BA.4 and BA.5 are troubling, as they are thought to be about 1.6 and 1.7 times more portable than BA.2, respectively, and have an increased ability to evade immunity.
“Indeed, what worries us is this avoidance of immunity,” Char said. “So far, vaccines still provide good protection, but we are seeing more and more cases of re-infection.”
People who have previously been infected with COVID-19 should not assume that they are resistant to bullets. “You can absolutely get infected again, especially with these sub-options,” she said. “It simply came to our notice then. Could this lead to a bunch of more cases in the next few months and until the fall? It’s an opportunity. “
Nationwide, BA.4 and BA.5 now account for about 35% of new coronavirus infections. According to a variant report released Wednesday, there are now 24 confirmed cases – nine from BA.4 and 15 from BA.5 – found by genome sequencing of test specimens of COVID-19 from Hawaii.
“We saw a big jump in South Africa and Portugal and it was attributed to BA.4 and 5,” she said. “We’re starting to see some cases in the UK right now, and we’re starting to see some states in the United States again.”
Char also said he strongly advises parents to vaccinate cakes under the age of 5 immediately after federal approvals from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine shipments arrived earlier this week and are available from suppliers across the country.
“I think we have enough evidence from the FDA and from studies and trials that these vaccines are safe and effective,” she said. “I really see no reason to wait at this point.”
Given the time required to receive all doses – two doses with a four-week interval for the Moderna vaccine and two doses with an interval of three weeks for the Pfizer vaccine, followed by a third at least eight weeks later – it makes sense to receive them. now for protection before the start of preschool and day care in the fall.
In addition, the Moderna COVID vaccine is now available for children aged 6 to 17 years. The Pfizer vaccine is now available for those in this age group.
Char also acknowledged that the long-term COVID or long-term effects after coronavirus infections are a real concern.
“I think this is where it’s really insincere when people say, ‘Oh, COVID isn’t a big deal, it’s like a cold, who cares?’ … This may be true for some people, but we should also be aware that some people may end up with prolonged COVID – and this can affect your quality of life and your ability to lead a normal life. ” weeks, months or even years.
Given that there is still no effective treatment for long-term COVID, she said, it is important for the community to work together to prevent infection and “survive this.”