The Delta variant of the Coronavirus, the one deemed most contagious, is worrying and is advancing as the vaccination campaign runs slower than expected.
For this reason, the authorities of Los Angeles, the most populous city in the western United States, have retraced their steps by asking Americans to put their masks back indoors in public places, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.
Governor Gavin Newsom had emphatically announced in mid-June that California was back free of the virus and that vaccinated people no longer had to wear masks.
Not even two weeks after the new mutation of the virus forced the politician to make a quick turnaround.
In fact, the County Technical Committee has “strongly” advised citizens to wear a mask in supermarkets, shops, cinemas, theaters and workplaces.
The rule will continue until experts “better understand how and between whom the Delta variant is broadcast.”
“Everyone should strive to have maximum protection with the minimum disruption to our routines both among friends and in the company”, reads the official document of the Committee.
The state of California has so far detected 123 cases of the delta variant, which is considered up to twice as contagious as other mutations. Most of the infected, 110 patients, were unvaccinated.
A dozen of these tested positive despite having two doses of the vaccine, but none of the infected needed hospital care.
The remaining three cases concern people who had received only one dose of the vaccine.
The vaccination rate is one of the indicators that most worries those responsible for managing the pandemic.
More than 41.4 million vaccines have been administered in the state of California. Three out of five people received at least one of the two doses. Health authorities have reconfirmed that immunized people have better protection against variants, including Delta.
“This is a pandemic that predominantly affects people who have not been vaccinated,” said Barbara Ferrer, head of health in Los Angeles.
The message from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, an area with a population of over 10 million, was a blow to the triumphant tone of Newsom’s message.
The suggestion has yet to become law, but it is a clear wake-up call in a region that has been the gateway to the virus and one of the worst epicenters of the outbreak in the United States. There, the Coronavirus mainly affected Latin Americans and African Americans and killed 63,000 people.
Meanwhile the number of hospitalized is growing. Currently 1,272 people are hospitalized throughout the state, out of 40 million inhabitants.
However, the trend in hospitalizations, down compared to previous months, is the worst since March 2020, and represents an increase of 4.4% compared to two weeks ago.
Los Angeles County had 23 patients in one day, an increase of 8%.
Governor Newsom’s “free all” triggered general relaxation at a still very sensitive time. Authorities reported 762 new cases and five deaths this Tuesday. The case of Los Angeles should serve as a warning to the whole country which, on the other hand, does not seem to want to hear reasons to quickly forget the protective measures still needed.