Some communities are experiencing an upsurge in respiratory diseases and hospitalizations, which may prompt people to wear face masks again.
Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the recent spike in cases might warrant wearing face masks indoors. The agency reported that several communities, including New York City and Los Angeles, are rated “high” for COVID levels. In addition, the agency revealed it is monitoring the rise of other respiratory illnesses, including the flu and RSV, which are causing a nationwide shortage of hospital beds and medication, according to PEOPLE.
New York City health officials sent a warning earlier this month urging all schools to reinstate the requirement that kids wear face masks, even if they have received their vaccinations.
When asked if they intended to follow suit if COVID cases continued to grow, officials from Los Angeles responded yes.
Since February, the CDC dropped its nationwide mask recommendation and advised local governments only to retain mask mandates if COVID transmission levels are high.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing when our levels are low and then have the ability to reach for them again,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “Should things get worse in the future, we, as the CDC, will continue to follow the science and epidemiology to make public health recommendations and guidance.”
In the U.S., flu season has arrived more than a month earlier than usual, and influenza-related hospitalizations have reached unprecedented levels since the H1N1 pandemic of 2009.
“It’s unusual, but we’re coming out of an unusual COVID pandemic that has really affected influenza and other respiratory viruses that are circulating,” said Lynnette Brammer, epidemiologist and head of the CDC’s domestic influenza surveillance team.
