Today marks the end of California鈥檚 . The declaration gave Gov. Gavin Newsom broader powers to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Its end suggests the pandemic is entering a less serious phase.
DAVIS CAMPUS
Ending today (Feb. 28):
- Interim Public Health Policy 290-01, aligning the campus with county, state and federal guidance
- Daily Symptom Survey
What does the end of the state of emergency mean for Californians? How will it affect our everyday lives? We posed these questions to infectious disease specialists at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Health:
- , chief of infectious diseases
- , chief of pediatric infectious diseases
- , associate clinical professor of infectious diseases
Here are their answers:
How worried should people be about COVID-19 right now?
Blumberg: 鈥淎t this point in the pandemic, most people have some sort of immunity to COVID from vaccination or infection 鈥 or both. The risk of severe disease is less at this point, but it鈥檚 not zero. COVID is becoming more like . Most people who are not at high risk will be inconvenienced if infected, but the risk of hospitalization or death is low. Of course, remember that , so vaccination for both COVID and flu remains important.鈥
Cohen: 鈥淭hat could still happen. We need to start living like COVID will be with us forever. That means high-risk people should be cautious and get vaccinated.鈥
Tuznik: 鈥淲e hear stories about people looking to get COVID infections and 鈥榡ust getting it over with.鈥 It is important to remember that the risk of COVID infection comes with the possibility of , so it is not just as 鈥榮imple鈥 as getting over a common cold. COVID could come with detrimental long-term consequences 鈥 including some that are still unknown.鈥
So, we should continue to mask?
Blumberg: 鈥淒epending on your and your family鈥檚 risk factors, some may wish to in high-risk situations. Those situations might include being indoors with those who don鈥檛 live in your household. I continue to recommend masking for prolonged indoor exposures, such as air travel.鈥
Will care teams and patients still wear masks in clinic settings?
Tuznik: 鈥淵es, we still need to wear masks in patient care areas, at least for the time being. Patients are still instructed to wear masks at our clinics.鈥
Blumberg: 鈥淭he masking requirements in patient care areas will be influenced by federal and state public health guidance. It makes sense to me to continue in clinical settings.鈥
How important is it to stay home from work or school when feeling sick?
Blumberg: 鈥淚 hope that one important lesson learned from the pandemic is an appreciation for not coming to work or school when potentially contagious with COVID or other infection.鈥
Tuznik: 鈥淎bsolutely important. At 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Health, employees are still expected to report symptoms, test and stay home based on guidance from our .鈥
How important are COVID vaccines and boosters at this point?
Blumberg: 鈥 have helped to end the pandemic and save lives. Studies show that through November 2022, COVID vaccines saved more than 18 million lives in the U.S.鈥
Cohen: 鈥淰accines will be important in limiting the severity of the illness, less so in preventing infection.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
What does the end of the emergency mean for our day-to-day lives?
Blumberg: 鈥淭his is a return to common-sense prevention of getting sick. It will still be important to stay home if you鈥檙e sick, avoid people who have symptoms, mask in high-risk situations, and wash your hands. If infected, patients can contact their health care provider if they wish to lessen the risk of severe infection by .鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Were there positive lessons during the pandemic?
Tuznik: 鈥淎 鈥榞ood鈥 thing to come out of the pandemic is more awareness about personal and public infection prevention measures. This includes good, thorough handwashing in addition to the strong emphasis on vaccines 鈥 and not just against COVID.鈥
Blumberg: 鈥淭elehealth services, such as , have made connecting with health care providers more convenient. This has been especially important for those who don鈥檛 live close to a doctor鈥檚 office or hospital. Many people have enjoyed working remotely. Importantly, I hope that we all appreciate the work of our public health officials.鈥
Cohen: 鈥淩emote meetings allow inclusion of more people. However, the downside to this is that seeing people on a screen is not seeing people in real life. As for the pandemic response, it鈥檚 easy to take shots in retrospect. But remember that over one million Americans died. Even if every step taken by the decision makers in health care wasn鈥檛 perfect, it was to save people鈥檚 lives. Health care workers took many risks. We did the best we all could do.鈥
Media Resources
Pamela Wu is director of communications and media relations for 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Health, and can be reached at 916-734-9040 or by email.