United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated on Sunday that local officials have the right to reimpose guidelines to mitigate the prevalence of COVID-19 amid a surge in cases ignited by the Delta variant.
According to Murthy, they are witnessing rises, particularly among unvaccinated people in numerous parts of the US.
He agreed with the latest guideline of Los Angeles county reinstating face mask mandates for residents inside public spaces regardless of vaccine status, calling it "very reasonable."
Delta Variant Is Most Common COVID-19 Strain
The Delta variant has surfaced as the most common COVID-19 strain in the US in the past few weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC), it accounted for at least 58% of novel coronavirus cases recorded from June 20 to July 3.
Murthy also accused social media companies for igniting coronavirus vaccine misinformation. He remarked that allowing inoculated individuals to forgo masks also provides communities the choice to revert to mask mandates in accordance with immunization rates and new infections.
He said he is "deeply concerned" regarding the COVID-19 scene in the autumn. He is a surgeon general who is a top government spokesperson on issues of public health matters, reported Mint.
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Murthy remarked that amid the advent of a highly transmissible variant of the virus, he expected other areas to reimplement such guidelines. He said, "In areas where there are low numbers of vaccinated people, or where cases are rising, it's very reasonable for counties to take more mitigation measures like the mask rules you see coming out in LA, and I anticipate that will happen in other parts of the country," reported WION.
He also prompted the public to get inoculated. He affirmed them that the current series of vaccines are very much effective against the virus. The inoculated people are "highly protected" and 99.5 percent of the fatalities reported from the COVID-19 infection are among those who are uninoculated, according to the Asian-American doctor, reported Business Standard.
Local officials have to reimpose guidelines amid surge
For the previous two months, the CDC has stated that immunized individuals are allowed to enter public, indoor spaces without bearing a face mask.
With the government agency's guidelines on face masks, Murthy said there is the "flexibility" for local officials to implement mandates to help mitigate outbreaks. He stated in areas where there are large numbers of uninoculated people and where cases are climbing, it is "very reasonable" for counties to implement more mitigation guidelines. He anticipates that will transpire in the US' other area, which is not contravening to the guidance issued by the CDC.
The CDC remarked that 68 percent of adults in the United States have been administered at least one vaccine dose against COVID-19. Data from Johns Hopkins University indicates that at least 12,960 new confirmed cases were reported throughout the United States on Sunday.
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