The day Californians have been waiting for has finally arrived – masking is no longer required indoors throughout the state, with the exception of certain counties.
But most experts are still advising caution, at least for the next few weeks as case numbers become clearer.
Although cases have decreased in the Bay Area in recent weeks, recently there has been a slight uptick in numbers according to Dr. Warner Greene, Senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes and Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology at UCSF on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" on Wednesday with Holly Quan and Eric Thomas.
The decision to keep masking is now up to individuals, he said. People should take into consideration who in their inner circle may be affected, such as those high risk or who can't get vaccinated, if they choose to go without masks, and decide accordingly.
In the past, the state relied on case rates to make decisions regarding masking, he said. Cases less than 50 per 100,000 or even better, 10 per 100,000, are the sweet spot.
"But I believe the CDC is going to move to a very different formulation," said Greene. "Reading the tea leaves," he said, the new formula is likely to take into account the severity of infection and hospitalization rather than just case numbers.
This change is likely to happen soon.
"I think we're near a tipping point in this pandemic," he said. As time goes on, we’re likely to reach a pretty safe stage.
We aren't there yet, but the Bay Area is in a pretty strong position, he said, with its high vaccination rates.
But in the meantime, Greene's concern is centered on young children, "the less than 5-year-olds who can’t be vaccinated yet," he said. "They are still highly vulnerable to omicron."
Although omicron doesn't usually cause serious illness in this age group, over 500 young children have died from COVID-19 and there is still a risk for long-COVID-19.
"It's not a completely innocuous infection," said Greene.
The vaccine for those younger than age 5 is being developed, but the approval has been delayed, and won’t likely be approved until mid to late April.
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