As California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in a press conference on Thursday, the state is moving to the "next phase" of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does that truly look like for the state with the omicron variant's surge slowing?
KCBS Radio reporter Kathy Novak told "Bay Current" on Friday that the governor and state officials are going to rely on a specific set of guidelines to cohabitate with the coronavirus in the future.
"The overall message is that California is moving into the next phase," Novak said. "This was a picture that we are moving into the next phase together, but that we are in a stage where we are living with COVID and it’s not going anywhere. It's not an emergency or a crisis."
Newsom dubbed the plan "SMARTER," standing for "shots," "masks," "awareness," "readiness," "testing," "education" and "Rx," meaning widely accessible treatments and therapeutics.
This, the governor said, will prepare the state for what some experts are calling the endemic stage of COVID-19, when the virus remains at a baseline level in the population like the flu.
"This has been part of the debate among doctors who are talking about pandemic versus endemic, and it’s still up for debate," Novak said. "There are doctors who are arguing that it’s not endemic now and that should not be the goal. Neither Governor Newsom nor the secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, used the word 'endemic.' It was more of a general idea of living with COVID.”
The debate will continue, but Newsom’s announcement on Thursday gave an overall framework for what Californians can expect during the next year.
"As the governor put it, 'California has your back,' " Novak added. "People in the background are still doing the planning for the next variant or virus. This is about being in a position so we are not caught flat-footed again."
