What pandemic? That appears to be the sentiment of around 20 percent of California's population.
More than one out of every five California adults surveyed by UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research said they "never" or only "sometimes" followed state COVID-19 guidelines.
Todd Hughes, the director of the California Health Interview Survey, told KNX these are largely the same people who are ignoring the state's recommendation to get vaccinated.
“Those who had not been vaccinated and those who said they would not get the vaccine were even more likely to report that they never or only sometimes followed the state and local guidelines,” said Hughes.
If the current LA County mask mandate is meant to protect the unvaccinated from the highly contagious Delta variant, Hughes’ survey revealed another worrying pattern of behavior.
“Only about two-thirds of [unvaccinated people] said they always wore a mask when they left their home during the mask mandate,” he said.
Health officials expressed their concern with Californians ignoring state guidelines but suggested looking at the survey to help increase the vaccination rate.
“Following various safety precautions is a vital part of the state’s recovery from COVID-19, so the information provided can help groups who are trying to increase vaccination rates, give financial assistance, or simply access resources on staying healthy as we make our way out of this pandemic,” said Dr. Ninez Ponce, an investigator for the survey, in a statement.
There appeared to be an economic divide when it came to attitudes toward the vaccine. The poorest adults were more likely to say they would not get the vaccine, compared to adults with the highest income levels. Additionally, uninsured adults were more likely to have a positive test result.
“Whether looking at different racial and ethnic groups, or other demographic factors such as income, education, or geographic region, we continue to see disparities among COVID-19 impacts especially after the winter 2020–2021 case surge,” said Hughes in a statement.
The survey showed more than half of California adults broke protocol by having at least one gathering with people outside their household while state guidelines were in effect.