Now that the Omicron wave has passed, new guidance from the CDC lowers Greene County to “medium” risk of COVID-19 transmission — easing the CDC’s masking recommendation for the county.
Before this change, Greene County was classified as high in risk for coronavirus transmission. The CDC recommends those in areas of high risk to wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of their vaccination status. But there is no such recommendation for communities at medium risk for the virus.
It was noted in a Springfield-Greene County Health Department press release announcing the change that masking is still a welcome step to protect the community, even if it is no longer a CDC recommendation.
“Community members are still welcome to mask as an added precaution, especially if you have regular contact with someone who is immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease.”
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“We want to prevent our community from rising to what the CDC considers a high impact area, which includes additional recommendations for prevention strategies like masking regardless of vaccination status. Taking precautions now, such as staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and following testing, quarantine and isolation guidelines if you are exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19, can help reduce the risk of moving into the high impact threshold, and hopefully help us move into the low impact area.”
Despite this change, individual businesses and organizations are also welcome to continue encouraging or requiring masking in their facilities. The CDC’s updated guidance does not apply in healthcare settings, so masking is still recommended in area hospitals and in other healthcare facilities, like nursing homes and doctors’ offices.
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The CDC uses three metrics to measure community impact level:
- Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days.
- Percent of inpatient beds occupied by a COVID-19 patient.
- New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people in the last seven days.
According to CDC data from Feb. 24, Greene County has 154.9 new cases per 100,000 people, 12 percent occupied inpatient beds and 18.7 new hospital admissions per 100,000 people.
In counties with fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 people, indicators for medium impact are:
- 10-14.9 percent of inpatient beds occupied by a COVID-19 patient.
- 10-19.9 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people in the last seven days.
Cases and hospitalizations will continue to be monitored by the CDC to provide up to date impact assessments over time. You can view local COVID-19 data any time on the Health Department COVID-19 dashboard.
