By Ricardo Roura
17 Jul 2024, 22:45 PM EDT
COVID cases in Southern California have seen a significant increase during the summer, when residents become more complacent about health safety measures.
According to doctors, This relaxed attitude of people towards the coronavirus may be driving the spread to increase of the most recent variant of the virus called FLiRT.
“It has spread quite a bit“Dr. Suman Radhakrishna, an infectious disease specialist at Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center, told ABC.
Radhakrishna mentioned that The FLiRT variant is 20% more contagious than the original virusbut it is less likely to cause severe illness, which could be another reason people are neglecting proper health safety measures taken with other, more dangerous variants.
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“Many people who walks around there who does not present symptoms”They hug, they kiss, they share food,” he said.
I agree with you Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)California’s wastewater has reached very high levels of COVID presence for the first time since last winter.
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Officials of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health They said other indicators, such as the number of cases and hospitalizations, have doubled over the past month.
Experts have said that people are forgetting important lessons that were learned during the coronavirus pandemic, How to get tested for COVID or isolate yourself in case of having contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
“You should tell yourself, ‘If I test positive, I’m going to stop transmission right here and I’m going to quarantine myself for the prescribed five-day period.’ Every person has a duty to protect everyone around them.“So we should do our part,” said Dr. Radhakrishna.
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Doctors said that in addition to those measures, Vaccination is still the best weapon to attack COVIDand that summer can be a good time to strengthen immunity against the disease, especially among those people who belong to vulnerable groups.
“The situation is very bad for those with a compromised immune system and for those who suffer the consequences of the infection,” Radhakrishna said.
Keep reading: End of COVID vaccination mandate for Los Angeles city workers
For now, It is recommended to resume health protection measures, such as covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing.maintain a prudent social distance, get tested for COVID if necessary and seek vaccination to boost immunity.
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