On Friday The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocated "Universal Face Mask Use,” for the first time, saying Americans should wear a face mask anytime they are not at home.
The U.S. is over 15 million total COVID-19 cases since the inception of the pandemic, along with 6 million active cases included in that number. America has suffered almost 288,000 deaths. Those figures include over 174,000 new cases and over 2,000 new deaths according to worldometers.info this morning.
“With colder weather, more time spent indoors, the ongoing U.S. holiday season, and silent spread of disease, with approximately 50% of transmission from asymptomatic persons … the United States has entered a phase of high-level transmission where a multi-pronged approach to implementing all evidence-based public health strategies at both the individual and community levels is essential,” the agency said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Certain underlying medical conditions also increase the risk for severe illness or death of persons of any age with COVID-19. Long-term care facilities serve older adults and persons with complex medical conditions and COVID-19 can spread rapidly in these settings which can result in high rates of morbidity and mortality. To prevent the introduction and transmission of Covid, these facilities should implement strict infection prevention and control measures and expanded screening testing of both staff members and residents to rapidly identify and isolate infected persons.
The CDC said other steps everyone can take to stop the spread include maintaining social distance, staying out of indoor spaces whenever possible, postponing travel, increase room air ventilation and hand washing.