SACRAMENTO, Calif — As California continues to slowly reopen, the last thing people want to see is a spike in coronavirus cases.
Dr. Stuart Cohen, chief of Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Health, says Sacramento County has done a great job of flattening the curve, but he now feels the county might be heading in the wrong direction.
"I do think that opening up the state has led to some increased cases," explained Dr. Cohen. "I think everyone expected that there would be some increases, but I think these are a little bit higher than we thought."
Reopening the state is not the only thing that could potentially lead to a surge in new cases. Last week, nine counties reported a spike in new cases or hospitalizations, some of which came from Memorial Day gatherings, nursing homes, and prisons.
"The other thing that's sort of hard to judge right now is how the demonstrations are going to play in all of this as well," Dr. Cohen said.
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Now that California is reopening, health experts emphasize the importance of wearing masks, but keep in mind that masks aren't 100% effective.
"If I'm wearing even a cloth mask or a standard surgical mask, there's going to be virus that's going to get through that mask, it's not like an N95," Dr. Cohen said.
Face coverings are meant to slow the spread of the virus by keeping droplets out of the air and away from people nearby. Even as California reopens, masks might not be going away any time soon.
"I think that we have to see how the pandemic is going to go, but the expectation is that the coronavirus will be around. Right now, I would suggest masking until somebody says not to," Dr. Cohen said.
Dr. Cohen also said that, while face coverings provide an extra layer of protection, he still strongly encourages people to practice social distancing and avoid large crowds.
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