Public Health Says Vulnerable Residents Should Take Precautions Against COVID-19

Because of the circulation of the BA.2 subvariant, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends that the most vulnerable people take precautions against catching the variant. This includes people who are not vaccinated, are immunocompromised, have underlying health conditions or are exposed to a lot of people. The recommended precautions include getting vaccinated or boosted, wearing a mask or ventilator like N95 or KN95 while in indoor public settings, and getting tested before and after gatherings. The department recommended that people who are traveling for spring break or religious holidays follow these precautions as well.

The department said there are about 2.6 million residents in the county who are eligible for a booster shot, and 1.7 million who are unvaccinated.

The department also said that people who were vaccinated were less likely to become infected, and less likely to need hospitalization if they are infected. It said that people who were not vaccinated were two times more likely to be infected, and that unvaccinated people were six times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated and boosted people.