Increasing Incidence Rates Prompt Tri-County Health To Endorse New Mask Guidance
(CBS4) - Tri-County Health officials say they support new guidance on masks from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The department says everyone, including those how are vaccinated, should wear a masks in public indoor places.
Scientists and research show the Delta variant spreads more easily between people. TCHD says they saw a 172% increase in the 7-day incidence rate for Adams County on July 29 when there were 76 COVID cases per 100,000 compared to the data taken a month prior on June 26.
In Arapahoe County, there was a 142% jump, and Douglas County showed a 163% increase for the same statistic.
"Although we think a resumption of wearing masks in schools and public indoor settings can be a useful measure to stem increases in transmission, it's quite clear that getting vaccinated as soon as possible is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19," said John M. Douglas, Jr., MD, Executive Director of Tri-County Health Department.
All three counties, part of TCHD, are considered "substantial" on the CDC's zones of transmission.
"Universal masking should be understood not as a requirement but as a strong science-based recommendation," TCHD said in a statement on Friday.