Should I wear a mask in Sacramento County? Here’s what CDC advises at current risk level

Sacramento County, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is at a medium risk community COVID-19 level.

The ranking, which is updated weekly on Thursdays, means residents may consider wearing a mask as an “additional precaution to protect yourself and others” but those at high risk or those who test positive for the virus should continue to use quality face coverings.

Here’s what you need to know about the CDC’s recommendations during a medium community level, COVID-19 transmission levels in both Sacramento County and California, plus a glimpse at the state’s COVID-19 numbers compared to one year ago.

What does a medium community level mean?

The CDC has a low, medium and high rank to determine recommended actions people in a specific county should take. The rating depends on the area’s case rate, new COVID-19 hospital admissions and number of beds used by coronavirus patients.

As of Thursday, according to CDC’s COVID-19 data, Sacramento County’s caste rate sits at 51.2 per 100,000, with a hospital admissions rate of 12 per 100,000. More than 7% of staffed in-patient hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Since December, the county’s weekly cases show a downward trend.

Residents of Sacramento County are advised to 1) wear a quality mask if they’re high risk of becoming sick and 2) consider self-testing and wearing a mask when in contact with a high-risk individual.

Regardless of the COVID-19 community level, according to previous Bee reporting, residents should do the following:

What is the COVID-19 transmission rate in California?

State health data, last updated Wednesday, showed Sacramento County with the fifth largest group of COVID-positive patients in hospital beds.

Sacramento County recorded 171 positive patients, a decrease from 254 patients on Dec. 20.

Los Angeles County, the most populated county in California, took the top spot with 844 COVID-positive patients in hospital beds.

In Sacramento, according to the California’s official COVID-19 case tracker, an average of 124 COVID-19 cases and two deaths are reported per day. Sacramento’s seven-day test positivity rate sits at 5.4%

The majority of California counties are in low risk level, according to the CDC, with 17 in medium and zero counties in the high category.

CALIFORNIA COVID-19 NUMBERS

California’sdaily average sits at nearly 4,000 cases — or 10 new cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest available data, updated Thursday.

The data used in this interactive line graph, collected by Johns Hopkins University, was last updated January 2023. Johns Hopkins and state data vary, but show a similar trend. Here is a look at California’s COVID-19 cases, plus the state’s seven-day average from January 2022 to January 2023:

Since the pandemic began nearly three years ago, according to California’s COVID-19 case tracker, the state has recorded 10.9 million cases and 98,000 deaths as of Thursday.

Close to three-quarters of the California population is vaccinated with the primary series. Roughly 23% of people have received the bivalent booster.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.

Related stories from Sacramento Bee

Brianna Taylor covers affordability on The Sacramento Bee’s service journalism desk as well as general news. Before joining The Bee in 2021, she reported in Missouri and Maryland. She grew up on the East Coast and is a graduate of Morgan State University.

Source