Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: Bulletin 1

Testing

Testing is still an important Public Health tool

What’s coming next? While the Omicron surge has declined dramatically, over 1,000 Americans are still dying daily from COVID-19. Europe is in the midst of a second Omicron surge fueled by the even more infectious (though not more severe) Omicron BA.2 variant, which is now becoming dominant in the US. US wastewater monitoring is also suggesting rising COVID-19 again, and some states are seeing rising rates. While it is unclear how significant any increase will be, it is not the time to decrease readiness or testing.

• In most California schools, masks are now strongly recommended. Testing continues to be a key public health tool to stop the spread in schools, and out to households and the community.
• COVID hasn’t stopped, why stop free testing flyer (linked below) 

At-home tests: More than 10 million at-home rapid tests are being distributed by FEMA and County Offices of Education to allow families to test before gatherings during Spring Break, and before return-to-school. Coordinating with families to input at-home test results on Primary.Health helps with data tracking and community-awareness of COVID-19 spread.

If your school has not heard about when to expect the tests contact your County Office of Education.

Please see below for example

In the News 

Masking

Masking: Research shows that schools with mandatory masking during the delta surge had approximately 72% fewer cases of in-school transmission of COVID-19 when compared to schools with optional or partial-masking policies. The study by the National Institutes of Health included more than 1.1 million students and over 157,000 staff at schools in nine states, including California.  

• If everyone is not required to mask indoors at your school, make sure that - at a minimum - people who return early after isolation and test negative, mask until 10 days have passed, and all those who have been exposed are masking.