Louisiana is hurtling toward a fifth surge in COVID-19 infections, and once again the state’s top health officials are urging the public, regardless of their vaccination status, to commit to mask-wearing in indoor public settings to slow the virus’ spread and protect the vulnerable.
“Vaccination is what’s going to end this pandemic for us, but masking is what can stop a surge,” state epidemiologist Theresa Sokol said.
Whether that recommendation turns into a mandate is up to Gov. John Bel Edwards.
The Democratic governor lifted Louisiana’s statewide mask requirement at the end of October, as the fourth wave of the coronavirus, fueled by the delta variant, tapered off. Earlier this month, Edwards said he hoped he’d never have to reinstate a mask mandate, but cautioned that “everything is on the table,” especially if hospitals grew overwhelmed.
“We don’t want to go back there,” Edwards said Dec. 3. “I don’t see that on the horizon.”
But since then, Louisiana has experienced a startling uptick in coronavirus infections, fueled by the fast-spreading omicron variant. New cases have more than doubled in the past week, renewing fears of yet another major outbreak that could lead to serious illnesses and deaths and once again push the state’s hospital system to the breaking point.
Edwards isn’t scheduled to hold a press conference until after the New Year. Still, additional restrictions could come as soon as Wednesday, when the governor is expected to issue a new proclamation extending Louisiana’s public health emergency for another month.
“It would be our hope that we wouldn’t have to put additional mitigation measures into place, but we’re going to let the advice of public health experts guide what we’re going to do as we’ve done the entire pandemic,” said Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for the governor.
That advice seems straightforward: masks are needed.
“Really where we need to be right now is that everyone – fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, boosted, or completely unvaccinated – we need to be masking in indoor public settings,” Sokol, one of Edwards’ top public health advisers, said at a press briefing Monday.
On Tuesday, the state Department of Health reported another 1,165 confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the weekly total to 5,667 infections, nearly triple the weekly rate a month ago.
The growing surge is so far centered in the New Orleans area, which accounted for nearly half the state’s cases in the past week. Another 12% of cases came from the Shreveport area.
The Baton Rouge area accounted for about 8.7% of all those cases and the River Parishes and Lafayette region accounted for another 6% each.
So far, hospitalizations remain relatively low, though it’s not clear whether that will change as the virus continues to spread. There were 265 patients hospitalized with COVID on Monday, the last day for which data is available, an increase of about a third since the week before.
If everyone starts wearing masks again, Louisiana could avoid the worst of another surge, said Dr. Catherine O’Neal, an infectious disease expert and associate professor at LSU Health Sciences.
“Each time they’ve added masks, our rates have started to fall again,” O’Neal, physician-in-chief at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, said Monday.
“You don’t need a mandate to wear masks,” noted Dr. Katherine Baumgarten, director of infection control and prevention at Ochsner Health. “We know that masks work. It’s clear from the data. Everyone who is gathering should wear mask indoors.”
Experts have warned the new strain’s mutations make it highly transmissible and may allow it reinfect even those who have protection, either from the vaccine or prior infections. Health officials have stressed that those who have been vaccinated and received their booster shot are likely to experience significantly milder symptoms – or be asymptomatic – compared to those who have not received their shots.
Masks offer another layer of defense for the wearer, but more importantly, they help protect those who are immunocompromised or otherwise medically fragile in the community from getting infected, O’Neal said.
“When we look at masking, it’s very much akin to just being a good neighbor,” O’Neal said.
There has been early evidence from outbreaks overseas that the omicron variant may lead to less severe outcomes than prior strains, though many experts warn it is still too early to say whether that will hold true as the virus spreads. They have also expressed concern that even if severe illness is less likely with omicron, its wide spread could still send so many people to the hospitals that the health care system is once again at risk of being overwhelmed.
The latest surge comes as Louisianans prepare to gather for Christmas, and O’Neal said simple actions like wearing a mask can help families enjoy each other’s company without contributing to the spread. She’s particularly looking forward to her nephew’s basketball tournament in Lafayette.
“Am I going to wear a mask while I’m there? Absolutely. Because I can scream through a mask, and I’m going to be protecting the people around me and I’m going to be protected by my mask,” O’Neal said.