The cycle continues as OC issues indoor mask mandates - Spectrum News 1

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IRVINE, Calif. — Among the adjacent sidewalks, students around the University of California, Irvine, hurry about and chat, fully masked, as they have been since in-person classes returned.

Even as restrictions are lifted, some have become accustomed, and more comfortable, sticking with longstanding protocols.

What You Need To Know

Orange County issued an indoor mask mandate Wednesday, Dec. 15

The omicron variant is still an unknown quantity

Early estimates suggest worst-case scenarios see 500,000 new cases each day

But officials are not sure yet how easily it spreads, or how dangerous it is when contracted

While the county has returned to an indoor mask mandate, little has changed in the city as medical experts still try to wrap their minds around a new variant.

“We just don’t know all that much. People keep saying it’s mild but I don't think we have enough data to say it’s mild. But COVID is mild for most people,” said Andrew Noymer, a UC, Irvine epidemiologist. “That’s the weird truth.”

Projections are still early. The University of Texas projects, assuming omicron is as transmissible as the delta variant – that by Feb. 3, 2022, there will be twice as many deaths as the same time in 2021.

The study also accounts for omicron should it be just 50% more infectious.

“We are posting these results prior to peer review to provide intuition for both policymakers and the public regarding the immediate threat of the omicron variant,” the report said.

That is to say, the experts still aren’t sure.

It’s another step in an ascending staircase of new variants each of uncertain potency. While the new variant could see 500,000 new cases each day by January, the number could also be well below 200,000 a day or even fewer.

“I don’t think it’s going to be catastrophic,” Noymer said.

Still, government health czars can’t stand pat. County superintendents and school administrators will continue to be forced to make decisions on new variants before enough information has arrived to allow a comprehensive understanding.

It’s the latest in a series of signals from decision-makers, in California and nationwide, showing that regular COVID-19 responses are the new normal. While business continues, there’s an effort to ratchet up safety measures enough to ensure it can continue.

But decision-makers are constantly eyeing worst-case scenarios.

A Maryland school district recently announced it would return students to online learning. In California, rising COVID-19 infection rates paired with flu leave some officials wondering if businesses should again be asked to restrict the number of customers inside at any one time.