COVID PM: Santa Cruz optimism, big masking move by the CDC & more

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It was another busy day on the pandemic beat. Here are your COVID PM storylines for Thursday, May 13 …

On the local front

Santa Cruz County health officials give an update on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Cruz County — Credit: Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz COVID updates: Amid ‘hopeful’ signs, county officials hammer vaccination message: Santa Cruz County health officials gave a positive pandemic update Thursday — “I’m feeling very hopeful,” Dr. Gail Newel said — but warned that risks remain serious for the unvaccinated. More from our Mallory Pickett on that here.

On the masking front

REDONDO BEACH, CA - APRIL 27: People walk along the pier on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 in Redondo Beach, CA. U.S. health officials say fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers (Associated Press). (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) — People walk along the pier in Redondo Beach in April 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in most indoor and all outdoor activities without wearing a mask. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

What the CDC mask changes mean for travel, shopping, gatherings, outdoor life and more: In a momentous turn in the fight against COVID-19, federal officials are significantly easing mask guidelines as the threat of the pandemic rapidly fades. But some officials are asking people to refrain from pulling off their face coverings until the county and state have had a chance to to review the recommendations. More from the LA Times here.

L.A. won’t immediately follow CDC’s relaxed mask rules: People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can stop wearing masks in most places, the CDC announced. But L.A. County officials said it will be a week or more before changes would be considered locally. More from the Times here.

On the vaccine front

Covid 19 vaccine vocab_LA_thmb — Credit: File photo

Latinos are the most eager to get vaccinated, survey shows — but face obstacles: A new survey shows that unvaccinated Hispanics are almost twice as likely as unvaccinated Blacks or whites to want a COVID-19 vaccination. But many still face a variety of access problems, ranging from fear to time squeeze. More from Kaiser Health News on that here.

On the science front

Did the coronavirus escape from a lab? The idea deserves a second look, scientists say: In a letter published Thursday in the journal Science, 18 scientists argue that there is not yet enough evidence to rule out the possibility that the SARS-CoV-2 virus escaped from a lab in China, and they call for a “proper investigation” into the matter. More on that from the Times here.