SAN DIEGO — Is it time for California to move from a pandemic approach to an endemic approach when it comes to COVID-19? Governor Newsom believes so and made an announcement Thursday afternoon outlining how the state is going to do just that.
A pandemic is an epidemic that's spread out over several countries or continents. That's what we saw across the globe with COVID-19.
An endemic is something that belongs to a particular people or country.
Dr. Argentina Servin with the University of California San Diego Department of Infectious Diseases said California is already experiencing another type of endemic.
"Tuberculosis is a disease that's considered endemic to certain regions like California and our neighbors in Baja California because of the climate, et cetera but not everybody gets it," Sevrin said.
Governor Newsom's announced SMARTER Plan works to make sure Californians have access to necessities like masks as well as PCR and rapid tests to help mitigate and monitor the virus' spread.
“We’re moving from this crisis mentality and moving from a reactive framework," Newsom said. "We are smarter two years later. We are more adaptable. We are more capable. We are taking a more sensible, and I would argue a more sustainable, healthcare approach. We are not walking away. We're taking the lessons learned and leaning into the future."
RELATED: 'There is no end date' | Gov. Newsom announces California's shift to 'endemic' approach to COVID
The SMARTER plan is an acronym for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and RX.
- Shots- Vaccines are the most powerful weapon against hospitalization and serious illness
- Masks- Properly worn masks with good filtration help slow the spread of COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses
- Awareness- We will continue to stay aware of how COVID-19 is spreading, evolving variants, communicate clearly how people should protect themselves, and coordinate our state and local government response
- Readiness- COVID-19 isn't going away and we need to be ready with tools, resources and supplies we will need to quickly respond and keep public health and the health care system well prepared
- Testing- Getting the right types of tests - PCR or Antigen - to where they are needed most. Testing will help California minimize the spread of COVID-19
- Education- California will continue to work to keep schools open and children safely in classrooms for in-person instruction
- Rx- Evolving and improving treatments will become increasingly available and critical as a tool to save lives
The governor says the virus will still exist but has become more manageable as immunity builds. Dr. Servin cautions Californians to remain vigilant to better protect themselves, their family and their community.
“Regardless of the mask mandate, my family and I continue to wear masks, we try to avoid crowded spaces, we always wear a mask indoors, we try to be as safe as we can," Severin said. "If you are immunocompromised, if you have pre-existing conditions then get your booster and continue to practice all of the things that we do know that work."
Dr. Servin says as the state looks forward to the endemic phase in the fight against COVID-19 continue to expect guidelines to change as scientists are doing their best to predict what mother nature does next. "Not all of these models can account for mutations of the virus and variants. They can't account for that."
Because the virus is still a pandemic in other countries, Dr. Servin also shares that Californians should beware when traveling as some countries don't have the same level of access to the vaccines as we do. "For example, Haiti is less than 1% vaccinated. Afghanistan is 10% so those are important things to consider."
Governor Newsom says the state is doing what it can to adjust to our new normal. "We have all come to understand what was not understood at the beginning of this crisis, that there is no end date."
In the plan, the state will move away from its’ blanket public health measures and shift that responsibility largely to local governments.
The SMARTER Plan also includes benchmarks like stockpiling at least 75 million masks and the capacity to perform at least 500,000 tests and administer 200,000 vaccines per day. Governor Newsom emphasizes that California isn't moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather the state is moving forward.
WATCH: 'There is no end date' | Gov. Newsom announces California's shift to 'endemic' approach to COVID
RELATED: Fact Sheet: COVID-19 omicron variant