On Sept. 17, the state of California rescinded its weekly testing requirement for healthcare workers unvaccinated against COVID-19 due to religious or medical exemptions.
The omicron variant showed vaccinated, boosted and previously infected individuals can still get COVID-19. Therefore, mandating testing in a small population of unvaccinated workers is not as effective in preventing transmission as it was when other variants dominated cases in the U.S., according to a Sept. 13 release from the state's health department.
Eighty percent of Californians 12 and older are vaccinated, and 48 percent have received a booster dose, according to the release.