The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested Wednesday that new masking guidance could be issued soon that would be tied to COVID-19 hospitalization rates in a given community.

“We must consider hospital capacity as an additional important barometer,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a news briefing. “Our hospitals need to be able to take care of people with heart attacks and strokes. Our emergency departments can't be so overwhelmed that patients with emergent issues have to wait in line.”

Walensky said the CDC will put guidance in place that will allow people to take a break from safety measures such as masking when conditions have improved but that can be reimplemented in communities that experience a surge in severe cases. 

“We all share the same goal to get to a point where COVID-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives, a time when it won't be a constant crisis, rather something we can prevent, protect against and treat,” she said, adding the that CDC is conducting a review of all its COVID guidance, not just masking.

Last week, 10 states led by Democratic governors announced they were lifting mask mandates in indoor public places and/or schools despite the CDC still recommending that people age 2 and older wear masks indoors in areas where COVID-19 transmission is substantial or high, which include 97% of the country. 

Only three states — Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington — have neither dropped their indoor mask mandates nor announced plans to do so.

In recent weeks, Democratic governors have joined Republicans in expressing their desire to turn the page from the pandemic phase to an endemic one more closely resembling normalcy.

The number of cases nationwide has plummeted 82% from the mid-January omicron peak of more than 800,000 new infections a day to about 147,000 a day now. Cases are falling in all 50 states.

Meanwhile, around 74,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 — about half as many as four weeks ago. Deaths are down 12% over two weeks to about 2,200 a day.  

But, while conditions are quickly improving, the numbers still remain relatively high compared to other points of the pandemic.

Walensky said last week that the CDC was encouraged by the falling number of COVID cases but added “we’re not there yet” in terms of it being the right time to drop masking requirements.

A day later, President Joe Biden said he thought Democratic governors were "probably premature" in lifting mask mandates, but he stopped short of lashing out at them, saying, “It’s a tough call.”

Walensky stressed Wednesday that after the CDC loosens its masking guidance, people should continue to wear face coverings in certain situations, including when they feel symptomatic or are within 10 days of a COVID diagnosis. 

Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said any change to the guidance will be “driven by science and public health” and be made by the CDC.