After celebrating what they believed would be a return of normal, experts in the region had celebrated a surge in Covid-19-related infections.
Recent days have seen San Francisco’s infection rates rise to almost 20 times their level in June. Two of the city’s hospitals reported that over 200 employees have tested positive for the virus.
“It teaches that no one can be invincible,” Dr Peter Chinhong, associate dean at UCSF and specialist in infectious diseases, said.
This surge in cases is occurring as California and the country have experienced continued increases in infection rates. Federal officials acknowledged that the “war has changed” and that the new Delta variant of chicken pox is just as contagious.
The return to mask wearing sees the San Francisco Bay Area join other parts of the state, including Los Angeles and Sacramento, that have already reimposed mandates as cases climb across the state.
New California cases have jumped from fewer than 900 a day at the end of May to more than 9,000 a day now, according to state data. In late June, the national number of new cases was around 12,000 per day. But, they are now at more than 78,000 per day.
Chin-Hong was one of those who believed that San Francisco’s 77% vaccination rate would help it withstand future surges. “When the state reopened, it felt like we were invincible. He said, “But now we know that we are not.”
He predicts however that the city’s high vaccination rates will prevent the massive surges in hospitalizations like those that have occurred in states like Missouri or Louisiana, which have far fewer people vaccinated.
He said, “We are not filling hospitals.” “A year ago, many of these patients would have been admitted into the hospitals. People are now experiencing symptoms of a cold. He said that if you have been vaccinated, “you won’t end up on a ventilator at the hospital dying.”
Chin-Hong believes that cases will level out as residents reintroduce masking and some of the precautions they have been taking since a few months back
Research has shown the Delta variant now makes up more than 84% of all California cases, while California’s statewide reopening on 15 June meant greater social contact. Research has shown that the Delta virus can be spread by vaccinated individuals, though they are less likely than others to contract it and get seriously ill.
Also Read: U.S. hits 70 percent Covid vaccination goal — a month later than Biden had hoped to
Officials from the Health Department say that residents who are not vaccinated are being affected more than those who have received the vaccine. They stress that immunization is the best strategy to prevent hospitalizations and deaths.
“The vaccine remains our best option to protect ourselves, families, and communities.” Indoor masking is a temporary measure that will help us deal with the Delta variant, which is causing a sharp increase in cases,” said Dr Naveena Bobba, San Francisco’s acting health officer, in a statement on Monday. We know that there will be an increase in deaths and hospitalizations.