Masks are required indoors once again across most of the Bay Area, with the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases linked to the highly contagious delta coronavirus variant. San Francisco is weighing a mandate that could be similar to one New York City announced on Tuesday requiring people there to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, gyms and concerts. Half of the U.S., including California, are now in a “very high risk” category based on a number of COVID-19 metrics.
Latest updates:
CDC recommends universal indoor masking at schools: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for K-12 schools to recommend that everyone wear masks indoors whether they are vaccinated or not, due to the rapid spread of the delta variant. “CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status,” the agency says.
Sutter
Health to require vaccinations: Sutter Health has become the latest California medical system to require its staff to be vaccinated. Everyone, from doctors to volunteers to vendors — who serves a Sutter facility must be vaccinated by the end of September unless they receive a religious exemption or receive approval for an exemption due to medical needs.
SF schools will not mandate vaccination for teachers, staff: San Francisco public school employees will not be required to be vaccinated in order to return to the classroom, officials said at a town hall meant to reassure parents on Tuesday. “We have encouraged all of our staff to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Vincent Matthews, SFUSD Superintendent. “We are currently assessing exactly who is vaccinated. We’re going to use that data to determine what our next step will be.” San Francisco is not offering remote learning options for students unless they have a severe medical condition. The district will no longer put as much emphasis on cohorts or physical distancing, as they feel that other measures like masking and vaccines are more effective. School officials will not conduct daily screenings but rely on the honor system of parents keeping children who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 at home.
Prominent UCSF doctor calls for universal masking, booster shots: Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of UCSF’s department of medicine, said the rise of the delta variant has significantly changed the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures such as masking should be reinstated. “Even if vax mandates turn the tide, it’ll be months before we get to high enough vaccine rates to tamp down the virus,” he said in a thread posted on Twitter. “Until then, anything other than universal indoor masking is simply bonkers.” He added that certain groups should be approved for booster shots immediately, including those who are immunocompromised, older, received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or full dosage of any vaccine more than six months ago. “Given the probable benefit for individuals, not surprised we’re starting to see booster-seeking fibbing & wink-winking,” he said. “This’ll screw up vaccine tracking, which is bad. Is it unethical? Tough call.”
Marin schools will require vaccinations or negative COVID tests for staff: Marin County schools will require teachers and staff to present proof that they’ve been vaccinated or the results of a weekly negative COVID-19 test when the school year resumes. Ken Lippi, deputy superintendent for the Marin County Office of Education, said the requirements were in keeping with federal and state guidelines, and that proof of vaccine status would be kept confidential.
Delta variant now makes up more than 93% of U.S. cases: The highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus now accounts for about 93.4% of sampled cases in the United States, according data published Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The alpha strain of the virus now accounts for less than 3% of the cases in the nation.
Microsoft says workers must be fully vaccinated: Microsoft said employees must be fully vaccinated to enter the company’s U.S. offices and other worksites, starting next month, the Associated Press reported. The tech giant told employees Tuesday it will require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S. The company also says it will have a process to accommodate employees “who have a medical condition or other protected reason, such as religion, which prevent them from getting vaccinated.”
Nearly 72,000 U.S. children were infected with COVID-19 last week: There were 71,726 cases of coronavirus infection in children and teens between July 22-29, according to data published Tuesday by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The rate marks a “substantial increase from the prior week, when about 39,000 cases were reported,” according to the report. Children represented about 19% of the weekly cases recorded in the U.S. last week. Nearly 4.2 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, with children accounting for 1.3% to 3.5% of hospitalizations in reporting states.
Beatle Sir Paul McCartney urges fans to ‘get vax’d’: The 79-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician finally got his shot on Monday, and encouraged his fans to do the same in social media posts referencing the Beatles’ classic tune, “Get Back.” Posting a photo that shows him donning a beanie and face mask while rolling up his sleeve to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Sir Paul simply said, “Be cool. Get Vax’d.”
FDA could grant Pfizer vaccine full approval by September: The Food and Drug Administration reportedly sped up its efforts to grant a full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by September, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the agency’s plans. Multiple public institutions — including the city of San Francisco — are requiring employees to be vaccinated once the FDA grants a COVID-19 vaccine full approval, in contrast to the emergency-use authorization now in place.
WHO calls for pause on COVID booster shots, citing global disparities in vaccine access: The World Health Organization called for a moratorium on supplementary COVID-19 booster shots through at least September, citing the fact that poorer countries still lack access to initial doses of the vaccine, The Washington Post reported. A small but growing group of wealthier nations are planning extra vaccination doses to increase protection against the virus. Using vaccine supplies on booster shots while poor countries remain less protected was something the WHO “cannot and should not accept,” said WHO director Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Half of U.S. now in COVID ‘very high risk’ category. Here’s where California stands: The surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the delta variant has quickly propelled California into the COVID “very high risk” category, joined by nearly half the states in the U.S. Just a week ago, California was in the “high risk” category — the middle tier of the five-tier risk scale calculated by the nonprofit COVID Act Now. Read the full story here.
This is how little California rent relief programs have paid out to struggling Bay Area tenants: Across the Bay Area, some 148,000 households are behind on rent, according to an estimate by the National Equity Atlas. For lower-income renters Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to use $5.2 billion emergency funding to pay 100% of pandemic rent debt from April 2020 to September 2021. But seven months after the federal government first announced the unprecedented aid effort, state and local rent relief programs in the Bay Area have paid out just $88.5 million as of mid-July. Read the full story here.
S.F. to allow booster shots for those who received Johnson & Johnson vaccine: San Francisco residents who received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine against the coronavirus are now able to get a supplemental mRNA dose at city-run clinics. Read the full story here.
Would you support a vaccine mandate for indoor restaurants, gyms, and other venues? On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a mandate requiring city residents to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before entering indoor restaurants, gyms, and other entertainment venues. Should Bay Area officials do the same here? Vote in our reader survey.
S.F. to allow booster shots for those who received Johnson & Johnson vaccine: San Francisco residents who received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine against the coronavirus will be able to get an additional shot, an mRNA vaccine, at city-run clinics. Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s health director, confirmed Tuesday that the supplemental shot would be an option. He stressed that San Francisco’s policy regarding the Johnson & Johnson shot has not changed.
These charts show just how fast COVID cases are rising in California and the Bay Area: Coronavirus data for the Bay Area and California from July shows just how severely cases have spiked due to the highly contagious delta variant.
Marin public schools may mandate vaccines for employees: Marin County’s health department will discuss the option to issue a vaccination mandate for Marin public school employees during an online forum Wednesday, officials confirmed. The webinar will include comments from Dr. Matt Willis, the county public health officer, Dr. Lisa Santora, deputy health officer and Mary Jane Burke, the county superintendent of schools. Some private schools in Marin County have already said they will require vaccine verification.
For weary San Franciscans, the masks are back: Masks — those off-again on-again things — were back on again in San Francisco Tuesday. Even the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the Academy of Sciences was getting with the program. Read the full story here.
Biden tells mandate-barring governors to “get out of the way”: President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted governors, like those of Florida and Texas, who have barred local jurisdictions from instituting requirements for face masks or vaccination against the coronavirus. “If you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way of people who are trying to do the right thing,” he said in a White House briefing. “COVID-19 is a national challenge,” he said. He added that Florida and Texas account for one third of new cases and noted the rise of cases is particularly significant where vaccination rates are low.