Bay Area COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County recently made headlines after becoming the first county in California to mandate the use of masks indoors again, regardless of one’s vaccination status. As of July 16th, other Bay Area counties have yet to carry out an indoor mask mandate, despite recommending it to the general public. With the introduction of the new Delta variant, unvaccinated people are at high risk for severe or deadly cases of COVID-19. Fully vaccinated citizens, which consists of roughly 53% of the Bay Area’s population, are considerably safer than those who have one or zero doses. Unvaccinated citizens risk the possibility of increasing the spread of the virus while encouraging the growth of potential mutations that could be stronger and more vaccine-resistant.

In general, hospitalizations and deaths related to the coronavirus are steadily rising. On July 17th, cases peaked over 1,000 for the first time since May. As a result, the death count has been slightly increasing as well, after seeing extremely low rates earlier this month. Ever since April, hospitalizations have increased while ICU levels have stayed constant over time. California has listed its statistics of 53% of the population being fully vaccinated with 61% having received at least one dose. Out of the population that is eligible to be vaccinated, 80% have gotten one dose, and 65% are fully vaccinated. If Californians continue this course of getting vaccinated, fewer coronavirus cases will be detected in the near future. Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County are some of the Bay Area counties that have generally higher vaccination rates; their populations make up 68-70% of the total vaccinated population.

Despite the Bay Area’s high rate of vaccinations, high-risk communities continue to face obstacles regarding the virus and becoming fully vaccinated. Those who live in their cars or on the streets are more likely to contract COVID-19 due to less sanitary living conditions. Several counties, such as San Francisco, Alameda, and Santa Rosa have experienced dozens of cases within homeless shelters. Combined with the new Delta variant along with discontinued hotel and protection programs for the homeless, the speed of the coronavirus has increased. Healthcare workers have attempted to vaccinate those in dire conditions, but homeless encampments can be hard to find. Those who reside in encampments may refuse vaccinations due to previous negative experiences regarding similar programs. While there are several success stories, there are still improvements to be made regarding the safety and health of our communities.

Written by: Claire Wu & Laurie Chow

Sources:

“Data Shows Every Bay Area County's COVID-19 Status.” ABC7 San Francisco, abc7news.com/feature/coronavirus-cases-covid-19-map-bay-area-covid/9891245/.

Kendall, Marisa. “COVID Vaccinations Lag, Outbreaks Spread in Bay Area Homeless Shelters.” The Mercury News, The Mercury News, 19 July 2021, www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/19/covid-vaccination-rates-lag-outbreaks-spread-in-bay-area-homeless-shelters/.