COVID Delta Variant may spur new Bay Area Mask obligations – Times Herald

The Bay Area will be infected with COVID-19 as early as next week after a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday found that highly contagious delta mutants could spread as easily as unvaccinated. May be at the forefront of new mask instructions to slow the surge.

“We are very enthusiastic about issuing an indoor mask mandate and are discussing it with the surrounding counties and health authorities,” said Dr. Grant Corfax, director of health in San Francisco, on Friday. rice field.

The CDC revised the mask guidance earlier this week from mid-May, eliminating the need for vaccinated people to wear masks in most environments and people in areas with high or high infection rates to wear masks indoors. Recommended to do. Bay Area health officials recommended all indoor masks, but did not order them, as the six county areas recorded 8,233 new cases last week. This is a 32% increase from the previous week, more cases than the peak of last summer’s surge.

When the CDC published a new study on the outbreak of large-scale COVID-19 in Cape Cod, a new call for universal masking took on new urgency in vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals infected with the delta variant. A similar “viral load” was shown.

“High viral load suggests an increased risk of infection, and unlike other variants, there are concerns that vaccinated people infected with Delta may be infected with the virus. It’s growing, “CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday. “This finding was of concern and was a crucial finding leading to the CDC’s latest mask recommendations. Other vaccinated civilians, including unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones. Masking recommendations have been updated to prevent people from unknowingly infecting the virus. “

A new study, a collaboration between the CDC and the Massachusetts Public Health Service, sounds an even bigger alarm. Event organizers and local health authorities said, “The need for additional measures, such as limiting the capacity of meetings and event postponements based on current COVID-19 infection rates, population vaccination rates, and other factors. It needs to be evaluated continuously. “

The study “may consider expanding preventive strategies,” he added, even in areas free of substantial or high COVID-19 infections. This includes “in an indoor public environment, regardless of vaccination status, given the potential risk of infection when attending large rallies attended by travelers from many areas with different levels of infection. May include “masking”.

San Francisco health officials said Friday that highly infectious delta variants have increased the number of cases in the city by a factor of 10 since early June, including breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals. However, the unvaccinated and partially vaccinated cases were more than doubled, and the hospitalization rate was eight times that of full vaccination.

Despite alarming news about the infection, public health experts on Friday emphasized that the evidence is clear: the vaccine still protects people from delta mutants from severe illness and death. It’s very effective.

Nonetheless, Dr. Michael Lin of Stanford University said the CDC should have been aware of the Delta threat early, based on evidence from other rapidly expanding countries.

“The lack of objective consideration of the data was the main reason why the mask recommendation was prematurely lifted in May and the vaccine efficacy against disease from Delta was overly optimistic for the next two months. It was, “said Lin.

A new study investigated 469 COVID-19 cases of Massachusetts residents associated with multiple summer events and large rallies at Cape Cod Resort in Provincetown, July 3-17. ..

Local health officials reported on July 3 that the average number of cases per 100,000 for 14 days was zero, but by July 17, it had surged to 177 per 100,000.

Nearly half of the infected are residents of the town and are reported to have participated in crowded indoor and outdoor events at venues such as bars, restaurants, guest houses and rental housing. And 346 (74%) of them were completely vaccinated, and 4 out of 5 were hospitalized between the ages of 20 and 70. The two hospitalized were in basic health. No deaths have been reported.

Delta variants were found in 90% of case samples whose genes were sequenced. Public health officials have found additional reports of cases among residents of 22 other states who traveled to the town during that period, as well as reports of secondary infections to others.

Alex Morse, a provincetown town manager, said on Twitter on Friday that the symptoms of people in the provincetown cluster were generally mild.

“More people are recovering every day than they are positive on the test,” Morse tweeted. “The vaccine is working. The outbreak is contained and Provincetown is safe.”

Nonetheless, the deteriorating assessment of threats vaccinated by Delta variants weighs heavily on the hearts of many around the Bay Area.

“I’m a little worried because I’ve heard about groundbreaking cases,” said Millen Do, 22, of Santa Clara, who is fully vaccinated. “I hope more people will be vaccinated. This is the only chance to get back to normal.”

Staff writer Harriet Blair Rowan contributed to this report.