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Health

San Diegans Now Primarily Vaccinated at Pharmacies, Community Clinics | News

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San Diegans have largely turned to traditional vaccination clinics to get immunized against COVID-19.

Retail pharmacies are now the primary provider of vaccines, administering over 100,000 doses from July 1 through July 28. They were followed, in order, by community clinics (nearly 20,000 doses), private medical providers (almost 17,000 doses), County sites (about 13,000 doses) and hospitals (just under 9,000 doses) during the same time frame.

“I want to thank every San Diegan who has been vaccinated and the many partners working daily with the County to ensure vaccines are readily available in every part of our region,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “Masking and other public health guidance are additional measures to help us safely navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinations are our key for getting out of it.”

The County has been working with its vaccination partners to get the word out to San Diegans who are hesitant about getting immunized.

To date, about 2.28 million or 81.4% of the 2.8 million San Diegans eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have received a first dose and about 1.97 million or 70.3% are fully vaccinated.

“I want to thank all of our community and health care partners who have been doing a great job getting the word out about how important it is to get vaccinated,” Wooten said.

COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Up

In the past month, the local COVID-19 case rate has jumped from 2.1 to 19.3 cases per 100,000 residents. Hospitalizations have also increased more than 300% and intensive care unit admissions rose by over 120% during that same period.

On July 29, a total of 1,273 cases were reported, the highest daily total since Feb. 5, 2021.

The spike in cases drove the County to recommend mask-wearing indoors for all San Diegans regardless of vaccination status.

“Unvaccinated people are overwhelmingly the ones getting infected and being hospitalized,” Wooten said. “If you have not gotten your COVID-19 vaccine, do it now.”

The County is helping medical providers contact all San Diegans who are partially vaccinated to get their second shot, especially now that COVID-19 cases have been going up, a spike driven primarily by the Delta variant. The County is also using the San Diego Immunization Registry to develop follow-up reminders for those who are behind schedule.

In addition to the hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine locations available throughout the region, the County is also operating eight geographically distributed no-cost vaccination sites that allow people to choose any one of the three vaccines available in the United States: Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. For a list of locations and more information, visit  www.coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.

 

 

 

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Business

Twitter closes NYC, San Francisco offices again over Delta variant surge

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Twitter is re-closing its New York and San Francisco offices shortly after they reopened, the company said Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases due in large part to soaring Delta variant cases and rampant anti-vaccination sentiment.

Many companies are slowing down their reopenings due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidelines that recommend masks indoors even for people who’ve received one of the vaccinations.

“After careful consideration of the CDC’s updated guidelines, and in light of current conditions, Twitter has made the decision to close our opened offices in New York and San Francisco as well as pause future reopenings, effective immediately,” Twitter said, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

The social media company had just reopened the offices two weeks ago, the Chronicle said.

Twitter was one of many tech companies to announce it was allowing workers to work remotely indefinitely.

Google announced Wednesday it was pushing back its reopening until at least October and requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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Health

70% of San Diegans Vaccinated, COVID Continues Spread in Unvaccinated | News

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San Diego is continuing to make progress on COVID-19 vaccinations, with 70% of residents 12 and older now fully vaccinated, the County Health and Human Services Agency reported Wednesday. More than 81% of County residents have received at least one shot.

“This is turning into the pandemic of the unvaccinated, so I want to thank San Diegans for responding to our call to get vaccinated,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “The more contagious Delta variant is on the rise and being fully vaccinated affords the best protections against the disease.”

While the vaccination percentage is on the rise, new COVID-19 infections continue to increase as well, mostly in unvaccinated San Diegans. In the last 30 days – June 28 to July 27 – 11,391 people tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, close to 90%, or 10,234, were not vaccinated and 10%, or 1,157 people, were vaccinated.

New Masking Recommendation

The County of San Diego will follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending the universal wearing of masks by both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in indoor public settings.

Indoor masking of unvaccinated people has been required since the end of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and they have been required for everyone in certain settings including health care locations. The recommendation to wear a facial covering indoors, regardless of vaccination status, comes in light of new data that shows that the Delta variant is much more transmissible than previous strains of COVID-19. The new variant is expected to primarily strike the unvaccinated and also lead to an increase in cases in vaccinated individuals.

Vaccination Progress:

Deaths:

  • Eleven new deaths were reported since the last report on July 21. The region’s total is 3,798.
  • Two women and nine men died between December 24, 2020 and July 22, 2021.
  • Four of the deceased were in their 80s, two in their 70s, two in their 60s, two in their 50s and one was in their 40s.
  • Ten of the deceased had underlying medical conditions and one person did not have any underlying conditions.

Cases, Case Rate and Testing:

  • 765 COVID-19 cases were reported to the County on July 27. The region’s total is now 294,176.
  • San Diego County’s case rate is 13.4 cases per 100,000 residents as of July 27.
  • 10,090 tests were reported to the County on July 27, and the percentage of new positive cases was 7.6%.
  • The 14-day rolling percentage of positive cases among tests is 7.1%.

Community Setting Outbreaks:

  • 30 new community outbreaks were confirmed in the past seven days (July 21 through July 27): eight in restaurant/bar settings, six in business settings, three in TK-12 school settings, two in a hotel/resort/spa setting, two in retail settings, one in a daycare/preschool/childcare setting, one in a distribution warehouse setting, one in an emergency services setting, one in a faith-based setting, one in a fitness/gym setting, one in a government setting, one in a grocery setting, one in a health care setting and one in a restaurant setting.
  • The community outbreaks trigger is more than seven in a 7-day period.

More Information:

Data updates to the County’s coronavirus-sd.com website are published around 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.

 

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US

San Jose fire: Residents advised to shelter in place due to fire burning near Milpitas border

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — Residents near the Coyote Creek Trail near the San Jose-Milpitas border are being told to shelter in place because of a brush fire.

The fire broke out just after 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Mill River Lane neighborhood near Tasman Dr. and Cisco Way.

Crews from San Jose and Milpitas are trying to get a handle on the flames.

They have not issued an evacuation order. But they are asking homeowners to stay inside and keep their doors and windows shut to keep the smoke out.

Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.

Copyright © 2021 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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World

San Francisco bars to require vaccine proof, negative COVID-19 tests to drink inside

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A group that represents nearly 500 bars in San Francisco said on Monday that customers will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent COVID-19 test showing a negative result in order to drink inside.

The group, the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, confirmed to NBC News that its members would be implementing the new rules starting Thursday.

In its statement announcing the new move, the group said it’s “obligated to protect our workers and their families and to offer safe space for customers to relax and socialize.”

The alliance reportedly added that the move came after it saw a number of bar workers come down with coronavirus infections despite being vaccinated.

The announcement arrived the same day California said it would be requiring state employees and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing for the virus as it works to curb the spread of the disease amid rising cases of the delta variant.

“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant,” Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin NewsomJudge clears way for Larry Elder to appear on California recall ballot Caitlyn Jenner pledges to support Trump if he makes another bid for the White House Harris says she will campaign for Newsom in California recall election MORE (D) said in a press release.

“As the state’s largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all state and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same,” he said.

“Vaccines are safe — they protect our family, those who truly can’t get vaccinated, our children and our economy. Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic,” he added.

Recent California data show that 62.1 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.



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US

Concert ‘a nexus point’ in downtown San Rafael shooting that left 2 dead, 4 injured

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A burst of gunfire in downtown San Rafael on Friday night left two dead and four injured, police are reporting.

The San Rafael Police Department says it began receiving multiple 911 calls about shots fired near Third Street at Lootens Place around 10:40 p.m. Police say witnesses reported seeing multiple vehicles speeding away from that location.

A police officer intercepted a black Dodge Charger that eventually stopped near the top of Wolfe Grade. Inside the car were four people, including two men with gunshot wounds: a 25-year-old Fairfield resident whose injuries were life-threatening and 25-year-old Pittsburg resident whose injuries were not.

Back at a parking structure on Lootens Place, police found a 62-year-old San Rafael man with non-fatal gunshot wounds.

Police also found two victims at the scene of a vehicle collision in central Marin. A 24-year-old Stockton man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 29-year-old Stockton man was transported to a hospital with nonfatal injuries.

Police learned of the second fatal victim after a car dropped the 27-year-old Fairfield man in front of the emergency department at a hospital. Police say the car’s occupants called for help and then drove away. The victim died at the hospital.

Police say they believe many of the victims had come to San Rafael to attend a rap concert at a downtown bar. By Saturday morning, the first floor under the parking garage resembled a crime scene, with bullet holes gouged in load-bearing cement pillars and shattered storefront glass.

Lt. Dan Fink, a spokesperson for the San Rafael Police Department, said the victims that police interviewed said they were either at the concert or on their way to it. Police were not yet ready to identify the venue and had no arrests or updates to report.

“It was a nexus point,” he told The Chronicle.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Raheem Hosseini is a San Francisco Chronicle editor. Email: raheem.hosseini@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @raheemfh



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Health

San Antonio mayor urges unvaccinated residents to get their shots

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SAN ANTONIO – With COVID-19 numbers heading in the wrong direction, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg pleaded with unvaccinated residents who are most susceptible to serious illness or death when they are infected with the virus.

“Forget the misinformation that you hear out there,” Nirenberg said during a countywide briefing on Friday. “You are at great risk of severe illness.”

Officials are seeing a concerning rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Bexar County. Five weeks ago, the average number of coronavirus hospitalizations stood at 123. As of Friday, 418 people are now hospitalized due to COVID-19, Nirenberg said.

Infections have been rising due to the spread of the delta variant, a strain of COVID-19 that has proved to be deadlier and more transmissible.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said that up to 97% of the patients battling the virus in the hospital are unvaccinated.

“For those that chose not to get vaccinated, I would hope that (the hospitalizations) would send a clear message to everybody else,” Wolff said. “You better go get your vaccination. It’s a little late to ask for the vaccination when you’re fixing to go on a ventilator.”

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Along with the rise in hospitalizations, the community has seen a rising positivity rate, the percentage of weekly COVID-19 tests that come back positive for the virus. The county’s positivity rate hit 13.5% as of Monday. A month ago, it was 3.8%.

Though roughly a third of the reported cases involve vaccinated people, health officials said less than 1% of vaccinated residents in Bexar County have been infected with COVID-19.

“Yes, we may get COVID,” Wolff said about the potential of breakthrough infections. “But we’re not going to end up sick and in the hospital.”

Nirenberg said he and Wolff will receive briefings twice weekly about COVID-19 conditions, with updates going to the public on the Bexar County’s progress curbing the virus.

COVID-19 conditions are not only worsening in San Antonio, but across the state of Texas, where the positivity rate hit 10.2% for the first time since February.

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Medical experts say COVID-19 vaccines are still the best way to reduce the likelihood of infection and prevent severe illness or hospitalization.

In San Antonio, roughly 65% of adults are fully vaccinated, but statewide, that number drops to roughly 51%, according to the latest state data.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said the variant is “having a significant effect on unvaccinated people leading to increases in new cases and hospitalizations.”

Read more:

Copyright 2021 by KSAT – All rights reserved.

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Health

Group of 500 San Francisco bars deciding whether to require proof of vaccination before entry

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Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant, a group of more than 500 San Francisco bar owners is considering whether to require vaccine cards for entry at their members’ bars across the city, just as new mask recommendations have arrived in the Bay Area.

Moving to check vaccinations at entry to bars in the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance would be done on a volunteer basis, but Ben Bleiman — the head of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance — said the alliance may issue a statement from the 500-member group recommending only patrons who are vaccinated would be allowed in, a move that would include accompanying signage outside of the participating bars.

“I didn’t know anybody who was [requiring vaccine cards at first], only the most strict people,” Bleiman said. “Just in the last 24 hours, I’ve seen a lot of people changing their tunes. So I think we’re in the middle of a big flux.”


Although the alliance likely won’t make a formal decision until next week at the earliest, some members of the alliance are already starting to take part: Vesuvio Cafe in North Beach made the decision Tuesday to require proof of vaccination before entry, said owner Janet Clyde.

“We just started it because it’s clear that there’s just a segment of the population that is not vaccinated,” Clyde said. “And really until this settles down, I think it’s definitely safer for our staff and our clientele if we limit the indoors to people who have proof of vaccination.”


Customers are required to show a photo or QR code showing proof of vaccination before entering Vesuvio. Clyde said she is looking to take a proactive stance on requiring vaccinations for patrons, rather than waiting for government mask mandates. Citing the mask requirements in Los Angeles, Clyde said it was important to “get ahead of it” and that people will be understanding.

“We’ve had a couple employees who have tested positive and we want to protect our staff and I think we really can’t wait for [local government] to develop general guidelines at this point,” said Clyde, who noted both cases were breakthrough COVID cases. “I mean, this is a situation that’s happening now.”

Bleiman is most likely making the change with his own bars as well, he said, which includes Teeth, Tonic and Soda Popinski’s. “If, you know, 50, 100, 200 bars want to put up a sign that says ‘you must be vaccinated to enter,’ I think that’ll be impactful,” Bleiman said.

Bleiman says he’s heard similar stories about breakthrough cases happening at other bars in San Francisco. He echoed Clyde’s assertion that bar owners should be getting ahead of any potential surges to protect staff and business.

“I think getting out ahead of it would be really smart and I think our survival will be based on people feeling safe in our establishment,” Bleiman said. “And if we can put a line in the sand — and again, we [as an alliance] haven’t done this yet — but I think there’s potential if we put a line in the sand for us getting out ahead of this, and for our customers feeling safer, meaning that we are back to normal faster [since] we’re clearly not normal yet.”

Bleiman expressed support for the local government, but he doesn’t want to wait for guidance from them before making the change to require vaccination cards.

“I think that [the San Francisco government is] still hoping that our vaccination rates are gonna hold up, but we are anecdotally seeing a lot of people come down with mild to medium cases of COVID,” Bleiman said. “I kind of see the writing on the wall and I think if we get out ahead of it — and it’s not like we’re shutting down or anything, we’re just saying you’ve gotta have a vaccine.

“I also think that, for some reason, the government everywhere — from the feds to the state to the locals — have been so nice to people who won’t get vaccines and I think that needs to stop,” Bleiman continued. “We need to start playing hardball with them, they’re a bunch of a—holes, and you can quote me on that. And I’m not talking about the people who can’t get [the vaccine], I’m talking to the people who can and choose not to. They’re selfish and they’re ignorant and they’re putting us all in jeopardy and making it harder for all of us to recover from this. And we need to stop treating them like they just don’t have the right information. The information is right there, it doesn’t lie. And they need to stop thinking that they know more than the scientific experts.”



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Entertainment

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West take family trip to San Francisco

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West appear to be seamlessly co-parenting their children amid their divorce.

The KKW Beauty founder, 40, flew from New York to San Francisco late Friday to meet up with the “All of the Lights” rapper, 44, and their four children, Page Six can exclusively confirm.

The estranged couple and North, 8, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and Psalm, 2, grabbed breakfast Saturday morning before heading to the Asian Art Museum before it opened to the public.

“They are getting along great, and it was their first public outing together as a family, reconfirming that they are in lockstep when it comes to co-parenting and putting their kids first,” a source in San Francisco told Page Six.

Following the tour, West flew to Las Vegas, where he hosted a listening party for his new album, while Kardashian returned to Los Angeles with the kids.

The Golden City is where West famously proposed to Kardashian in October 2013. The two married in Florence, Italy, in May 2014.

Page Six broke the news in January that the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” alum was done with her marriage to the Yeezy founder. The pair were insistent on keeping things amicable in their divorce, as they worked out the legalities in mediation before Kardashian officially filed one month later.

“Kim got Kanye to go [to Wyoming] so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce,” a source told us at the time. “She’s done.”

While Kardashian remains single, West moved on with model Irina Shayk, though sources exclusively told us last week that the romance was already cooling off.

“She likes him as a friend, but doesn’t want a relationship with him,” one source said.

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Health

Some San Francisco-area restaurants reinstate mask requirements, cut unvaccinated workers over new guidance

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After San Francisco Bay Area health officials issued new guidance Friday recommending that everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should wear masks indoors, many restaurants are now reportedly requiring them again for their employees. 

And at least one employer has decided to lay off any unvaccinated employees just to be safe, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

“If anyone doesn’t want to get vaccinated, we will let them go,” Zareen Khan, owner of Pakistani/Indian restaurant Zareen’s, told the newspaper. “It’s terrible, but we need people to understand this is serious. It’s better to be cautious than to be sorry.”

She said most of her employees are vaccinated. 

Cases have ticked up across the state mostly due to the delta variant.

In Los Angeles officials are now mandating everyone wear masks indoors. 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY REIMPOSING INDOOR MASK REQUIREMENT

The Bay Area’s guidance was issued in seven counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma. 

Cassava restaurant co-owner Yuka Ioroi, right, greets a customer picking up a to-go order in San Francisco, April 8, 2020. The restaurant plans to reopen indoor dining in August. (Getty Images)

Many restaurants in the area have reinstated mask mandates for their employees but some are hesitant to require them for customers again.

Xian Choy,  general manager of Wursthall Restaurant & Bierhaus in San Mateo, said she won’t require face coverings for her customers yet because she wants to avoid confrontations. 

“There’s so much friction if we’re the first restaurant to be like, ‘You gotta wear your mask inside,’” she told the newspaper. 

Bob Cina, executive chef of District restaurants in the Bay Area, said he doesn’t believe the restaurant is in a position to require masks if the step is not mandated by the county. 

“People can make their own decisions,” he told the Chronicle. 

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Yuka Ioroi, co-owner of Cassava restaurant in San Francisco, said she hopes the recommendations will help mitigate the potential for another lockdown. Her restaurant has a fully vaccinated staff who wear masks at work, she said. The restaurant plans to reopen indoor dining in August.

“I don’t think a lot of restaurants can handle another shutdown,” she told the Chronicle. 

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