The coronavirus has thrown plenty of curveballs at researchers and health officials, but as 2022 begins, some of the Bay Area’s top medical experts are saying the pandemic endgame could be around the corner. Meanwhile, San Francisco is still facing an “undeniable hospital surge” as the omicron variant fuels new COVID cases. Experts say much of California could see cases peak soon, though several variables are in play.
Stanford sees more 146 new infections: Stanford University said 146 students as of Monday are isolating in campus housing due to infection with the coronavirus. Of that number 136 tested positive since Thursday, most upon returning to campus this past weekend from holiday break, and others having stayed on campus over the break, the university said in an online update. “As we had planned and expected, rapid testing is allowing us to quickly identify COVID-positive cases as students return to campus,” the university said. Stanford said its cases and positivity rates are increasing, “but continue to be lower than the overall trends in the county and state.” In all, 70 weeks of surveillance, with 514,000 student tests, has resulted in 593 positive results, Stanford said.
Bay Area restaurants adding booster to entry requirements: Some Bay Area restaurants now are requiring that patrons show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot to dine indoors. The step is driven by the ability of the omicron variant to evade vaccination more readily than earlier variants of the coronavirus. Breakthrough infections have been reported also among some boostered individuals, but booster shots are seen to provide at least some greater protection when administered after the initial vaccination doses. A rapidly growing number of Bay Area restaurants are temporarily shutting down due to staff infections and exposures or preventative concern about omicron spread. Read which restaurants are taking the extra protective step.
Lawmakers urged to work remotely as new cases surge: Citing surging numbers of COVID-19 cases at the Capitol, Congress’ top doctor urged lawmakers on Monday to work remotely. In a letter obtained by the Associated Press, Brian P. Monahan said there has been “an unprecedented number of cases in the Capitol community affecting hundreds of individuals.” He said they are mostly breakthrough infections in people already vaccinated. Monahan asked congressional offices to “reduce in-person meetings and in-office activities to the maximum extent possible,” adding that even mild infections can lead to six to 12 months of long COVID.
Carnival will go on in New Orleans: Revelers in New Orleans will mark the beginning of the annual Carnival season of opulent parades and partying with a ride Thursday night on a historic streetcar despite recent surges in COVID-19 infections. Participants “will be wearing masks covering their mouths as well as their eyes” on the streetcar, according to a Monday announcement from the Phunny Phorty Phellows organization. Festivities that attract thousands to the streets were largely canceled in 2021, following concerns that the 2020 Mardi Gras celebration had been an unintended “super spreader” of coronavirus. Plans this year call for vaccine or testing requirements for float riders and customers of bars, restaurants and other public places. Louisiana’s governor said last week that the state is setting records for new COVID-19 diagnoses.
L.A. Unified students and staff must get tested: Los Angeles Unified students and employees will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to school after the winter break regardless of vaccination status, district officials announced Monday. Schools were scheduled to resume on Jan. 10, but the district has pushed that date back to Jan. 11. Rapid tests will be made available to students at various locations within the county over the weekend.
Children’s COVID cases hit a new pandemic peak in U.S.: There were 325,340 child COVID-19 cases reported for the week ending Thursday, with pediatric infection representing nearly 18% of all reported weekly cases in the United States, according to the latest data report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. That is the most on record since the start of the pandemic and a sharp increase from the 198,551 cases reported a week earlier. The previous high for pediatric cases was reported on Sep. 2, with 251,781. The number is expected to continue to rise sharply as children return to school following the winter break when many families gathered and traveled. Hospitalizations and deaths among children remain low.
Napa County runs out of ICU beds: Napa County officials said Monday that county hospitals now are out of available intensive care beds as the coronavirus once again tightens its hold on the Bay Area. “The current surge is driving more patients to the health care system and it is also impacting staff,” said Leah Greenbaum, the county’s emergency services coordinator. “When staff become infected with COVID-19 they cannot come into work and care for patients, which can cause significant strain on the health care system.” Hospitalizations in the Bay Area, a lagging indicator of pandemic trends, have risen sharply since mid-November with the spread of the omicron variant and the persistence of the delta variant. Read more here.
S.F. cases soar: San Francisco now has the third-highest coronavirus transmission rate in California, with a daily average case rate of about 104 per 100,000 residents. The county recorded a seven-day average of 896 cases per day on Dec. 30, the most recent date with available data. That is more than double the previous peak of 388 cases, a seven-day average recorded on Jan. 12 last year. Read the story here.
Starbucks issues vaccination mandate for employees: Starbucks employees now must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 10, or undergo weekly coronavirus testing. Chief Operating Officer John Culver sent a letter to the company’s approximately 220,000 employees that the new policy is in compliance with the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for private businesses. Those choosing not to get vaccinated will have to procure their own federally-approved test kits. “This is an important step we can take to help more partners get vaccinated, limit the spread of COVID-19, and create choices that partners can own based on what’s best for them,” Culver said. “If vaccination rates rise and community spread slows, we will adapt accordingly. But if things get worse, we may have to consider additional measures. For now, my hope is that we will all do our part to protect one another.”
Ontario shuts schools, indoor dining and gyms: All schools in Canada’s most populous province moved to online learning on Monday because of a record number of coronavirus infections fueled by the omicron variant, the Associated Press reports. Premier Doug Ford also announced the closure of indoor dining, gyms and movie theaters as concerns about hospital capacity grow. “I know online learning is not ideal,” Ford said. “The fact is omicron spreads like wildfire.”
Los Angeles County teachers required to upgrade masks: Teachers and staff in the nation’s largest school district are required to wear high-grade masks to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to updated guidance from the LA County Public Health Department. That means surgical grade or better. Masks will also be required for all outdoor activities at schools where physical distancing is not possible. “During this surge, given the spread of a more infectious strain of the virus, lapses can lead to explosive transmission,” Barbara Ferrer, the county’s health director, said in a statement. “Well-fitting and high-quality masks are an essential layer of protection when people are in close contact with others, especially when indoors or in outdoor crowded spaces where distancing is not possible. … The physical barrier tendered by a mask is known to reduce the spread of virus particles.”
More than 100,000 Americans hospitalized with COVID: There were 103,329 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States as of Monday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About 20% of those patients — 18,557 — are in intensive care unit beds, among hospitals reporting to the agency. The country recorded 104,000 hospitalizations in September at the peak of the delta COVID surge.
Hospitalizations spiking in Bay Area: The number of hospital patients infected with COVID-19 is the highest it’s been since late September, and climbing. Data analyzed by The Chronicle shows the Bay Area with 671 patients testing positive as the new year broke, as the numbers have climbed since mid-November with the rise of the omicron variant and the delta variant’s persistence.
FDA says kids 12-15 can get booster 5 months after their last vaccine dose: On the heels of FDA’s approval of Pfizer booster shots against the coronavirus for children as young as 12 on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to rule on the recommendation later this week. The FDA said everyone 12 and older who’s eligible for a Pfizer booster can get one as early as five months after their last dose. Children tend to suffer less serious illness from COVID-19 than adults, but child hospitalizations are rising during the omicron wave — most of them unvaccinated.
FDA expands Pfizer boosters for U.S. kids as young as 12: Amid the rampant spread of the omicron variant, the Food and Drug Administration will allow Pfizer COVID boosters for children as young as 12 years old, the Associated Press reported. Federal public health officials already recommended booster shots for everyone 16 and older.
LA’s coronavirus transmission rate approaching 2020 peaks: Every person infected with the coronavirus in Los Angeles County is transmitting the virus to two additional people on average, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited state estimates. Assuming those estimates are accurate, that would represent a higher transmission rate than at any point since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Los Angeles was recording more than 20,000 new cases daily over the weekend.
Israel offers fourth COVID shot to anyone over 60: Israel began offering a fourth COVID-19 shot to anyone over the age of 60 Monday, the Washington Post reported, in an effort to protect the most medically vulnerable people from serious illness or death from a coronavirus infection. Coronavirus cases are surging in Israel, much like in the rest of the world.
San Diego prepares to idle fire crews due to infections: More than 100 San Diego firefighters are in isolation due to the coronavirus, prompting department leaders to put together an emergency brownout plan outlining which fire crews will be idled if staffing shortages demand it, the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting. The labor union that represents city firefighters, said that as of Sunday, 113 or the department’s more than 900 firefighters had either tested positive for the coronavirus and were in required isolation or had been exposed to the virus and were isolating while awaiting test results. He said the majority of those had tested positive. The department has developed a plan allowing for closure of up to seven engine companies each day in staff-shortage situations, in addition to three specialty crews, the Union-Tribune wrote.
Pentagon chief infected: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday night that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home. Austin said in a statement that he plans to attend key meetings and discussions virtually this week “to the degree possible.” Austin said he last met with President Biden on Dec. 21, more than a week before he began to experience symptoms, and had tested negative the morning of that day. “My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week,” he said. Austin, 68, said he was fully vaccinated and received a booster in October.
NYC considers mandatory booster for city workers: New York City’s brand new mayor, Eric Adams, said he’s looking into requiring city workers to get COVID booster shots. City employees are already required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but as case numbers continue to skyrocket, Adams told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the city would “examine the numbers” and decide if a booster mandate is needed for municipal workers, such as teachers and police officers. “If we feel we have to get to the place of making that mandatory, we’re willing to do that, but we’re encouraging them to do that now,” Adams said.
CDC may add negative test for asymptomatic infected people: U.S. health officials are considering adding a negative coronavirus test to the current five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic people who contract the virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. Under guidance issued Dec. 27, the isolation period was shortened from 10 days to five for people who are infected but not feeling symptoms or running a fever. But Fauci, the top White House medical adviser, said the Centers for Disease Control got significant “pushback” over the recommendations and is now considering including the negative test as part of its guidance, the Associated Press reported. State guidance in California already specifies that asymptomatic infected people should test negative on Day 5 or later before leaving isolation, and should mask for an additional five days.
Local schools stick with plan for in-person learning: Bay Area students flood back into schools starting Monday after spending two weeks with family and friends or even traveling to other states and countries just as the omicron wave is hitting California. The combination of a huge rise in coronavirus cases and exposure during the holiday break has left families and teachers concerned about the return to in-person learning in the coming days. But pandemic experts, health officials, Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Biden are in lockstep on how to proceed: test, mask and continue teaching in person. But that doesn’t mean the status quo will be easy, with state-promised test kits arriving after school starts and chilly classrooms from windows opened to increase ventilation. Read the full story.