Rates of COVID-19 infections in the Bay Area and across the state have risen in recent months and health officials are recommending people get new vaccines when they become available.
In California, 13.7% of people tested for COVID reported positive results in the seven-day period ending September 6, an increase of just 0.4% from the previous week, according to published figures. of the California Health and Human Services Agency (HHS). website.
The last time testing rates were this high was August 1, 2022, when the seven-day positive test rate was 14%.
And while the week-to-week increase is small, the number of cases has been steadily rising across the state since late June, when HHS reported that 4.3% of tests were positive for of COVID.
At the same time, people seem to be getting sick less and less when they contract the virus: The state’s seven-day average of new hospital admissions reached about 375 on Sept. 1, compared to 519 on Sept. 1, 2022.
“It is encouraging that despite this wave, we did not see a proportional increase in the severity of the disease compared to previous waves,” said Dr. Stephen Parodi, an infectious disease specialist and clinical leader of the coronavirus response at Kaiser Permanente.
That trend is reflected in the Bay Area, where all counties have seen an increase in positive COVID tests since June 30.
For example, the seven-day test positive rate in San Mateo County was 6.7% at the end of June, but is now 16.3%, an increase of 2.6% last week.
Additionally, there were 49 new COVID hospitalizations in the county, a 4.3% increase from last week, according to HHS.
The seven-day test positivity rate in Marin County was 15.1 (a 1% decrease from last week and a 5.4% increase from June 30) and there were 17 new hospitals in the county, one down 26.1% from last week.
The seven-day positive test percentage for Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz and Napa counties ranged from approximately 11 to 14.5%, while the percentages for San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties JoaquÃn from more than 8 percent. to 9%.
“We continue to encourage people with symptoms to take precautions, wear masks and isolate if possible, as well as seek treatment for COVID-19 if appropriate from their providers, ” said Parodi. “We also recommend that people receive the early COVID-19 vaccine if it becomes available soon so that we can continue to be protected against serious illness.”
On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be available later this week and the California Department of Public Health said that all state residents should take advantage the new vaccines.
State health officials say everyone age 5 and older should receive a dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine, as long as two months or more have passed since their most recent or that dose.
Recommendations for young children depend on the number of doses received previously.
“Staying up-to-date on the COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to keep your immunity strong and protect yourself and others from serious illness, hospitalization and death,” said the CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. , Dr. Tomás Aragon. “As we enter the winter season, it is important that everyone is up to date on vaccines if they are eligible, including those for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.”
People can make an appointment for the vaccine by visiting https://myturn.ca.gov/ or contacting their local pharmacy or healthcare provider.
