COVID-19 infections of SF General and UCSF staff raise concerns over rate of breakthrough cases

Between UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), the two hospitals have recorded at least 233 COVID-19 infections among staff members. Of those infected, around 80% were fully vaccinated against the disease – but only two vaccinated people were hospitalized in total.

The transmissibility of the Delta variant – which is described as twice as contagious as the original strain, now placing it in a similar league with chickenpox – has sparked widespread concern not only from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and from the World Health Organization (WHO), but also from the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). (At this point in the war on COVID-19, it’s safe to say that an indoor mask warrant will be introduced in San Francisco this week.) The ability of this strain to spread through a population is a point. particular study and concern in communities with high vaccination rates.

And that’s why the recent surge in the number of groundbreaking cases among hospital staff at two of SF’s main medical centers – ZSFG and UCSF – has raised additional concern.

“More staff are getting COVID than we’ve seen before, and it’s mostly vaccinated staff. And that’s just because of the easing of restrictions,” said Dr Lukejohn Day, ZSFG chief medical officer, according to an ABC 7 report. “We see it among doctors, nurses, auxiliary staff, we kind of see it in all areas.”

According to information presented by Day, more than 50 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in July, and between 75% and 80% of them were fully vaccinated. However, none of them were hospitalized.

“We are concerned right now that we are seeing a boom here in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” Day continued in a statement acquired by The New York Times. “But what we’re seeing is largely what the vaccine data has shown us: you can still get COVID, potentially. “

A similar story unfolded last month at UCSF when 183 staff members tested positive for COVID-19; 84% were fully vaccinated and only two people were hospitalized with serious illnesses after being vaccinated against COVID-19.

“In some ways it’s a little surprising and disappointing that we are talking seriously about COVID after all this time,” said Dr. Josh Adler, clinical director of UCSF. However, if there was no vaccine available, UCSF expects it to have four times as many COVID-19 cases right now – and intensive care capacity could be almost maximally, a feature that we have seen in previous outbreaks prior to vaccine deployment.

These groundbreaking cases are notable, especially given their spread in the community and the environment in which they were contracted, but these reports from SFGH and UCSF are further evidence of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Of the more than 164.2 million people who have been fully vaccinated, only 125,682 breakthrough cases have been reported in 38 states, according to data collected by NBC News.

That number translates to less than 0.08%, the network noted – although it is understood that this percentage is likely under-represented. But the data is still valid, as is the sentiment it supports: Get vaccinated as it could very well save your life.

Related: San Francisco could introduce indoor mask warrant next week amid rising COVID-19 cases

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Image: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons