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Coronavirus cases in San Francisco are on the rise among the vaccinated and unvaccinated, but those who have received their vaccines are still very unlikely to be hospitalized, according to new data from the city’s public health department.
Data shows San Francisco averages 176 new cases per week, which is 10 times the average in early June, before the state reopened and cases were at a low point. The average case rate per 100,000 for the vaccinated is 16.2 compared to 36.8 for the unvaccinated.
The unvaccinated still bear the brunt of the wave – case rates among the unvaccinated are more than double those of those vaccinated, and hospitalization rates among the unvaccinated are eight times higher.
The San Francisco data includes people who received only one injection of a dose of two vaccines in the unvaccinated group.
San Francisco is one of the most vaccinated cities in the country, with 77% of eligible residents fully vaccinated. This means breakthrough infections are more likely, said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco director of health.
“We would expect to see breakthroughs,” he said. “But the vaccines still work. … Even though the delta variant is so prevalent now, if you are vaccinated, it is very unlikely that you will be hospitalized for COVID-19. “
Of the 3,000 San Franciscans who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, only 16 have been fully immunized, he said. There were no deaths among those fully vaccinated.
The data from San Francisco aligns with new data from the National Centers for Disease Control which shows breakthrough infections are not as rare as previously thought, Colfax said.
Still, the rise in cases will likely lead to an indoor mask warrant in the city, Colfax said, echoing comments from San Francisco mayor London Breed on Wednesday. A mandate will be decided early next week.
But while the masks will slow the spread, Colfax reiterated that the only way out of the pandemic is to increase vaccinations.
“It is something that people have to do for their own health and also for the health of the people around them,” he said.
He added that there is evidence that the delta variant – which he called “COVID on steroids” – causes more serious complications than previous strains, underscoring the importance of the vaccine.
There has been no major outbreak among children who are not yet eligible for vaccination, officials said, and the Department of Health is still supporting a return to in-person learning in the fall. .
But if the vaccination rate continues to stagnate, cases, hospitalizations and deaths will continue to rise, Colfax said. He estimated this would result in an additional 250 San Franciscan deaths – 95% of which would have been preventable had more eligible people been vaccinated.
“It’s a whole new game of delta ball,” he said. “That means doubling down to get the vaccine as quickly as possible.”
Danielle Echeverria is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DanielleEchev
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