Latest updates:
“Difficult for us humans to keep up”: Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer said that with the rapid spread of the omicron variant, now responsble for three quarters of the nations COVID infections, “It’s so difficult to wrap our collective heads around this, because omicron is moving at breathtaking speed.” She added, “It’s difficult for us humans to keep up with this virus.”
COVID cases, fueled by omicron, double in S.F. over 5 days: Coronavirus case rates have doubled in San Francisco over just the past five days, almost certainly due to omicron spreading in the community, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the Department of Public Health. He said the city has now identified 32 omicron cases, but he expects there are many more. The highly infectious variant appears to be well established in the Bay Area and likely is fueling outbreaks and early surges in COVID cases across the region, health officials said Tuesday. Read the full story here.
Pre-Christmas travel climbs: Air travel over the days leading to Christmas has escalated dramatically over last year’s pre-vaccine slump at airports, despite the rapidly spreading omicron coronavirus variant. The Transportation Security Administration reports that over the weekend and including Monday, the 6.25 million people passing through the nation’s airport security checkpoints was slightly more than double last year’s comparable figure. It did not reach the 7.5 million recorded during the comparable days in the pre-pandemic year 2019, however.
East Bay Rep. Lee is COVID-19 positive: Rep. Barbara Lee said Tuesday she had tested positive with a breakthrough infection of COVID-19. “Fortunately, I have only mild cold-like symptoms, but I know it could have been much worse had I not been vaccinated and boosted,” the Democrat wrote in a news release. “I am isolating and will follow all of the required health protocols to keep my loved ones, my staff, and my community safe. I’m grateful for the miraculous work of vaccines, and encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted. Please stay masked and follow all of the CDC’s health guidelines as you gather with loved ones this holiday.”
California health workers now will have to be boosted: Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday afternoon that California now will require health care workers to get booster shots. Already they are required to be fully vaccinated with two doses of Moderna or Pfizer shots or a dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” Newsom tweeted. He said the official announcement will be Wednesday.
Oakland passes ordinance to require proof of vaccines at restaurants, bars and most indoor businesses: The Oakland City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, clubs, theaters and other indoor businesses. The ordinance requires adults to show their photo identification cards and a proof of vaccination to enter most businesses. However, to enter City Hall, visitors can show a negative test taken within three days in place of proof of vaccination. Across the bay, San Francisco for some months has required proof of vaccination to enter many indoor places, including large indoor events, and was the first city in the nation to have such a mandate.
Israel rolls out 4th vaccine dose: Israel announced on Tuesday that it will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to those 60 and older as the fast- spreading omicron variant sets off alarms worldwide, media accounts report. A Health Ministry expert panel recommended the fourth shot, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett swiftly embraced the “great news that will help us overcome the Omicron wave that is spreading around the world.” The decision is pending formal approval by senior health officials, but Bennett urged Israelis to get the dose as soon as possible, saying: “My message is – don’t waste time, go get vaccinated.” The decision follows the first known death in Israel of an omicron patient.
New York mayor inauguration put off: Mayor-elect Eric Adams announced Tuesday that he is postponing his Jan. 1 inauguration in Brooklyn because of a sharp rise in coronavirus infections. New York faces “a formidable opponent in the Omicron variant of COVID-19,” said his joint statement with Comptroller-elect Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the spike in cases presents a “serious risk to public health.” “After consulting with public health experts, we have decided that our joint inauguration ceremony will be postponed to a later date in order to prioritize the health of all who were planning to attend, cover, and work on this major event,” the statement read.
San Jose mayor proposes requiring boosters for city employees, venue attendees: Mayor Sam Liccardo on Tuesday proposed that COVID booster shots be mandatory for city employees and for people entering the SAP Center and city-owned venues such as the convention center and theaters. He cited the increased transmissability of the omicron variant, saying, “Omicron is certainly coming. Its marching its way into California.” More than 95% of city employees are fully vaccinated, with the two-dose regimen or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Santa Cruz County identifies two omicron cases: Public health officals in Santa Cruz County announced Tuesday that two omicron coronavirus cases have been identified there. The omicron variant was detected in samples collected on Dec.16 and 17. “The individuals are North County residents in their mid-20s. A case investigation is underway,” a county statement said. “While we must remain vigilant against COVID-19 and Omicron, this new variant is not a cause for panic. It is important that we collectively focus on the things we know prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants,” said Dr. Cal Gordon, the county health officer, and that includes vaccination and booster shots and wearing masks indoors and in crowded settings, as well holding gatherings outside if possible.
Biden urges schools to stay open: President Biden Tuesday said K-12 schools should stay open amid a rise in coronavirus infection around the nation, with a surge of federal funding already sent to districts for steps aimed keeping kids in classrooms.“Last year, we thought the only way to keep your children safe was the closure of our schools. We know more and we have more resources to keep those schools open,” Biden said. Evidence shows it’s fine for uninfected children who have been exposed to remain in school while testing confirms they are negative. “We don’t have to shut down schools because of a case of COVID-19,” Biden said. The key to protecting kids is to ensure all adults and eligible children in their lives are vaccinated, he said.
UC Berkeley not going remote – yet: UC Berkeley officials on Tuesday said the campus still plans on holding in-person classes in January. University of California campuses have the option of going to online instruction when classes resume amid concerns about potential burgeoning omicron variant infections as students return from holiday gatherings and travel. A spokesman for UC Berkeley said there were “active discussions on whether to change course in light of developments regarding the omicron variant, and we will adjust as necessary and appropriate.”
Marin County party outbreak confirmed: The health officer of Marin County confirmed Tuesday that at least 28 people who attended a holiday gathering last week have tested positive for the coronavirus, in a likely outbreak of the highly infectious omicron variant. Face coverings were not required at the indoor party, which was held before the state re-instituted a universal mask mandate, said Dr. Matt Willis. The event hosts insisted that all attendees be fully vaccinated, and asked that they take a rapid COVID test at home to confirm they were not infected on the day of the party, Willis said. Many of the people in attendance also had gotten booster shots. But more than half of the 50 to 60 attendees have now tested positive, Willis said. All reported mild illness or no symptoms, and none have been hospitalized. Read the story here.
About 71% of covid samples at one Bay Area lab are now omicron: At Stanford’s Virology lab, around 71% of COVID samples are those with the omicron variant, the lab’s director Dr. Ben Pinsky said Tuesday. That figure is from over the weekend, and marks a rapid rise from the 56% it was the prior week. Those percentages are based on initial PCR screening of the samples, not full genome sequencing. “It really picked up over the course of the last week,” Pinsky said. “We went from very few to basically the majority being omicron.” He predicted that “nearly all of the cases will be omicron soon.” The 71% tracks with the CDC’s estimate that 73% of U.S. cases are now omicron.
UC schools may go remote in January: University of California President Michael Drake on Tuesday said campuses may choose to begin the January school term with remote classes in the face of rising coronavirus infections. In a letter to chancellors, Drake did not specifically advise going to all-online classes. But he said campuses should make plans to lessen COVID infections in light of the highly contagious omicron variant that “coupled with student travel to and from campus and the prevalence of gatherings over the holidays, will present our campuses with a unique set of public health challenges as we begin the New Year.” He advised campuses to “test, sequester and retest” returning students. “This may require campuses to begin the term using remote instruction in order to allow students to complete an appropriate testing protocol as they return to campus,” he said, noting conditions vary around the state. The University of California San Diego will revert to online classes for the first two weeks of January, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Biden says this is not March 2020: President Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure Americans who are both fed up and worried about the resurgent coronavirus, saying the country is far better off than it was more than a year ago. Thanks to vaccinations, he said, there is no need for lockdowns. He underscored that schools should remain open, with staff vaccinated, and students who are not infected are not at high risk. “This is not March of 2020,” Biden declared. “Two hundred million people are vaccinated. We’re prepared; we know more.” He made the comments in his televised address to the nation as coronavirus deaths nationwide have climbed above 1,000 a day again. He again laid into the purveyors of virus misinformation. He cited “dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media,” including by people “making money by peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters.”
Biden says don’t panic: “I know some Americans are wondering whether you can celebrate the holdays with family and friends,” President Biden said Tuesday in an address to the nation. “The answer is yes — if you are fully vaccinated.” Biden underscored his call for everyone to get COVID vaccination and boosters saying Americans “should all be concerned about omicron, but not panicked.” Amid rising concern about the runaway omicron variant, he said, “almost everyone who has died” from COVID has been unvaccinated. Especially for those people who have received a booster shot, he added, “you have much much less reason to worry. … If you’re fully vaccinated and especially if you have a booster shot, you are highly protected.” Even President Trump said recently that he’s received a booster shot, Biden noted, adding it was one of the few things he and his predecessor agreed on.
First reported death from omicron is Texas man: The death of an unvaccinated Texas man may be the first in the United States tied to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The Harris County Public Health Department said Monday the man was between 50 and 60 years old and had already contracted COVID-19 before getting infected again with a virus confirmed to be omicron. The man “was at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions,” Harris County officials said.
Pharmacies strain under test demand: Americans are floodingWalgreens and CVS stores this week for at-home tests, the new must-have item for millions ahead of the Christmas holiday. The demand has surged with the dramatic rise of the omicron variant: Long lines have formed around the nation at test centers and pharmacies in response to news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that omicron accounted for nearly three-quarters of covid-19 cases in the past week, making it the dominant variant nationwide. Walgreens and CVS have struggled to keep at-home test kits, such as Abbott BinaxNOW, Acon FlowFlex and Quidel Quickvue, in stock. The Bay Area also has seen an uptick in demand.
CVS closing 6 stores in San Francisco: CVS Pharmacy will close six of its 21 San Francisco stores in January, a company spokesperson told The Chronicle. The closures, part of a wave of anticipated closures the company first announced mid-November, come as demand for COVID-19 tests, often procured at local pharmacies, is climbing. Bay Area residents have reported long searches to find at-home, self-administered tests, as well as waits for appointments to get PCR tests administered in person. Read where the CVS stores in the city are closing here.
Massachusetts calls up National Guard: Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday ordered that up to 500 National Guard troops be sent to help hospitals straining with coronavirus patients with nonmedical tasks like food service and transportation, news accounts report. Starting on Monday, hospitals must postpone nonessential procedures, he said. “There’s no question the next few weeks will be difficult for our healthcare community,” Baker told reporters at a Tuesday briefing. “There are staff shortages, sicker patients and fewer beds available,” the governor said. “The steps we are taking today are designed to support them so they can continue taking care of patients.”
Biden plan includes help from military at hospitals: President Biden’s plan to counter the surge in fast-moving coronavirus infections includes readying 1,000 military medical professionals to help at overburdened hospitals in January and February, the White House said in a fact sheet Tuesday. The plan also includes activating FEMA response teams to help add hospital capacity where needed, and federally-funded expansion of hospital beds.The government also will set up new federal testing sites, starting this week in New York City, to help meet the mounting demand for tests that has seen people waiting in long lines to get tests. Biden intends to deploy 100 additional federal vaccinators to help meet demand in six hard-hit states. Previously Biden had announced in the face of the burgeoning omicron variant that Americans with private health insurance could get reimbursed for at-home COVID-19 tests starting in January.
Omicron cases pick up in L.A.: L.A. County confirmed 60 new cases of the coronavirus variant omicron on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The number exceeds the 49 total confirmed omicron cases that had been reported statewide to the California Department of Public Health as of Wednesday. “Given the rising case numbers, the high rate of community transmission, and all the evidence that, over time, our immune systems need a boost to be able to attack the COVID virus, no one eligible should delay getting their booster dose,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.
FDA set to OK treatment pills for COVID, report says: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize pills from both Pfizer and Merck to treat COVID-19, with the action expected as soon as Wednesday, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The step would be a milestone in the fight against COVID, expanding the available therapies for those infected. Vaccination to prevent the disease has been the focus of most public health efforts to date. Pfizer’s pill, Paxlovid, and Merck’s molnupiravir, taken in a series over several days, are intended for higher-risk people who test positive for COVID.
Former CDC director says omicron ‘as infectious as measles’: “I’ve worked on infectious disease outbreaks for 30 years,” Dr. Tom Frieden, a CDC director under President Barack Obama, tweeted Monday night. “I’ve NEVER seen anything like the speed of Omicron. It’s as infectious as measles spreading in a non-immune population, with a much shorter incubation time therefore much faster doubling time. Hope it’s a lot less severe.” Read more here on the comparison between omicron and measles.
Omicron suspected in outbreak from Marin holiday party: At least 28 people have tested positive for the coronavirus after a holiday party at a Larkspur restaurant, and Marin health officials suspect that the omicron variant might be the cause of the outbreak. Some attendees, all in their 40s and 50s, reported flu-like symptoms after the Dec. 11 event at Farm House Local, the Marin Independent Journal reported. “I think this is a glimpse into the next chapter of the pandemic for us,” county public health officer Dr. Matt Willis said Monday. “I would not be surprised if this particular outbreak was fueled by omicron.” Vaccinations were required for guests, and many had received boosters. Guests were also asked to self-administer a COVID- 19 home test the day of the party. Guests did not wear masks, which was allowed for vaccinated people at that time under Marin County rules since the new state mandate was not yet in effect. So far, no attendees have become seriously ill, Willis said.
Biden plan includes 500 million free home tests, hospital support, more vaccination sites: In his speech to the nation Tuesday about plans to combat the omicron variant, President Biden will announce free rapid coronavirus tests for Americans, more support for hospitals and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. The plan for the government to purchase 500 million home tests and ship them free to Americans starting in January marks a major shift for the Biden administration, the Associated Press reported. People will use a new website to order their tests, which will be sent by U.S. mail at no charge, the White House said. The government will also establish new testing sites and use the Defense Production Act to help manufacture more tests. Additionally, Biden is prepared to deploy an additional 1,000 troops with medical skills to assist hospitals, and stand up multiple vaccination sites and provide hundreds of personnel to administer shots.
Child dies of COVID in Solano County: Solano County’s public health department on Monday announced that COVID has taken the life of a baby less than 1 year old in the county. County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas called the loss “an urgent reminder that children can get seriously ill and die from COVID-19. While pediatric deaths are incredibly rare, they are also very tragic.”As of Monday morning, the county reported it had 369 active COVID-19 cases, and 342 cumulative deaths since the start of the pandemic. Matyas urged all eligible county residents to get vaccinated to protect the youngest children who are not yet eligible..
Biden to address nation about virus on Tuesday: President Biden will deliver an address to the nation Tuesday about the omicron variant’s rapid spread, which is sending case numbers soaring in many parts of the country. Biden “will announce new steps the Administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted, “while also issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated.” She said the president will enourage vaccination and booster shots. “We are prepared for the rising case levels,” she wrote. Biden “will detail how we will respond to this challenge.”
Omicron now dominant variant in U.S., report says: The immensely contagious omicron variant accounted for 73% of new infections in the United States last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show — a sharp rise from just 13% the prior week. In some places, such as New York, the prevalence of omicron is at over 90%. In much of the country, omicron’s prevalence is even higher. It’s responsible for an estimated 90% of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. California, however, has not seen similar dramatic surges in omicron cases.
L.A. New Year’s event canceled: Rising U.S. coronavirus case numbers have forced cancellation for the second year in a row of the New Year’s Eve countdown celebration in downtown L.A.’s Grand Park. The event will be streamed online instead, officials said Monday. The event, which is operated by the Music Center, had been set to include an invite-only audience of frontline workers and first responders, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Given the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the county, the Music Center/Grand Park team determined the safest route to continue with this popular annual tradition would be to eliminate a live audience,” event officials said.
Dining risk deterring restaurant enjoyment again:
Bay Area restaurants have started temporarily closing their dining rooms because of positive coronavirus cases among staff or simply out of an abundance of caution, and Dr. Bob Wachter, a leading Bay Area health expert on COVID-19, says he is no longer dining indoors because of the highly infectious omicron variant. In a Twitter thread that went viral, the UCSF Department of Medicine chair explained that indoor dining isn’t worth the risk for him even as San Francisco maintains a low case rate and high vaccination rate. Indoor dining has been found to be among the riskiest activities because people take their masks off to eat and drink. Read the latest on pandemic dining out here.
Rita Beamish and Anna Buchmann are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rbeamish@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com