Bay Area and California officials aren’t planning new COVID-19 lockdowns, saying that masking, testing and vaccinations are sufficient to avoid disruptive closures of businesses and schools despite the delta variant surge. Schools are on track to reopen in the Bay Area, but more local restaurants are closing temporarily because of breakthrough cases among vaccinated staff. Some local residents with breakthrough infections have shared their experiences with The Chronicle, reflecting on being among the low percentage of people to get sick despite getting their shots.
Latest updates:
CDC issues travel advisory for Israel: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added Israel to its list of countries to avoid in its latest advisory report for travelers. Israel was moved to the Level 4 category, designating the highest risk, on Monday, joining coronavirus hotspots including Brazil, South Africa, Spain, Iran, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Israel is experiencing another surge of COVID-19 infections. According to Health Ministry data released on Monday, cases grew by 3,372 and the number of hospitalized patients rose to 360. The country has initiated booster shots to help curb the current outbreak, but even some of the individuals who have received their third shots have become infected, according to local media reports.
Nearly 100,000 children infected with COVID-19 over the past week: There were 93,824 child COVID-19 cases reported in the United States for the week ending Aug. 5, with children representing 15% of all the weekly reported cases, according to the latest report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Among states reporting, children ranged from 1.5%-3.5% of their total cumulated hospitalizations. The new number of cases marks a significant increase from the previous week when about 72,000 cases were reported. There were fewer than 39,000 cases reported the week before that. Less than half of the eligible children between the ages of 12 to 17 in the country are fully vaccinated, and those 11 and under are not yet able to get their shots.
Biden supports mandating vaccines for service members: President Biden backed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s requirement for all active-duty military members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by September, or sooner. “Secretary Austin and I share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible. Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world,” Biden said Monday.
Pentagon says troops must get vax by mid-September: The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Sept. 15, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise. “I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” licensure by the Food and Drug Administration “whichever comes first,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in the memo to troops.
Judge says Norwegian cruises can require proof of vaccination: A federal judge has temporarily overruled a Florida law that sought to prevent cruise line operators from requiring passengers to prove they’ve been vaccinated, the Associated Press reported. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the ban on “vaccine passports” was likely unconstitutional.
New Orleans’ Jazz Fest canceled: With new coronavirus cases surging in Louisiana, organizers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — which was set to include performances by the Rolling Stones, Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, and many others — have canceled the event for the second year in a row. Traditionally held in the spring, it was scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17. Organizers on Sunday cited the “current exponential growth” of new cases in the city and region in announcing that the festival will not occur as planned. Next year’s dates are April 29-May 8.
Texas governor faces backlash over mask ban as COVID cases, hospitalizations rise: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing intense criticism over his decision to not enact a statewide masking mandate as new COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations soar, the New York Times reported. Abbott has also forbidden local jurisdictions to pass their own masking mandates.
The new employee wellness menu for remote workers: A survey of more than 4,000 people in December found stress (32%) and weight gain (43%) were the chief worries for employees working from home last year, with 40% of respondents concerned that a lack of social interaction would affect their mental health. Those kinds of numbers have led companies to place a premium on employee wellness, from investing in home office setups to finding ways to get people out of their homes, many of which now double as offices for the foreseeable future. Read the full story.
Fauci optimistic vaccines will get full FDA approval within weeks: Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that he is hopeful the Food and Drug Administration will give the coronavirus vaccines full approval by month’s end. Fauci, the White House’s top infectious disease adviser, predicted the potential move will spur a wave of vaccine mandates in the private sector as well as schools and universities. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have received only emergency-use approval so far, but the FDA is expected to soon give full approval to Pfizer, the Associated Press reported.
Schools brace for wave of students dealing with pandemic impact: Bay Area schools are expected to fully reopen over the coming weeks, with all students stepping into classrooms full time after more than a year when many learned mostly online. But many will be shouldering the impact of 18 months of stress, anxiety and isolation — while also trying to catch up academically if they’ve fallen behind. Education and mental health experts have been warning about the devastating impact of the pandemic on youths, citing the rising rates of depression, obesity, anxiety, absenteeism and academic struggles. They believe teachers and school staff will see a significant fallout for months or years to come. Read the full story.
COVID hospitalization data
shows S.F.’s
vaccination advantage: COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in San Francisco as a result of the spread of the extra-contagious delta variant. But data shows not as many San Franciscans are getting hospitalized for the virus compared with other U.S. counties with similar transmission rates. What sets San Francisco apart is its exceptionally high share of people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus. A Chronicle analysis found that among 20 counties with similar levels of community transmission, San Francisco had the highest vaccination rate and among the lowest hospital admission rates for COVID-19. See the data, and read the full story.
When will Bay Area’s delta surge peak? The fourth wave of the pandemic will probably peak in the Bay Area late this month or early next, quickly drop off in September, and almost certainly not come close to causing the deadly chaos of last winter’s surge. That’s health experts’ best guess, based on local and national models that take into account how the now-dominant delta variant has raged through other countries and how well vaccines are holding up against it. Some experts predict the peak could arrive in just a couple of weeks. Others are more grim. Read the full story.
Anna Buchmann is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com