Cases of COVID-19 have been increasing in the Bay Area in the month since restrictions were lifted on gatherings and masks.
The upticks are especially pronounced in three counties in particular – Contra Costa, Alameda and Sonoma.
Alameda County has gone from about 28 new cases a day in early June, to around 100 new cases a day currently.
The new variant is fueling that spread, hitting the still relatively large unvaccinated population. That’s the case in Contra Costa County and in Sonoma, which just had 5 new deaths to report in a single day late last week.
"The Delta variant is spreading in California, and it’s simply more infectious than the virus we had earlier in the pandemic," said Alameda County Health Officer Nick Moss.
"We are seeing hospitalizations at levels that we haven’t seen since about mid-February," said Sonoma County’s chief epidemiologist Kate Pack.
The majority of cases they are seeing now are in people in their 20s and 30s who aren’t vaccinated, said Pack.
"We know Delta is in our community, so full vaccination is the best protection, but it’s especially critical if you aren’t vaccinated that you make sure to continue to mask, distance, and avoid gathering," said Pack.
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