COVID-19 deaths in the Bay Area are at pandemic lows, but officials in one county are concerned about a recent uptick in cases they say could surpass the county's spring surge.
The Alameda County Public Health Department on Thursday said average daily COVID-19 cases have more than doubled since early June.
Alameda County's seven-day average of cases is over 70 per day, Public Information Officer Neetu Balram said in an email to KCBS Radio. At one point last month, the county's seven-day average was 28 per day.
Those figures have a five-day reporting lag, Balram said.
County officials attributed the recent increases to California lifting almost all of its coronavirus-related restrictions last month, which included lightening indoor masking requirements for vaccinated residents. Officials said the highly contagious Delta variant probably is contributing, too.
"We expect to see more COVID-19 with reopening, but the rate of this increase is concerning," Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nicholas Moss said in a statement. "COVID-19 is a serious threat to the health and wellness of unvaccinated residents. If you are still deciding about vaccination, continue to follow COVID safety precautions to keep from catching or spreading the virus, like wearing your mask in indoor public settings and outdoor crowded spaces."
Sixty-nine percent of county residents aged 12 or older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to county data. Only 48.3% of eligible Black residents, 50.7% of eligible Latino residents and 63.3% of eligible white residents are fully vaccinated.
The Public Health Department said "new cases are impacting those communities where vaccination rates are lowest, including those neighborhoods that have already been hit hardest by COVID-19." Latino residents, for instance, comprise 40% of the county's COVID-19 cases despite not comprising that percentage of its population.
The county will soon expand efforts to reach disproportionately affected neighborhoods, holding a meeting Wednesday to solicit coalitions and individual organizations whom the county will award up to $12 million.
"Talk to your friends, family members, religious leader or health care provider today," Dr. Jocelyn Freeman Garrick, the county lead for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, said in the statement. "Ask your questions and get the information you need to make the decision that is right for you. When you are ready, we'll be ready for you and in your neighborhood."
