An indoor mask mandate could be coming to San Francisco and other Bay Area counties "as early as next week," the head of the city’s Department of Public Health said on Friday.
Dr. Grant Colfax made the comments in a media update concerning the infectious delta variant of the coronavirus and a recent uptick in confirmed cases. "We are very vigorously exploring issuing an indoor mask mandate and in discussions with surrounding counties and health officers in regard to that," he said. "So, I’ve asked our health officer to focus on that. I expect we will likely see action on that as early as next week."
San Francisco is averaging 176 new cases per day, representing "a ten-fold increase since the beginning of June," according to health officials.
Importantly, added Colfax, the case rate among unvaccinated residents is double that of those who are vaccinated.
Dozens of fully vaccinated staff members at two San Francisco hospitals have developed COVID-19 over the past six weeks, including about 140 employees at UCSF and 35 at San Francisco General. An estimated three-quarters of those infected had been vaccinated for COVID-19.
"We know from the vaccine studies that you can still contract COVID even if you're fully vaccinated, but you only get sort of milder symptoms and not get severe COVID or die from it," Dr. Luke Day, chief medical officer at San Francisco General, told KCBS Radio late Friday.
Day described symptoms among staff as "very mild."
Officials said none of those diagnosed with breakthrough cases had to be hospitalized.
In all, more than 600 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Bay Area.
Earlier this week, Sacramento County joined Los Angeles and Yolo counties in ordering masks to be worn in indoor public settings. So far, all Bay Area counties – expect for Solano – and the City of Berkeley have only endorsed masking recommendations in public indoor situations. Many of those Bay Area counties and Berkeley made a joint announcement in doing so.
The California Department of Public Health has also issued recommendations for all Californians to mask up in public indoor settings.
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