Heading into the holidays, public health officials are urging the Bay Area to adhere to lockdown orders to prevent a surge within a surge.
The Bay Area’s ICU capacity is down to just 12.4% and nearly 50,000 new cases were reported statewide on Sunday.
Deputy chief of San Mateo County Health Srija Srinivasan says the vast majority of COVID transmission in that county came from small gatherings.
“More than 90% - and this is the data we’re getting from our case and contact investigators - coming from small gatherings. And really it’s because people do not know that they could be carrying the virus.”
More than half of transmission in the county comes from people who are asymptomatic and do not know that they are carrying the virus. Transmission also seems to originate from frontline workers to their family, and spreads into the community from there.
“This is a concerning time, these next few weeks, and this has to be a different type of holiday time this year,” said Srinivasan. “At this rate, with this level of spread throughout our community, we all have to absolutely adhere to the state order that is being imposed, but also mask at all times, insulate our families by not mixing households.”
The current stay-at-home order prohibits gatherings of any size except for religious services and political demonstrations.
Srinivasan says while it will be understandably difficult for people to avoid gatherings of any kind during the holiday season, it may be one of the last sacrifices people are asked to make.
“There’s a lot of hope around the corner with the vaccine, if we can get through these next few weeks and months. There’s a much brighter glimmer of hopefulness that can await if we can bear down together to get through these tough weeks.”
The current order is in effect through at least Jan. 8.