SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Bay Area COVID-19 numbers are coming down ever so slightly, but new variants make it difficult to anticipate whether the surge is over or just in a lull.
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Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis Health infectious disease specialist, told KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" he's hopeful the surge has reached its peak, but warned the Bay Area may still see some case increase moving forward.
"We might have some continued increase, especially following Memorial Day activities," he said.
Attempting to keep track of new COVID-19 cases has proved difficult for health experts, as many people are now taking at-home tests with mild symptoms.
"I think the challenge is through the breakthrough infections that are mild," Blumberg said. "Many of those home tests are not recorded. There is a way to report them, but most people don't bother reporting them and it's not required."
According to the infectious disease specialist, a better metric is looking at hospitalization rates. "Those will be reported more accurately," he explained. "We're not seeing an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID and so I think that's showing that most of the breakthroughs in cases are generally mild."
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