Mask, vaccinate, stop making the same mistakes
The sad thing about the current surge of COVID-19 in the Bay Area, California and the nation is that it was totally preventable.
But a lack of political will and personal responsibility has brought us to the point where we must, once again, don masks and ratchet back daily activities as we watch cases and hospitalizations rise rapidly.
We can learn from our mistakes — if we’re willing to put politics aside and follow the science. And recognize that, because of the characteristics of the delta variant, we face new and in some ways greater challenges today than we did with prior surges.
Even though roughly half of Californians are fully vaccinated, we’re witnessing rapidly rising case counts approaching the levels of last summer. Numbers for the Bay Area have already topped the peaks of last summer’s surge. Statewide hospitalization numbers, which lag case counts, are rising quickly, already reaching roughly half of last summer’s peak count.
It’s against this backdrop that Bay Area health officials on Monday issued indoor mask mandates, regardless of vaccination status, for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties. California should do the same.
Meanwhile, there are two key steps that could slow the rapid spread and dampen the danger of the virus.
• Get vaccinated. The vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing serious illness. As of two weeks ago, 97% of people entering the hospital because of the coronavirus were unvaccinated, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is overwhelmingly those who haven’t gotten their shots who become extremely sick and die.
Yet, amazingly, in California only 60% of those eligible, who are age 12 or older, have been fully inoculated. If you aren’t vaccinated, please get your shots — starting now. If you know someone who isn’t vaccinated, impress upon them the importance of the inoculations.
• Wear a mask indoors. Whether it’s at the supermarket, hardware store, hair salon or gym, wear a mask. And if you want a restaurant meal, ask for a table outside.
This applies regardless of your vaccination status. It’s critical for your own protection and to stop the spread of the virus. The Bay Area mandate applies to the vaccinated as well as unvaccinated because of the growing number of breakthrough cases.
As amazingly effective as the vaccines are, they don’t provide 100% protection. As a result, according to state numbers, about 16% of new California coronavirus cases for the week of July 14-20 were among people who were vaccinated.
Moreover, there is mounting evidence that even vaccinated people can transmit the virus. That’s why masks are so important.
We are entering a new phase of our fight against COVID-19. Thus far, as a region and a state, we have been inconsistent in our vigilance — and some have been downright defiant. Had everyone who had a chance opted for vaccination, we wouldn’t be facing this new surge in California.
Let’s not repeat our mistakes.