Covid Tracker: 35,170 cases, 474 deaths
Hello, Mission! Welcome to Virus Village, your daily Covid-19 data dump.
The CDC this morning approved travel for those fully vaccinated. And the agency also responded to its director’s comments that fully vaccinated people never get infected or transmit the virus. Although the available evidence shows that the likelihood of infection and transmission from vaccinees being very low, Mrs. Walensky’s mother should have taught her never to say “never”.
It will be some time before most people get the vaccine. In the meantime, rapid over-the-counter antigen tests are starting to roll out. We will probably see a lot of use soon.
Things are never really so rosy in the land of Covid as we see new cases starting to increase in SF and Santa Clara is warning that we are on the precipice of the 4th wave.
Blue Shield began its takeover of the vaccine distribution system in California by fixing what isn’t broken.
On a lighter note, for those of us who enjoy dark humor, Joe delves into Allison Collins’ lawsuit against the board.
Restaurants and small businesses have secured loans and bailout grants from governments at all levels, but as Kate reports, it’s not enough.
And as a testament to good neighborly communication and cooperation, the Virgin Guadalupe mural on Lilac Alley is falling apart, but it will rise again.
While waiting for The Vaccination, scroll down for today’s Covid issues.
Since the start of the pandemic, natives of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands have had a case rate of 1,511 cases per 10,000 inhabitants, Latinx have 1086, Native Americans 712, Black 465, Whites 218, Asians 215 and multiracial people have a 172 cases per 10,000 inhabitants .
According to the most recent data from the Federal Department of Health and Social Services, 44 reported Covid, SFGH, UCSF and Kaiser patients had 32.
Despite the increase in the number of new cases, the average positivity rate across the city remains below 1%. Testing has declined in part because of the vaccination. The average number of tests performed is roughly what it was at the end of October.
Based on 474 Covid-related deaths and 35,170 cases, the current case fatality rate (CFR) in SF is 1.35%, while the infection mortality rate (IFR) based on “true infections” is approximately between 0.34 percent and 0.45 percent.