CDC no longer recommending universal COVID-19 contact tracing: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week they were no longer recommending universal contact tracing and case investigations for COVID-19, encouraging health departments to focus instead on high-risk settings. The CDC said factors including high enough levels of vaccine- or illness-induced immunity, the increased use of at-home tests and the high volume of reported cases contributed to the decision to relax contact tracing.
Biden announces new COVID initiatives: President Biden announced during his State of the Union address Tuesday that the federal government will launch a “Test to Treat Initiative” – a program meant to reduce the time between a person’s positive COVID-19 test result and the moment they receive treatment such as antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies. The initiative will also include steps to educate the public about new treatments, inform health care providers about new treatments and deliver antiviral pills to long-term care facilities.
Biden administration expanding delivery of antiviral pills, at-home tests: The federal government and Pfizer have been working together to fast-track the production and delivery of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19, President Biden said during his State of the Union address Tuesday. Roughly 1 million pills will be made available this month at select pharmacy clinics and more than 2 million will be available in April, officials said. Starting next week, households that have already ordered COVID-19 tests from the government can order four more tests for free. The government had delivered more than 270 million free tests by March 1.
Bay Area lags in office return compared to other major metros: After a sharp dip in January due to the omicron COVID-19 surge, more Bay Area residents are returning to their offices to work. But at 25% of its pre-pandemic baseline, the attendance rate in the San Francisco metropolitan region lags behind other areas as of mid-February, according to the Office of the Controller’s latest reopening report. By comparison, weekly office attendance is close to about 50% of its baseline in Austin, 35% in Los Angeles, 32% in New York, and 28% in San Jose. Hotel occupancy in San Francisco has recovered to December levels, with about 45% of available rooms in use, but still remains far below the 80% pre-pandemic average. The average rate of an overnight stay has edged back up to $200, down from about $310 in 2019.
Contra Costa County hits booster milestone, but still ‘a long way to go’: Contra Costa County this week hit a milestone in the administration of COVID-19 vaccine boosters, with 50% of eligible residents now having gotten a booster shot, county health officials said Tuesday. “While we’re glad that number is on the rise, that number is still too low for our comfort,” health services director Anna Roth told county supervisors. “We still have a long way to go.” Boosters significantly reduce the likelihood of COVID infection and hospitalization compared to the primary vaccine series — most Americans got two shots of mRNA vaccine for their primary series — which are already very protective against hospitalization and death. Booster uptake has lagged in the region, state and nation, with just 50% to 68% of eligible residents in most Bay Area counties having been boosted. People 12 and older who’ve been fully vaccinated are eligible for boosters. Those five to 11 years old are not yet eligible for boosters because not enough time has passed since their first two shots; this group only became eligible for their initial shots in November, and boosters are given at least five months after the second shot.
Alameda County aligns with state to drop mask mandate for the unvaccinated, will decide this week on masking in schools: Alameda County is the latest Bay Area jurisdiction to align with state guidance that allows unvaccinated residents to go maskless in most indoor public settings starting Tuesday. Other Bay Area counties have taken the same tack. Alameda County is still considering whether it will also align with the state’s policy to lift indoor mask requirements for K-12 schools on March 12. California announced both masking changes Monday. Counties and school districts can choose to keep indoor masking in schools but so far in the Bay Area, only San Francisco Unified School District has announced plans to retain its local school mask mandate.
Sonoma County COVID trends ‘going in the right direction’ despite high case count: Sonoma County officials said that coronavirus metrics were improving in the region as the omicron winter surge continues to wane. “Things are going in the right direction,” Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, told a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. “That is good news.” However, she said there has been a decline in demand for testing and encouraged people to report the results of at-home antigen tests to the county database so the public health department could continue to accurately monitor COVID-19 trends. “We still have a very high case-volume,” Mase said. Sonoma County is averaging around 20 daily cases per 100,000 residents, down from a peak of 228 cases per 100,000 in early January. “It’s significantly higher than where we were before last November before the omicron surge,” she cautioned. Mase also said the county will sunset its recommendation that students wear masks outdoors while at school and would follow California’s guidelines for allowing schools to lift the indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals.
Hawaii to end Safe Travels COVID safety program: Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Tuesday that Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, which allowed people coming into the state to bypass quarantine requirements, would end March 25, Hawaii News Now reported. The program requires temperature screenings at Hawaiian airports and a mandatory five-day quarantine, unless incoming travelers presented proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of their departure times.
