Coronavirus live updates: Bay Area hospital nears capacity, forcing new guidelines amid surge

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

The latest videos about coronavirus in the US

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A surge in coronavirus cases has been reported in the Bay Area and across California as well as the country due in part to the emergence of the highly-contagious delta variant. California health officials are highly recommending that both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the virus.

The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at the CDC's 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. page. (The CDC updates the webpage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)

Join anchor Kristen Sze for ABC7's daily, interactive newscast about the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area and around the world. You can check here to stream the show Monday-Friday at 3 p.m.

MAPS: Check out the latest maps of COVID-19 cases, deaths in the US, world

CORONAVIRUS IN CA: Get resources and information about COVID-19

LATEST LOCAL CASES: Updated number of COVID-19 cases, deaths in San Francisco Bay Area

Here are the latest developments on the respiratory illness in the U.S.:

Aug. 2, 2021

6:45 p.m.
Bay Area hospital near capacity amid COVID surge, enacts new guidelines for patients
As coronavirus cases surge, NorthBay Medical Center is near capacity. This is forcing them to limit how many visitors patients are allowed.
Starting Monday, hospital visits are discouraged except in certain situations:

One support person is allowed to accompany a laboring mother
Pediatric and NICU patients may have two designated support persons present
Patients with disabilities may have a support person
Two visitors may be present for a patient at the end of life
End-of-life COVID patients may have one visitor for up to one hour

2:45 p.m.
Kaiser announces vaccine mandate for doctors, nurses, staff
Kaiser Permanente announced its requiring the COVID-19 vaccination for all employees and physicians amid a surge in cases. See more details here.

2:35 p.m.
62.9% of eligible Californians vaccinated against COVID-19
About 63% of eligible Californians are vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, according to latest state data. This is a slight increase from Sunday's numbers. More than 3.2 million people are partially vaccinated in the state. California is averaging 68,287 doses per day.

12:05 p.m.
7 Bay Area counties announce indoor mask mandate
Health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley announced a mask mandate Monday afternoon, requiring every resident to wear a mask indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status. The health order goes into effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.

6:20 a.m.
BART returning to near pre-pandemic service levels
Starting today, BART is returning to near pre-pandemic service levels. Trains will run later and more frequently. Here are the changes effective today: Trains will run until midnight and they'll come every 15 minutes during the day. There will be more direct trips to SFO on weekdays. Masks are still required to ride.

Aug. 1, 2021

1:30 p.m.
Nearly 63% of Californians vaccinated against virus, data shows
As of Sunday morning, 62.8% of eligible Californians are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest state data. The state is currently administering more than 68,000 doses per day, on average. More than 3.2 million Californians are partially vaccinated against the virus.

11 a.m.
Dr. Fauci warns 'things are going to get worse' with COVID

As the country grapples with a surge in the delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that lockdowns the country saw last year are likely to not return, though he warned "things will get worse" during an interview on ABC's "This Week."

"I don't think we're gonna see lockdowns. I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country -- not enough to crush the outbreak -- but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter. But things are going to get worse," the nation's top infectious disease expert told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday.

July 30, 2021

6 p.m.
COVID-19 Outbreak at Contra Costa County jails
An outbreak of COVID-19 is unfolding at Contra Costa County jails. Health officials report 96 inmates and staff members have tested positive across three facilities. Martinez Detention Facility, Marsh Creek Detention Facility, and West County Detention Facility. No one has required hospitalization. Officials say as of this week - facility staff have to be vaccinated or undergo testing. All inmates have been offered vaccines.

1 p.m.
SF COVID-19 Update
San Francisco health officials gave an update on COVID-19 amid a surge of cases in the city and a suggested indoor masking policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax called the Delta variant "COVID on steroids," saying it is the dominant strain throughout San Francisco and is driving up cases and hospitalizations.

"This is not a good time not to be vaccinated," said Dr. Colfax.

Data Highlights for San Francisco:

Vaccinated people are highly unlikely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19.

The case rate among the unvaccinated population is more than double that of the vaccinated population in San Francisco.

There have been no recorded COVID-related deaths amongst fully vaccinated people.

San Francisco is averaging 176 new cases a day, a ten-fold increase since the beginning of June.

11 a.m.
CDC warns of delta variant's extreme contagiousness, severity
The delta coronavirus variant surging across the United States appears to cause more severe illness and spread as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The document - a slide presentation - outlines data that shows fully vaccinated people might spread the delta variant at the same rate as unvaccinated people. Get the full story here.

10:30 a.m.
'Hamilton' in SF to require proof of vaccination or test, masks for audience
"Hamilton" will require vaccination proof or negative test results for audiences when it returns to San Francisco All ticketholders will be required to show proof of full COVID vaccination or negative test results from a COVID PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance for entry. See more details here.