Santa Clara Co. health officials discuss priority COVID testing amid omicron surge

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 omicron variant.

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.)

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Santa Clara County health officials discuss priority COVID testing
In a Friday news conference, Dr. Sara Cody says the county is showing decrease in the amount of omicron detected and but is currently seeing a rise in hospitalizations.

"So we know that in our community as in many places across the country, our current demand exceeds the supply of tests that we have," Dr. Cody said.

She addresses when you should you use an antigen test.

"Those are the ones that you can buy over the counter. Those tests are best used to quote test out early from isolation. So if you already know you have COVID and you're just wondering when am I no longer infectious? When am I no longer a risk to others? An antigen test is the best test to use there."

Dr. Cody says using an antigen test applies to people who already had COVID in the last 90 days who need to test again.

So when should you use a PCR? Dr. Cody says the PCR is still the optimal test. "If you have been exposed to somebody and you're wondering whether you're going to develop the infection however, an antigen test can also be used for that as well."

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Tentative agreement reached between SFUSD, union employees over safety
In San Francisco, a tentative agreement has been struck between the school district and several of its employee unions over COVID safety conditions. Last week, hundreds of San Francisco teachers called for a sickout to demand more on-the-job protections. The deal calls for the distribution of "high-quality face masks" such as N95s and KN95s to students and staff -- 73,000 are in the process of being distributed. The district will provide an additional 10 days of COVID sick leave for employees and weekly coronavirus testing will continue to be offered to students and staff.