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COVID-19 cases in San Mateo County are on the rise and have now surpassed the summer delta variant surge, with an average of about 190 cases reported per day over the last two weeks, according to county officials and the County dashboard.
“We've seen an increase in case reports that are substantially higher than we saw at the height of the delta summer surge,” Preston Merchant, communications officer for the San Mateo County Department of Health, told the Pulse in an email.
According to Merchant, current data trends show roughly twice as many cases as experienced during the latest delta surge. He added that case numbers are continually revised with new data and are subject to change.
Daily cases peaked at roughly 180 in early August. By contrast, 374 cases were reported on Thursday, December 23.
In the past month, the county reported 308 new COVID-19 cases in Redwood City and 38 in North Fair Oaks. According to data from the California Department of Public Health published by the L.A. Times, 80% of the cases in Redwood City, and 84% in North Fair Oaks, occurred in the last two weeks.
The California Department of Public Health has also confirmed the presence of the new omicron variant in the county using genetic sequencing, according to Merchant. However, it’s unclear whether the rise in COVID-19 cases in the county is due to omicron or how many cases have been caused by the new strain.
“Through wastewater testing and data from our neighboring counties, we have known for several weeks that omicron is prevalent in the region, including in San Mateo County,” he said, noting that wastewater testing was conducted by the Stanford-based Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network. “We continue to send samples to the state lab for genetic sequencing as part of regional disease surveillance.”
Though San Mateo County doesn’t report the specific number of cases of each variant, test samples are sent to the state Department of Health, which sequences 10-20% of cases statewide. These data “contribute to a much larger picture” of California’s COVID status and variant breakdown, Merchant said.
As of December 21, omicron represents 6.5% of cases in California, with Delta still leading at 93.5%.
Since its first detection in South Africa in late November, the new COVID-19 variant has spread to at least 77 countries worldwide, causing record outbreaks and reimposed restrictions. The United States’ first case of omicron was reported in San Francisco on Dec. 1 and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it has since been detected in almost all states and territories, causing an estimated 58.6% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
Transmission in San Mateo County is currently “substantial,” according to the CDC, which calculates seven-day case rates. With 94.71 new cases per 100,000 people, San Mateo County is in the second-highest tier, and the CDC recommends wearing a mask in public, indoor spaces and as of Dec. 15, the state of California requires it.
“With omicron spreading throughout the Bay Area, we can’t stress enough the need for vaccinations and boosters, wearing masks indoors, staying home if you feel sick, and getting tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19,” said Merchant.
Throughout Northern California, Kaiser Permanente said it is increasing appointment availability in response to an increase in testing demand over the last week, according to a statement emailed to the Pulse.
The hospital system said it expects appointment requests to continue to rise during the omicron surge, adding that hospitalizations have mildly increased over the last week. Kaiser has not seen a rise in pediatric hospitalizations.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published by the L.A. Times, Kaiser Redwood City has seen an average of seven new COVID-19 patients a day over the last week.
Kaiser said it’s seeing higher numbers of confirmed cases across all age groups, which is “likely associated with the omicron variant, holiday gatherings and travel.” Kaiser added that the biggest spike has been among adults between the ages of 18 and 50.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in our hospitals in Northern California and throughout the State, as the effects of this omicron surge in the community are likely to be evident over the next two weeks,” said Kaiser in its statement.
Along with the sudden rise in new cases, demand for COVID-19 tests has skyrocketed across the county.
In the week before Christmas, the county was averaging 690 tests per day and saw a roughly 30% increase in average weekly usage compared to the month of November.
With current demand at approximately 45% of capacity of county-operated sites, the county health department joined Santa Clara County in distributing tens of thousands of free COVID-19 tests to residents. Santa Clara County recently confirmed its first omicron case.
“There aren't many pharmacies now that you can go and get self tested,” San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa told NBC Bay Area. “That's problematic, that's extremely problematic and so as a county, we're going to have to lean in and we may have to do much much more than we're doing now."
While much remains unknown about the new variant, the CDC says that omicron is believed to spread faster than previous strains and likely can be transmitted by anyone, even if they are vaccinated and asymptomatic. Additional research is needed to determine whether it causes more severe illness, though the New York Times reported that several researchers observed generally milder symptoms with omicron than previous strains.
The CDC also shortened the recommended isolation and quarantine period for those who test positive for COVID.
Recent data published by the UK Health Security Agency suggest that the booster shot likely helps protect against omicron, with its effectiveness waning after roughly 10 weeks. Though data are still limited, the CDC website says that “the recent emergence of omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.”
In San Mateo County, about 78% of all residents are fully vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to Merchant. However, only 45% of eligible residents have received their booster shot, and nearly half of the 5 to 11-year-olds are still unvaccinated.
“It’s still too early to determine the effect omicron will have on our community,” said Merchant. “There are still over 100,000 unvaccinated residents.”
In addition to getting vaccinated, he added that, as the new surge continues, “sticking to the proven strategies — wearing a mask indoors, avoiding crowded spaces, remembering that outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities, and getting tested after an exposure or developing symptoms — are more important than ever.”
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Leah Worthington is the lead reporter at the Redwood City Pulse. She can be reached at lworthington@rwcpulse.com, on Twitter, and by phone at 650-888-3794. To read more stories about Redwood City, subscribe to our daily Express newsletter on rwcpulse.com.
