From the White House to local hospital systems, the word is about the latest mutation of the coronavirus.
“There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a boom,” said Dr. William Tseng, assistant field medical director at Kaiser Permanente.
Tseng said everyone should step up their efforts to stay safe from the virus by wearing a mask, keeping a distance – all the precautions we’ve become familiar with over the years.
And Tseng said this current surge is much bigger than what we can measure.
“The numbers we have are where we have been able to test. So there are a lot of numbers that we can’t see at this point because a lot of them are positive when they test at home and they don’t tell us the results,” he said.
The latest surge is happening just as two of San Diego’s biggest public events are about to unfold in person. Pride is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people this weekend.
Then, exactly a week later, Comic Con kicks off in San Diego. Organizers are telling everyone that strict rules will apply.
Attendees, vendors and everyone else must wear masks at indoor events. The mask should be visible outside the costume. Verification of complete vaccination status or proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours must be shown, and this is all subject to change.
KPBS asked Pride organizers what measures they were taking, but by the time this story was published, they had not responded.
“The statement has always been that if you’re out, you’re fine,” said Dr. Ghazala Sharif, chief medical officer for acute care operations at Scripps.
Sharif said it is safe to be outside, but with these new ones, but this is not the time to let your guard down.
“With these types being so contagious, we still have to be extra careful,” she said.
Dr. Sharif said that the number of people suffering from Kovid is increasing throughout the Scripps system, as is the case in all hospitals in the county. We reached out to several people with the county health department for a comment. A spokesperson told us that no one was available on Tuesday afternoon.
Fortunately, we are much better prepared now for a surge in cases. There are drugs such as monoclonal antibodies and paxlovid that are very effective.
But you can hear the concern in the voices of Doctor Sharif and Tseng. Another boom is brewing and big events with lots of people will help fuel it.