U.S. coronavirus cases down nearly 20% but deaths up 25%

When will the government’s free N95 masks arrive in the Bay Area?: Government-provided N95 masks began arriving at drugstores in some parts of the country this week — but the Bay Area may have to wait a bit longer. At several Walgreens stores in San Francisco on Friday, customers were greeted with signs posted on the doors or at the checkout counters saying “Government provided masks are not available at this location,” adding that masks were available for purchase instead. Read the full story here.

U.S. virus cases down nearly 20% but deaths up 25%: The United States is reporting an average of about 600,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, according to figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marks a nearly 20% drop in a week, the federal data reveal. All but nine states are showing the winter surge in omicron cases now waning. The rate of hospitalizations, which lags behind case counts, is also falling: There are now an average of about 19,000 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus daily, a decrease of nearly 9% since last week. Mortality, on the other hand, is a lagging indicator of pandemic trends, and COVID-19 deaths rose about 25% over the same period. The nation is recording an average of 2,200 deaths daily, up from the prior average of 1,800.

San Francisco allows third shot for those who got J&J vaccine: San Francisco residents who got the Johnson & Johnson Janssen coronavirus vaccine and have been boosted with a second shot can now get a third, following an advisory issued this month by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Regardless of what brand of vaccine people had for their second dose, the city is advising a Pfizer/BioNTech shot for the third. The move jumps ahead of federal recommendations for recipients of the single-shot J&J vaccine and could foreshadow later shifts in federal policy. Read the full story here.

Petition against Stanford booster mandate gathers more than 2,000 signatures: An online petition launched by a Stanford graduate student against the university’s COVID-19 booster requirement has collected more than 2,000 signers, the Stanford Daily reports. The requirement to get a vaccine booster is due to kick in Jan. 31 for all students without medical or religious exemptions. Engineering Ph.D. candidate Monte Fischer, who started the protest in mid-January, is calling for the university to scrap the mandate because, he said, the benefits of the booster in a community of young vaccinated people don’t outweigh the risks, especially the rare possibility of myocarditis among young men. In an op-ed published Jan. 13 in the Stanford Daily, he argued that “getting boosted should be a personal decision.” The university hasn’t signaled any indications of backing down.

S.F. urges safety at Lunar New Year and Black History month celebrations: Health officials in San Francisco are reminding residents that coronavirus cases are still near an all-time high and they should exercise “extra caution to avoid community spread” as this weekend marks the beginning of Lunar New Year and Black History month celebrations. “Even though the omicron variant tends to be mild or asymptomatic in people who are vaccinated and boosted, there are those among us who are medically vulnerable and communities that remain highly impacted by the disease,” Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the health department, said in a statement. “We need to limit the spread especially when cases remain high with the many layers of defense we have in our toolbox.” The health department suggests taking part in virtual activities and events offered by the San Francisco Public Library rather than gathering in-person.

Why are so many San Franciscans moving to Montana?: In 2020 and 2021, moves from San Francisco to Montana increased by 140% compared to the previous two years — making Montana the state that saw the biggest increase in new San Franciscans during the pandemic. Read the full story here.

10 billion COVID shots administered worldwide: Around 10 billion COVID-19 doses have been administered worldwide, according to data compiled by the University of Oxford. Nearly 61% of the world’s population has received at least one dose, but serious gaps remain: Less than 10% of people in poor countries have received a first dose.

After two devastating years, S.F.’s historic Chinatown hopes this Lunar New Year will begin a turnaround: Lunar New Year typically sparks ample activity in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the days leading up to the holiday, which starts Tuesday and runs through the rest of February. So far, this year has been muted. Owners of many small restaurants and businesses say Chinatown has looked empty for months, ever since the delta variant emerged last summer. Now, they’re clinging to hope for a turnaround. Read the full story here.

Hong Kong hamster blamed for outbreak in a residential building exonerated: A hong kong blamed for spreading a cluster of infections in Hong Kong was deemed to be coronavirus-free on Friday, the Washington Post reported. The hamster will be returned to its owner. Thousands of hamsters have been killed in Hong Kong after the government found several of the creatures imported from the Netherlands tested positive for the virus.

S.F. to drop mask mandate for offices and gyms — with new vaccination twist: San Francisco on Tuesday will lift indoor mask requirements for offices, gyms and other places where stable groups of vaccinated people gather — bringing the city’s mask rules for these settings back to what they were in December, before the omicron variant of the coronavirus skyrocketed to dominance. Read the full story here.

S.F. supervisor says unvaccinated Kyrie Irving should be barred from Warriors game: Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who cannot play in home games because of New York City’s vaccine requirements, will square off against the Warriors on Saturday at Chase Center — and San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney is not happy about it. Read the full story here.

Should you get a 2nd booster shot? Here’s what UCSF’s Dr. Bob Wachter thinks: As some countries begin to offer a second booster shot — a fourth dose — of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, should you consider getting one? Given the data that exists right now, Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at UCSF, says he would skip it. Read the full story here.

Oakland joins San Francisco and Berkeley in requiring proof of vaccination in restaurants, bars and gyms: As Oakland prepares to enforce a new mandate Tuesday that requires patrons to show proof of COVID vaccination in indoor restaurants, bars, theaters, clubs and other establishments, many business owners said they welcome the new policy. Read the full story here.

Bay Area musicians, venues face weighty pandemic choices: As the omicron variant began to surge last month, some in the Bay Area arts community saw the waves of cancellations as reminiscent of the pandemic’s early days, when shelter-in-place orders brought live events to a screeching, definitive halt. But there’s a glaring difference this time around: Event organizers and performers are the ones doing the canceling. That’s because local officials’ current approach to restrictions is a stark contrast to the position they took in March and April 2020. Namely, there aren’t many. Read the full story here.

Workers in high risk settings in S.F. get extension on vaccine deadline: The city’s health department on Thursday pushed back a deadline a month for personnel in high-risk settings to be fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible. The extension of the deadline from February 1 to March 1 aligns with state requirements, officials said in a release. San Francisco’s health order also includes the booster requirement for people who regularly visit high-risk settings as part of their work, including a majority of police officers, first responders, and jail employees.

Sonoma County officials defend limits on gatherings: A troubling wintertime surge of the coronavirus has peaked in Sonoma County, where officials on Thursday credited a temporary health order limiting gatherings for slowing the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. Board of Supervisors Chair James Gore defended the temporary restrictions, which were broadly criticized especially among parents denied entry to their children’s sports games, saying they were needed to help ensure local hospitals could handle the number of sick people needing care. Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said case rates remain “on the high side” but she believed the number of infections was declining and expected the order could sunset Feb. 11 as planned.