Omicron Variant, Mental Health, Vaccinations and More!
Mental Health Over the Holidays
Let’s not forget about the important role our mental health plays in our overall well-being. For many San Franciscans, the holiday season can bring on feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, coupled with the realities of a global pandemic. SFDPH offers a number of mental health and substance use resources that can be found here. Please share these services with your network or any individual seeking these resources.
We Have Vaccinated More Than Half of Our 5-11 Year Olds!
In just over a month since eligibility opened up to 5-11 year olds, more than 50% of our young San Franciscans have received at least one vaccine dose and almost a quarter have completed their 2-dose series, giving them the best defense against the COVID-19 virus during this busy holiday season. Vaccines for this age group are still available by appointment only. More vaccine appointments for ages 5 to 11 are opening across SF and we strongly encourage people to check back often for updated availability. Click here for a list of vaccine sites serving children ages 5 to 11 and filter your search by selecting “Vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11” and “Only show sites with confirmed availability.”
Vaccines continue to be our best defense against COVID-19, including vaccines for our newly eligible 5- to 11-year-olds and boosters for all vaccinated adults who meet the time requirements. Boosters will help strengthen the immune system to fight COVID-19. We also encourage other common-sense safety measures, such as masking and testing, to slow the spread of the virus as we gather and travel this holiday season. Click here to see our guidance on how to slow the spread of COVID-19 during this time of the year.
Latest Information about the COVID-19 Omicron Variant
The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health announced that a recent case of COVID-19 in California was caused by the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), which the World Health Organization (WHO) classified as a variant of concern.
A growing body of evidence suggests that the Omicron variant is spreading more rapidly than other variants. Much remains unknown about the Omicron variant currently, such as the severity of this variant or how it might impact response to treatment.
As we continue our fight against COVID-19, we recognize that the virus is continually evolving, and that the emergence of new variants is to be expected. SFDPH is in contact with state and federal partner agencies that are monitoring the spread of the virus and its variants to understand the potential impact on our local communities and to inform our public health response.
“This is a cause for concern, but it is also certainly not a cause for panic. We are prepared for this in the city.” - Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco Director of Public Health
In the meantime, we continue to recommend all of the same common-sense prevention and health safety measures that people have become familiar with throughout the pandemic, including:
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Getting vaccinated and boosted to protect you and those you love
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Wearing masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status
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Getting tested* if you are feeling any symptoms, regardless of your vaccination status
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Consider getting tested within 72 hours before you travel or gather with others as you may have an asymptomatic infection. You can use an FDA-approved rapid at-home, self-test kit, reach out to your health service provider, a travel testing provider, or to receive a test, go to: sf.gov/gettested
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Staying home if you are feeling sick
*All COVID-19 tests, whether rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, are able to detect whether an individual has COVID-19 or not. Please note that SFDPH, health care systems, and pharmacies do not provide patients with results on what type of variant someone who tests positive for COVID-19 may have.
As we learn more, we will advise on additional information or steps people should take, as they become necessary, just as we have throughout the pandemic.
Click here and here for additional information about the Omicron variant.
Booster Demand is High
Demand is at an all-time high for booster doses. As of Friday, boosters have expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds, provided they are 6 months past their last dose. They will be able to start making appointments this weekend. Appointments may be hard to find, but we encourage people to keep checking for open spots at: sf.gov/getvaccinated.
All COVID-19 vaccines continue to work well to prevent people from becoming severely ill, hospitalized, or dying - even against the widely circulating Delta variant. However, studies show that protection against the virus and infection with variants may decrease over time, especially among higher risk populations.
The good news is that we are boosting at a rapid pace, with an average of 5,500 doses administered a day. More than 250,000 San Franciscans have been boosted, and about 65% of our seniors who are at higher risk.
