233 Workers at 2 San Francisco Hospitals Check Optimistic in July
About 200 employees at a major hospital in San Francisco and the University of California, San Francisco’s health system, most of them fully vaccinated, tested positive for the coronavirus this month and most had the highly contagious Delta variant, according to a hospital official.
Some of the cases were asymptomatic, most included mild to moderate symptoms, and two required hospitalization, officials said. The infections were found to be Delta-related because most of the samples in San Francisco were tested for the variant that is now prevalent in the city.
About 75 to 80 percent of the 50+ infected employees at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are fully vaccinated, said Dr. Lukejohn Day, the hospital’s chief physician, in an interview on Saturday. The University of California, San Francisco, in a statement released Friday, said 153 of the 183 cases were reported in their hospitals, clinics and on campus was fully vaccinated. [Update: On Aug. 2, the university clarified that 146 of the cases were among staff members in its health system, and that 37 were among U.C.S.F. researchers, other university staff and students. It also reported that, of the two people hospitalized, one was vaccinated and the other was not.]
None of the infected San Francisco General staff members were hospitalized, and most had mild to moderate symptoms, said Dr. Day. The asymptomatic cases were discovered through contact tracing.
With no vaccinations, said Dr. Day, the hospitalization rate would be much worse.
“We’re worried right now that we’re seeing an increase here in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” said Dr. Day. “But what we’re seeing is exactly what the vaccine data showed us: you can still possibly get Covid. But when you get it, it’s not serious at all. “
On July 11, San Francisco ordered that workers in high-risk workplaces, including hospitals, should be vaccinated by September 15. This includes that all employees and trainees must adhere to the new UC system-wide Covid-19 vaccination mandate, with limited exceptions for medical or religious exceptions. ”
Staff at both hospitals continue to wear personal protective equipment, said Dr. Day. But the number of personal infections reported in July is about as high as it was during the height of the winter wave.
“We are nervous that we could possibly exceed it,” said Dr. Day.
