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Millennials are driving San Francisco’s coronavirus surge

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in San Francisco, and infections in adults ages 25 to 39 are the main reason for the increase.

In May, 25 to 39-year-olds accounted for slightly more than 35% of the monthly new cases, in July it was up to 50%. That surge is part of an overall surge in the number of coronavirus cases in San Francisco that has exceeded the nationwide infection rate.

“It’s a perfect storm,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at the University of California San Francisco.

This storm, he said, was a mixture of the relatively lower vaccination rate among these age groups and their general tendency towards socialism, combined with the spread of an extra contagious Delta variant.

The Delta variant spread shortly after the state reopened on the 15th. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention again recommends that all people wear masks indoors.

The same old precautionary measures don’t work as well with this variant, Chin-Hong said. “This is a less forgiving virus.”

The current monthly total of coronavirus cases in ages 25 to 39 has surpassed July 2020 levels with more than 1,400 new cases on Friday, compared to just over 1,200 last year.

“People in this age group, 25 to 29 and 30 to 39, exercise more for social reasons and possibly also for professional reasons,” said the doctor.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health also pointed to the relatively low vaccination rates among adults in these age groups as the likely reason for their high infection rates. The city’s vaccination data shows that adults aged 25 to 34 had the lowest rate of any eligible age group, at just over 72% for at least one dose and 66% for those who were fully vaccinated.

“We know the delta variant is much more likely to become infected and spread in unvaccinated people, so we would expect the number of cases to increase in this age group as well,” the department said in a statement.

Chin-Hong of UCSF said there might be some 25 to 39 year olds who feel healthy and invincible or otherwise get vaccinated, but the lower vaccination rate among this population can also be explained by the fact that they are older and more vulnerable people have been given priority in governments’ vaccination efforts.

Health officials have tried to catch up and often offer incentives, including cash prizes, to allow people to get vaccinated, but with mixed results, he said. Because the Delta variant is as potent and contagious as it is, more drastic measures may need to be taken, such as employers, bars, and restaurants requiring proof of vaccination or negative test results, as many are now.

“It is very inconvenient to have tests all the time,” said Chin-Hong. “Some people might want to do it, but I would be surprised if people kept doing this, especially if they like to hang out with their friends in a bar.”

Yoohyun Jung is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: yoohyun.jung@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @yoohyun_jung

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