COVID-19

California COVID-19 Updates: Fall COVID Surge, CDC Panel Discusses Who Should Get New Booster

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across California today

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Another fall COVID surge?

Yes, health officials expect another spike in coronavirus cases this fall, but they also point out the nation is in a much different place today than in years past due to tools doctors now have to fight the virus.

"We are in a much, much better place. We are in a better place because people have gotten vaccinated and boosted. We've got treatments that are widely available," Dr. Ashish Jha, White House COVID response coordinator, said in an August interview with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Check out this CNBC article breaking down what else health officials are expecting with COVID this fall.

Who will need the new COVID booster?

That's exactly what advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began discussing on Thursday - a day after U.S. federal regulators authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines.

The panel will also weigh how to best use the new COVID-19 boosters, which have been updated to match the latest omicron strains. A timeline on when the boosters should roll out will also be discussed.

The CDC's ultimate decision is the final step before shots begin.

More on the updated COVID boosters here.

What to know about the new FDA-approved COVID booster

A brand new COVID-19 booster could be available as soon as next week — one that protects against the original strain of coronavirus, along with the newer, more contagious strains. NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai spoke to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong of UCSF for some insight.

Watch their conversation here.

Expect yearly COVID shots, just like with the flu

Dr. Uché Blackstock says you should expect annual booster shots. Watch her interview with LX News below.

The FDA authorized new COVID boosters targeting the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, and Dr. Uché Blackstock says you should expect annual booster shots.

Unvaccinated NBA players, staff must test weekly for COVID-19

Unvaccinated NBA players and team personnel must submit to weekly COVID-19 testing this season, the league told its clubs in a memo Tuesday.

There will be certain exceptions to that mandate, the league said, such as when the unvaccinated person is considered to have been “recently recovered” from COVID-19 reports The Associated Press.

But for all others, testing will not be required except when “directed by their team physician or a league physician or government authority,” the league said. Facemasks also will not be required, though they will be recommended for use indoors in markets where coronavirus levels are classified by government officials as high.

Read the full story here.

Current COVID community levels for Bay Area counties

  • Alameda County: LOW
  • Contra Costa County: LOW
  • Marin County: MEDIUM
  • Napa County: MEDIUM
  • San Francisco County: LOW
  • San Mateo County: LOW
  • Santa Clara County: MEDIUM
  • Santa Cruz County: MEDIUM
  • Solano County: MEDIUM
  • Sonoma County: MEDIUM

Source: CDC, updated every Thursday at 5 p.m. PT

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