The delta variant is driving COVID-19 cases higher and higher.
Cases are skyrocketing, especially in parts of the country with lower vaccination rates.
One of the hardest hit states is Texas, but the Bay Area is not out of the woods yet.
“If your community isn’t well vaccinated it leads to a lot more people in the hospital and the outcome we fear most about is not being able to keep up with the people coming into the hospital,” said UCSF Infectious Disease Specialist Doctor Peter Chin-Hong.
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Right now, Napa County is reporting zero ICU beds available, with six COVID patients in hospitals.
Solano has only eight ICU beds with 15 COVID patients and that’s 10 fewer than the day before.
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“In the Bay Area we’re not like the winter surge darkness but the beds are filling up and we’re not really sure where it’s going.” said Chin-Hong.
Bay Area doctors are hoping that high vaccination rates among people here will continue to keep beds available.
But there are so many things scientists don’t know about the delta variant and its mutations.
“So if we’re expecting to peak in infections in the end of August in the Bay Area that means we’re going to peak in hospitalizations in the middle of September,” said Chin-Hong.
Some hospitals are preparing by halting elective surgery and switching over from regular rooms to ICU rooms.
In Contra Costa County, the nursing staff in many places is stretched thin.
Doctors say the best defense against the possible surge is to mask up and vaccinate.
