The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors held a meeting Tuesday in which health officials said they expect the coronavirus to be "around for years."
In the meeting, Contra Costa County Health Services Deputy Director Randy Sawyer said the department has discussed the recent surge and how "the delta variant has been fueled by people who are not vaccinated."
Additionally, Sawyer confirmed the department is "preparing for COVID-19 response for five to ten years," he said. "We expect it to be around for that period of time."
The San Francisco Chronicle reported 20 people in Contra Costa County died from COVID-19 over the last week, "a level not seen since March, county public health director Dr. Ori Tzvieli," the publication reported.
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During the meeting, Dr. Tziveli explained testing numbers have gone up especially since schools returned to in-person learning and testing is now required for unvaccinated people.
In Contra Costa County, all county employees must be vaccinated by October 4 or face discipline up to and including termination, a county official said this week.
The mandate was set forth in a memo from County Administrator Monica Nino on behalf of the Board of Supervisors dated August 24.
