Bay Area COVID-19 Roundup: Maskless Uber Passengers Assault Driver; SF Supes To Vote On Hazard Pay; UCSF Study Examines Vaccine Boost
CBS San Francisco Staff Report
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- With the demand for COVID-19 vaccination growing, the information you need to know is coming fast and furious. Here's a roundup of the COVID stories we've published over the last 24 hours.
Maskless Uber Passengers Assault, Cough On, Pepper Spray Driver After He Refuses Them Service
SAN FRANCISCO -- An Uber driver in San Francisco was assaulted and coughed-upon by a woman riding with two other women after he refused them service for not wearing masks, in an attack the driver captured on video. San Francisco police also said one of the women sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray into the vehicle and toward the driver after leaving the vehicle. The incident happened Sunday at about 12:45 p.m. at San Bruno Ave. and Silver Ave. The video was shot on Sunday by the driver, identified as 32-year-old Subhakar Khadka. In it, three women are seen in the back seat berating the driver using profanities. At one point, the woman who coughed on the driver also grabbed his cellphone from the center dash area and ripped off the facemask he was wearing. Read More
CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Gather With Each Other Without Masks
SAN FRANCISCO -- As California surpasses the 10 million mark in vaccines distributed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance Monday that allows fully vaccinated Americans to gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing. The CDC guidelines offer a potential roadmap to returning to normal once more people have an opportunity to get vaccinated, including being able to gather indoors without masks or socially distancing once fully vaccinated with others who are vaccinated. To be considered fully vaccinated, you must wait two weeks after the second dose for the immune system to protect against the virus. State and county health officials will have final say if or when the new guidelines will take effect in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in the state. Read More
SF Supes To Vote On Hazard Pay For Grocery, Retail Workers
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday could approve an emergency ordinance to raise wages by $5 per hour for some grocery and retail workers as the COVID-19 pandemic endures. Under the emergency ordinance, authored by Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton, retail and grocery store locations with pharmacies would be temporarily required to pay workers an extra $5 during the pandemic. The ordinance is likely to pass, as seven other supervisors have signed on to cosponsor it, including supervisors Myrna Melgar, Gordon Mar, Hillary Ronen, Ahsha Safai, Dean Preston, Connie Chan and Matt Haney. Walton said the ordinance is a follow up to a resolution passed by supervisors in January, urging large chain grocery stores to raise hourly wages for employees during the pandemic as a way to further support workers who have provided food and other essentials. Read More
Bay Area Vaccine Hunters Help Those Eligible Struggling To Find Appointments
FREMONT -- While millions of people across California have been able to get a COVID vaccine, many who are eligible in the Bay Area say they're struggling to find an appointment. That's where some online vaccine hunters are stepping in to help. "I'm a mechanical engineer. I work for a major tech company here in the Bay Area," says Michael Brockman. He doesn't have a healthcare background but says he's become an expert in navigating the COVID vaccine appointment websites. "When I found out that some of my neighbors and other eligible family members were having trouble booking through the various online appointment systems, I figured I might be able to use some of the tech skills that I have to help them secure appointments," says Brockman. Read More
San Francisco Unified Reveals More Details Of April Reopening
SAN FRANCISCO -- Officials with the San Francisco Unified School District released additional details Monday about a plan to resume in-person learning for some schools starting in April, after reaching a tentative deal with teachers late last week. "I am enthusiastic to share this progress, and I also know that some students and families who want to return will not be able to at this time," said Superintendent Vincent Matthews. On April 12, in-person learning for students from pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, along with those in some special education and county programs would resume at 76 sites, according to the district website. Additional sites would open on April 19 and April 26. In person learning for grades 3-5 would start on April 26 as well. Read More
New UCSF Study Examines What May Boost Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine
SAN FRANCISCO -- UCSF scientists are trying to understand how stress, lack of sleep, even social isolation might diminish how well COVID-19 vaccines work. While the vaccines are highly effective, not everyone responds equally well. The researchers suspect certain factors, such as stress, may result in weaker antibody responses. "It's possible that those who are getting insufficient sleep or are excessively exposed to stress without the resilience factors are going to have a real decline in their antibody response," remarked lead researcher Dr. Elissa Epel. They also believe certain positive behaviors may boost your antibody response. Read More
Thousands Who Received Lesser COVID Vaccine Dose At Oakland Coliseum Told Amount Is OK
OAKLAND -- Roughly 6,300 people who received a COVID-19 vaccination at the Oakland Coliseum last week may have received slightly less than the dosage recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but are not advised to repeat the dose, the California Department of Public Health said Monday. People who received a Pfizer vaccine dose Feb. 28 after 4:30 p.m. and March 1 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. may have received the slightly smaller doses, the CDPH said in a statement. The CDC's recommended dose of the vaccine is 0.3 milliliters but dosages of 0.15 milliliters or more are still sufficient and would not require the recipient to repeat the dose, according to the CDPH. The affected vaccine recipients at the Coliseum may have received dosages of 0.22 milliliters, "which is well within the range outlined by the CDC," the CDPH said in a statement. Read More
Group Of SFUSD Parents Frustrated With Reopening Propose Appointed School Board
SAN FRANCISCO -- A group of San Francisco Unified School District parents, frustrated that schools remain closed for in-person learning, proposed on Monday doing away with elections for Board of Education commissioners and instead moving to an appointment-based system. The group Better San Francisco Public Schools is campaigning for a charter amendment for the June 2022 ballot to allow city leaders to choose school board commissioners instead of voters. "We believe this will create better accountability so the Board of Education will be made up of the right people with the right priorities," said SFUSD parent and Better San Francisco Public Schools chair Patrick Wolff. "The city elected a majority of this board just a few months ago. Clearly something is wrong with how we're choosing the people who govern our public schools." Read More
