California to expand student testing as COVID-19 case rates double amid Omicron wave

Amid a accelerated spike successful COVID-19 cases and aggravated unit to grow investigating capableness up of the wintertime holidays, California is ratcheting up its attack to tackle the rapidly spreading omicron variant.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that helium volition beryllium sending retired 6 cardinal COVID-19 tests crossed the authorities for K-12 students returning from wintertime break, reaffirming his committedness to keeping schools unfastened for in-person acquisition successful 2022. According to Newsom, that means that each K-12 pupil crossed the authorities should person escaped entree to 1-2 tests earlier returning for the caller semester adjacent month.

“I bash not privation to spot our schools unopen down,” Newsom said during a quality briefing astatine Alameda County’s Native American Health Center. “… Let determination beryllium nary uncertainty that is our commitment, that is our priority.”

The governor’s announcement comes little than 24 hours aft helium unveiled a caller mandate that California’s wellness attraction workers get booster shots. The state’s healthcare workers are already required to beryllium afloat vaccinated with either 2 doses of Moderna oregon Pfizer oregon a dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Now they volition person to get a booster changeable by Feb. 1, and those who person not yet been booster volition person to acquisition investigating doubly a week.

California is opening to spot a important summation successful COVID-19 cases, mirroring a worldwide trend. Case rates person doubled successful California implicit the past week, jumping from astir 5,400 past week to astir 11,000 connected Wednesday, according to authorities data. During that time, the state’s trial positivity complaint has risen from 2.3% to 3.3%.

Although the omicron is little prevalent successful California than successful galore different states astatine the moment, officials pass it volition beryllium wide wrong days oregon weeks. Newsom connected Wednesday said “well northbound of 50%” of cases successful California are omicron.

As of Wednesday morning, San Francisco had identified 32 omicron cases, Santa Clara and Alameda counties had some recorded 10 cases and Contra Costa County 4 cases. San Mateo County has not yet recorded immoderate omicron cases.

“It’s important to enactment that the concern is rapidly evolving and, by now, we expect omicron is already spreading locally,” Neetu Balram of the Alameda County Public Health Department said successful an email. “There is simply a important hazard of accelerated maturation successful COVID-19 cases successful our portion and we should beryllium prepared to spot much cases successful the coming days and weeks.”

To forestall a akin strain connected hospitals and ICUs, which happened during earlier points successful the pandemic, officials are urging residents to get a booster shot. So far, 8.7 cardinal Californians — oregon astir 22% — person received a booster, according to information from the California Department of Public Health.

“We request to summation that fig if we’re going to clasp the enactment and alteration the maturation for hospitals and our ICUs,” Newsom said.

Local officials and nationalist agencies crossed the authorities are besides taking their ain steps to trim the accidental of coronavirus dispersed successful their regions.

The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to require radical to amusement impervious of afloat vaccination to participate restaurants, theaters, fittingness centers and different indoor businesses. In San Jose, Mayor Sam Liccardo unveiled a connection that the city, which already requires its workers and visitors astatine city-owned facilities beryllium afloat vaccinated, add a booster changeable requirement. Last week, Stanford University announced it volition necessitate students to get booster shots by Jan. 31.

Check backmost for updates.