COVID Twitter sage Dr. Bob Wachter says “there's a lot of Covid out there” in San Francisco, encouraging masking up indoors as he estimates that one out of every 30 asymptomatic people in SF are indeed positive for COVID-19.

We are at a pretty damned confusing moment with COVID-19. SF City Hall political leaders seem to be eager to ditch public health restrictions and get everyone back in the office, at the very moment that the fifth COVID surge is clearly underway. As seen below, the San Francisco COVID-19 case rate has tripled in the last month and a half.  

Image: SF.Gov

At these damned confusing moments, I personally tend to trust only people who have a “PhD” after their name. And one leading local UCSF doctor has become a Twitter star for his thoughtful and insightful predictions that have quite a history of being correct. UCSF Chair of the Department of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter says that he’s masking up again indoors, according to the Chronicle, while estimating that one out of every 30 San Franciscans has COVID-19 and does not know it.

Wachter points out in the above tweetstorm that in the last month, “SF has become far less mask-y. At this point, if you've decided you're OK getting Covid (which isn't crazy if vaxxed/boosted), then fine to keep mask off in crowded indoor spaces. If you'd prefer to avoid Covid & have become less cautious, it's time to re-think.”

“I'll strongly favor outdoor to indoor dining, though will eat indoors in small groups (recognizing it's a risk, but it seems worth it),” he adds. “You should make your own choice, but do it w/ eyes open: there's a lot of Covid out there.”

On one hand, it’s kind of a victory (and a tribute to the vaccines) that we can have another COVID surge wherein most people don’t get sick, and for that matter, don’t even know they have COVID-19. But you try telling someone who’s immunocompromised, or has a kid under five years old who cannot get vaccinated, that this is somehow a “good COVID surge.” You are better advised to get that booster vaccine shot, or the second booster shot if you’re 50 years old or older, and here’s where you can get that booster shot for free in San Francisco.

Also, if you get COVID and you're at any health risk, you should know there's a lot of anti-viral medication out there that works against COVID and not enough patients are seeking it out or their doctors don't know the eligibility requirements.

Related: Are We Seeing a Fifth COVID Surge In SF Right Now? Probably. [SFist]

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