Marin County Public Health is keeping a close eye on local COVID-19 infection rates as new cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the Bay Area and California. To help the public monitor variant activity, Public Health has released a new dashboard on its coronavirus website.
Marin is seeing an uptick in cases and hospitalizations, which coincides with the June 15 statewide reopening and the circulation of more infectious variants of the virus. Marin County is among the most highly vaccinated communities in the state, with 92% of residents vaccinated with at least one dose. Still, the virus remains active, mainly among unvaccinated residents.
Since June 1, 12 people have been hospitalized in Marin for COVID-19; all but one were unvaccinated. The two most recent deaths in Marin, which occurred in early May, were unvaccinated residents.
The dashboard describes the progression of emerging variants since January 1, 2021, within Marin. Currently, about half of all local cases are analyzed through a process called whole-genome sequencing for the presence of variants. Of those sent for analysis, approximately 70% of recent Marin cases have been linked to the Delta variant. The newer “Delta plus” strain, which may be more infectious than the original Delta variant, has also been detected in Marin. With new variants circulating, encounters that may not have led to infection in the past are at higher risk.
“Sharing this information helps people see for themselves – being unvaccinated puts you at real risk for infection and more severe disease,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin’s Public Health Officer. “It’s important to know that the vaccines are effective against the variants we’re seeing.”
Public Health continues to partner with health care facilities to monitor for outbreaks and variants of concern and will keep the community updated on significant changes. Public Health offers daily mobile vaccination clinics as part of its goal to protect the remaining 8% of eligible residents. Find a vaccination location near you by visiting GetVaccinatedMarin.org.
