Some people are concerned COVID-19 positivity rates will rise following celebrations such as the Warriors parade and San Francisco Pride Parade. Experts weigh in and provide recommendations as more outdoor events are set to happen over the summer. Sharon Katsuda reports.
According to state numbers, there was a slight uptick in the positivity rate for San Francisco after the Warriors parade.
Now, numbers will tell if the uptick will be even higher after the Pride parade leaving people wondering if recent celebrations will come with a COVID hangover.
Jimmy Ligos, a resident of the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco, wanted to be part of the Pride celebrations but was feeling under the weather so he chose to stay home.
"I took a home test. It was negative [but] chose to stay home and watch on TV," he said.
He did however go to the Warriors parade and now wonders if he got sick there.
Although the state's website shows the COVID positivity rate in San Francisco last Friday was at 14.3% - an increase of 1.7% increase from the prior week - local health experts say it would be inaccurate to attribute all that to the parade.
"Everyone who went to the Warriors parade weren't from San Francisco. If so, with those numbers, it would've had to have been all San Franciscans," explained UCSF Dr. George Rutherford. "It was spread out among counties. Today's numbers over seven days shows all counties have falling numbers of cases."
Dr. Rutherford said that could change after the three day incubation period sets in for Pride parade attendees.
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Local health experts say it may be difficult to figure out whether the Pride parade caused a spike in COVID cases just by looking at local numbers, because people who attended came from all over the world.
With Fourth of July coming up and COVID rates still running high, doctors recommend looking for outdoor events, wear a mask if in crowded areas and expect COVID numbers to go - at least a little - with all the festivities this summer.
