August 1, 2022 - While monkeypox has been a major health issue gripping the attention of the public and health officials, a group of Bay Area doctors says they are warning people not to forget about the threat COVID-19 continues to pose.

They say hospitalization rates and deaths will only increase as we get closer to winter.

"Part of what we've been told is that 'COVID is mild now, so it doesn't matter. People aren't being hospitalized, so it's okay to go ahead and get it,' and this is wrong," said Dr. Kim Rhoads. Rhoads works as an associate professor at UCSF's School of Medicine but said at Thursday's press conference that she speaks as a community organizer. "Know that BA.5 doesn't care if you're wearing a cloth mask or surgical mask," Rhoads said, "You need to be wearing a KN95, a KF94 or an N95."

Read more here.

Source: <https://abc7news.com/covid-19-winter-2022-covid-surge-peninsula-health-care-district-ba5-variant/12080330/>