This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigatehave died as a direct result of California’s devastating wildfires so far this year. But the actual number of lives lost because of them may have been much higher.that the pollution from an is likely to have led to at least 1,200, and up to 3,000, deaths in California between Aug 1. and Sept. 10 that otherwise would not have occurred.They refer to these deaths — among people 65 and older, many of whom had underlying conditions — as “excess deaths.”“You could think of it as the hidden cost of air pollution exposure,” said Marshall...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigatehave died as a direct result of California’s devastating wildfires so far this year. But the actual number of lives lost because of them may have been much higher.that the pollution from an is likely to have led to at least 1,200, and up to 3,000, deaths in California between Aug 1. and Sept. 10 that otherwise would not have occurred.They refer to these deaths — among people 65 and older, many of whom had underlying conditions — as “excess deaths.”“You could think of it as the hidden cost of air pollution exposure,” said Marshall...WW…

The “” of influenza and coronavirus feared by public health officials has so far failed to materialize.The flu typically kills of Americans and can account for hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations during the winter season. But this year, it’s fizzled almost entirely in the Bay Area — a stroke of fortune needed as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge uncontrolled statewide.“The flu is essentially not present in Northern California at this point,” said Dr. Randy Bergen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Kaiser who is also the clinical lead for Northern...…The “” of influenza and coronavirus feared by public health officials has so far failed to materialize.The flu typically kills of Americans and can account for hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations during the winter season. But this year, it’s fizzled almost entirely in the Bay Area — a stroke of fortune needed as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge uncontrolled statewide.“The flu is essentially not present in Northern California at this point,” said Dr. Randy Bergen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Kaiser who is also the clinical lead for Northern...WW…

The Bay Area’s arrived just ahead of the holiday season, and now the waiting begins to see the full impact of Thanksgiving gatherings and travel on case counts.Right around Dec. 7 is when UC Berkeley infectious disease expert John Swartzberg expects the Bay Area to see another rise in cases from Thanksgiving and then roughly two weeks after that, a rise in hospitalizations. If and when that happens, the deadliness of this surge will hinge on the availability of hospital beds.San Francisco went into this wave with the lowest mortality rate of any major U.S. city. As the , what do the latest...…The Bay Area’s arrived just ahead of the holiday season, and now the waiting begins to see the full impact of Thanksgiving gatherings and travel on case counts.Right around Dec. 7 is when UC Berkeley infectious disease expert John Swartzberg expects the Bay Area to see another rise in cases from Thanksgiving and then roughly two weeks after that, a rise in hospitalizations. If and when that happens, the deadliness of this surge will hinge on the availability of hospital beds.San Francisco went into this wave with the lowest mortality rate of any major U.S. city. As the , what do the latest...WW…

In so many respects, it’s looking like the worst of the pandemic may be over for the Bay Area.Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and positive test rates have dropped significantly, too. Many counties reporting plummeting case counts are rapidly reopening. San Francisco may , the second-least-restrictive, in just two weeks.At the same time, Bay Area counties are getting deliveries of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the vaccination rollout at large continues to improve.But even amid good news, experts still warn: Another surge may still be on the horizon.Dr. John Swartzberg, a UC Berkeley...…In so many respects, it’s looking like the worst of the pandemic may be over for the Bay Area.Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and positive test rates have dropped significantly, too. Many counties reporting plummeting case counts are rapidly reopening. San Francisco may , the second-least-restrictive, in just two weeks.At the same time, Bay Area counties are getting deliveries of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the vaccination rollout at large continues to improve.But even amid good news, experts still warn: Another surge may still be on the horizon.Dr. John Swartzberg, a UC Berkeley...WW…

As dramatically as coronavirus numbers spiked across the Bay Area, California and U.S. during the winter surge, those numbers have plummeted in the past month.Nationwide, new cases are down more than 70% and hospitalizations down nearly 50% since mid-January. In California — an epicenter of the deadly winter surge — 83% since peaking this year on Jan. 14. Hospitalizations are below 10,000, less than half of what they were at the beginning of the year.In the Bay Area, just over 9,000 new cases were reported during the week that ended Feb. 14, from the week that ended Jan. 10....…As dramatically as coronavirus numbers spiked across the Bay Area, California and U.S. during the winter surge, those numbers have plummeted in the past month.Nationwide, new cases are down more than 70% and hospitalizations down nearly 50% since mid-January. In California — an epicenter of the deadly winter surge — 83% since peaking this year on Jan. 14. Hospitalizations are below 10,000, less than half of what they were at the beginning of the year.In the Bay Area, just over 9,000 new cases were reported during the week that ended Feb. 14, from the week that ended Jan. 10....WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDays before Valentine’s Day, San Francisco’s department of public health put out new guidelines on how to have sex as safely as possible during the pandemic.The advice is specific and graphic — and, it could be argued, very San Francisco.“COVID-19 is spread when we breathe out and is especially spread when a person coughs, sneezes, and even when they sing,” “Increased breathing, like with panting, groaning, moaning or shouting, increases what we exhale, and also is believed to increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.”Other bits of...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDays before Valentine’s Day, San Francisco’s department of public health put out new guidelines on how to have sex as safely as possible during the pandemic.The advice is specific and graphic — and, it could be argued, very San Francisco.“COVID-19 is spread when we breathe out and is especially spread when a person coughs, sneezes, and even when they sing,” “Increased breathing, like with panting, groaning, moaning or shouting, increases what we exhale, and also is believed to increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.”Other bits of...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor more stories like this, check out The Chronicle’s weekly Travel newsletter! .A rise in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in California's Greater Sacramento region triggered a state-issued stay-at-home order that took effect on Dec. 11 for an area that encompasses Lake Tahoe, carrying the message that vacation travel there is off-limits until at least Jan. 1.Though local officials and tourism bureaus are issuing clear guidance to prospective travelers to steer clear of the region, there remains a lot of confusion around ,...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor more stories like this, check out The Chronicle’s weekly Travel newsletter! .A rise in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in California's Greater Sacramento region triggered a state-issued stay-at-home order that took effect on Dec. 11 for an area that encompasses Lake Tahoe, carrying the message that vacation travel there is off-limits until at least Jan. 1.Though local officials and tourism bureaus are issuing clear guidance to prospective travelers to steer clear of the region, there remains a lot of confusion around ,...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigatePiece by piece, Kristin Demoro put the artifacts into the box.Here were the photo negatives, taken by her grandfather a historian who documented the changing skyline in San Francisco and the Bay Area’s transit systems. There were the articles, written by her father, veteran journalist who covered transportation for the Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her family had been in the Bay Area since the 1800s, by virtue of a Spanish sea captain who brought cocoa beans to San Francisco. For Demoro, living in the Bay Area...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigatePiece by piece, Kristin Demoro put the artifacts into the box.Here were the photo negatives, taken by her grandfather a historian who documented the changing skyline in San Francisco and the Bay Area’s transit systems. There were the articles, written by her father, veteran journalist who covered transportation for the Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her family had been in the Bay Area since the 1800s, by virtue of a Spanish sea captain who brought cocoa beans to San Francisco. For Demoro, living in the Bay Area...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIt started with a cough. It was just a little one, but Ron Temko tended to cough sometimes, so the family wasn’t worried. By all accounts, everything was normal.His family could never have anticipated that just a few days later, Ron would be admitted into the intensive care unit at UCSF Parnassus, where he would spend 21 days in a medically induced coma, 34 days on a ventilator and 40 days on a feeding tube. He was hospitalized for over 61 days due to COVID-19 symptoms, during which he could barely talk and had to relearn to walk...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIt started with a cough. It was just a little one, but Ron Temko tended to cough sometimes, so the family wasn’t worried. By all accounts, everything was normal.His family could never have anticipated that just a few days later, Ron would be admitted into the intensive care unit at UCSF Parnassus, where he would spend 21 days in a medically induced coma, 34 days on a ventilator and 40 days on a feeding tube. He was hospitalized for over 61 days due to COVID-19 symptoms, during which he could barely talk and had to relearn to walk...WW…