By Jondi Gumz
Finding an imminent threat to public health from coronavirus, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel issued a declaration of “local health emergency,” paving the way for a March 10 vote by the Board of Supervisors to access state and federal funding to fight the outbreak.
“Coronavirus has been found throughout the Bay Area, including several of our neighboring counties,” said County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios, who will ask supervisors to ratify the emergency declaration.
Santa Clara County supervisors declared an emergency on Feb. 10 after five health care workers at Good Samaritan Hospital were exposed to a patient later confirmed to have coronavirus. County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said the goal was to secure state and federal reimbursements for money spent to respond to coronavirus. Some health departments have implemented screening, monitoring and in some cases, quarantine.
No cases have been confirmed in Santa Cruz County, but the county’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated to assist the Health Services Agency’s Departmental Operations Center, which is managing the response.
On March 4, Congressional leaders approved HR 6074, an $8.3 billion spending package to combat coronavirus, including $3.1 billion for medical supplies, $836 million for research on therapeutics and at least $4 million for each state. After Senate approval, the measure was signed by President Trump the morning of March 6.
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu, a sore throat and runny nose. The coronavirus can cause pneumonia and breathing difficulties but antibiotics are of no use. Since the virus is new, there are no drugs undergoing clinical trials.
Local, state and federal health officials urge people to wash their hands with soap and water to reduce their risk of becoming infected.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians recommends taking steps to support your body’s immune function: Eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, fiber and healthy fats, getting enough sleep and reducing stress.
The Institute for Functional Medicine, founded by practictioners that look for the root causes of disease, offers similar advice: Stress reduction, sleep, exercise and eating nutritious vegetables and fruits.
Dominican restricts visitors
On March 5, Dignity Health Dominican Hospital announced restrictions on visitors to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Masks are required for Emergency Department patients experiencing fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and/or nasal congestion. Anyone with those symptoms and wanting to visit a patient is asked to wait to be symptom-free for at least 48 hours.
Dominican communications manager Claire Henry said, “We are prepared to identify, isolate, and treat any potential patient who seeks care at our facility.”
She said the hospital has supplies and equipment needed for any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, and is “continuously assessing the volume of supplies.”
Staff is following guidance from the state and CDC, she said, and training has been added for employees, including exercises for staff for using personal protection equipment while treating patients who may have COVID-19.
11 U.S. deaths
As of March 5, there have been 164 cases in the U.S., concentrated on the West Coast, and 11 deaths attributable to COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which posts updates Monday through Friday at cdc.gov.
California had 69 cases and one death as of March 6, according to the California Department of Public Health, which posts updates at cdph.ca.gov.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency after the state’s first fatality on March 4, a man in Placer County who had taken a Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico.
The next day, Newsom announced that millions of Californians are eligible for free COV-19 testing when it is deemed medically necessary.
The state Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates commercial insurers such Kaiser Permanente, Anthem and Blue Shield, and Medi-Cal health plans such as Central California Alliance for Health, directed them to eliminate co-pays for visits for COVID-19 testing ordered by a medical practitioner.
“This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost,” Newsom said.
Global impact
The outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December, with a government report confirming dozens of cases. Symptoms include fever, cough and respiratory difficulties.
The first death was reported Jan. 11 by China.
Since then, COVID-19 has spread worldwide, with more than 101,800 cases and 3,460 deaths, mostly in China, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard tracker, which reports more than 55,800 people have recovered.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and World Health Organization have declared public health emergencies, as have Placer, Marin, Sonoma, Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The CDC recommends avoiding non-essential travel to China and to Italy, Iran and South Korea, where COVID-19 is spreading widely in the community and fatalities have increased. The CDC recommends older adults and those with chronic conditions postpone travel to Japan because of ongoing community transmission.
The University of California, which has a campus in Santa Cruz, cut short study abroad programs in China, Italy and South Korea, telling 350 students to come home. California State University also is working to get students abroad back home.
Washington State, which has reported 70 cases and 14 deaths, cancelled in-person classes and finals as of March 9. Many of the deaths were at the LifeCare Center, a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash.
Testing kits needed
The California Department of Public Health reported receiving an unspecified number of new test kits for coronavirus Feb. 28 from the Centers for Disease Control, which had been the only agency authorized to do testing, and expects to receive 1,200 more kits for use at 11 state labs.
There is no state lab in Santa Cruz County. The closest state lab location is in Santa Clara County.
Santa Cruz County officials say testing capacity is limited and asked residents to refrain from asking local providers for tests unless directed by a medical professional. Any resident with health concerns is advised to call your doctor or to call 211 to locate a clinic.
On March 4, the California Department of Social Services began a weekly call to assisted living and child care facilities and home health agencies with state licenses to provide protocols.
Facemask shortage
The outbreak has led to shortages of respirator facemasks for medical professionals across the nation.
On March 3, the state reported federal approval to use some of the 21 million N95 filtering facemasks in storage for emergencies. Some masks are past the manufacturer’s expiration date, according to state health officials, who said they were in climate-controlled storage to prevent the elastic that goes around the ears from losing its stretch.
“Releasing this supply of masks will help keep our health care professionals safe on the job,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer.
On March 2, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams asked the public to not buy face masks unless they are sick, so as to make masks available for health care workers.
In Santa Cruz County, a March 4 search for hand sanitizer at RiteAid, CVS, Safeway and Ace Hardware in Aptos and Target and Dollar Tree in Watsonville came up empty.
Price-gouging?
A March 5 search for hand sanitizer on Amazon turned up high prices.
Yahoo reporter Ethan Wolff-Mann gave the example of Lysol wipes with a price averaging $11.79 on Amazon before selling out and going up to nearly $180. An N95 respirator mask, considered effective protection and priced at $15 on Amazon, jumped to $249 at the end of January.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert on March 4, saying price-gouging is illegal during the declared state of emergency.
“Our state’s price gouging law protects people impacted by an emergency from illegal price gouging on medical supplies, food, gas, and other essential supplies,” he said, encouraging anyone who has been the victim of price gouging, or who has information regarding potential price gouging, to file a complaint at oag.ca.gov, calling (800) 952-5225, or contacting their local police department or sheriff’s office.
California law prohibits charging a price that exceeds by more than 10 percent the price of an item before a state or local declaration of emergency. Criminal prosecution can result in one year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The civil penalty can be up to $5,000 per violation with mandatory restitution.
U.S. Sen Ed Markey, D- Massachusetts, wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on March 4, giving him until March 18 to respond to the reports of price-gouging.
To combat price-gouging, eBay on March 6 banned the sale of face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.
Vitamin C
Andrew Saul, a nutrition researcher and editor of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, reported the Shanghai government has recommended people with coronavirus be treated with high-dose intravenous vitamin C.
He shared a YouTube video of Dr. Richard Cheng, a Chinese-American medical doctor in Shanghai, reporting on a case study of a 71-year-old grandmother with diabetes and heart disease living in Wuhan and confirmed by the hospital there to have COVID-19.
Her daughter had been taking 20 grams a day of oral Vitamin C as a preventive measure and advised her brother, sister-in-law and parents to do the same. After her mother was moved into the intensive care unit, she urged the attending physician to treat her with intravenous Vitamin C. After 20 days of 10,000 mg of Vitamin C, her mother was moved out of intensive care to a regular ward.
The daughter has not developed any infection and neither has her daughter or her brother, sister-in-law, or father, all of whom were taking high doses of oral Vitamin C.
Cheng noted Vitamin C produces hydrogen peroxide, “a powerful germ-killer that kills bacteria and virus when the dose is high enough.”
He noted a recent positive clinic trial of intravenous Vitamin C. A randomized trial in 2019 with 139 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer followed for 23 months suggested that high doses of Vitamin C with chemotherapy could slow the disease.
His conclusion is that Vitamin C can be used to help a patient cope with a severe viral infection.
“There is a whole lot to gain, not much to lose,” he said.
Cancellations
Local tourism, tech and manufacturing are feeling the effects of the coronavirus.
Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic, which brings 74,000 people to watch 9,000 athletes compete at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, announced March 5 that the April event will be rescheduled. New dates are expected in a week.
He cited the coronavirus threat for the decision.
In Scotts Valley, 1440 Multiversity, the learning destination with leadership programs and renowned faculty that can accommodate 377 people overnight, has gotten group cancellations.
Google, which has an office in Santa Cruz since acquiring Looker, cancelled its biggest conference, which would have brought 5,000 people to San Francisco’s Moscone Center in May.
SXSW, a 10-day music, film and media event that brought 280,000 people to Austin, Texas, last year, resulting in a $350 million economic impact, has been cancelled. Santa Cruz startup SellHound had been invited to pitch, one of only eight companies selected.
Adobe cancelled its annual digital summit in Las Vegas at the end of March, saying it would offer an online-only experience. Last year, 16,000 attended.
Businesses wary
“There’s a standstill because of the coronavirus,” said Martin Hoellrigl, a chef in Capitola who offers team-building cooking events for corporate groups and families.
Scotts Valley resident Dick McCartney, CEO of Pixel Scientific, which manufactures custom LCD signs for aircraft, gaming machines and concept cars, said he hasn’t been able to get the production he needs from China.
He’s active in the Society for Information Display conference, which last year brought 7,000 people to San Jose. This year’s conference is slated for June at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
Because of the coronavirus, “I expect real fallout,” he said. “I don’t think we have it contained.”
He said conferences in Europe “are cancelling left and right – we’re probably one month away from that.”
Doug Erickson, executive director of Santa Cruz Works and founder of the Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp, said attendance at the March meetup was down due to worries about coronavirus.
He said he was looking forward to seeing a friend from Singapore coming to San Francisco to attend a conference and receive an industry award, but the conference has been cancelled.
At Yoga Within in Aptos, the owners emailed their students to say they are washing surfaces, doorknobs and light switches before and after each class. They asked students to bring their own mat, wash their hands before and after class, and to stay home if feeling unwell.
“We are committed to keeping our space clean, and to maintaining a studio that is a place to health and healing in all ways,” they said.
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For information on the differences between COVID-19 and flu, visit https://dignityhlth.org/COVID-19vsFlu