County Reports 47 COVID Deaths, Many at Nursing Homes

By Jondi Gumz

In six days, the number of Santa Cruz County residents dead because of COVID-19 has soared from 33 to 47, according to county Public Health spokeswoman Corinne Hyland, who called the increase “very concerning.”

The increase is being driven by deaths at nursing homes, which account for 31 of the total fatalities, and Hyland is eagerly awaiting news on when nursing homes will get their first doses of COVID vaccine.

Nine county residents died at Santa Cruz Post Acute in Live Oak and six at Pacific Coast Manor in Capitola, according to Hyland, who started a spreadsheet to keep track.

The state Department of Public Health reports 14 COVID deaths at Santa Cruz Post Acute and Pacific Coast Manor reported eight COVID deaths on its website. The difference in the numbers may be because death certificates have not yet reached county Public Health or the people who died may have come from outside Santa Cruz County.

An outbreak in September led to 16 COVID deaths at Watsonville Post Acute.

One COVID death occurred at Maple House II in Live Oak, a residential care home for the elderly.

Many of the initial COVID deaths were in the Latinx community, which saw a majority of the cases, but now the numbers have evened out, with 20 deaths of Caucasians topping the 19 Latinx deaths.

A record number of COVID cases in nursing homes is being seen nationwide, prompting the nursing home lobby to ask Congress for financial aid to hire additional staff, conduct testing and buy personal protective equipment.

“Our worst fears have come true as COVID runs rampant among the general population, and long-term care facilities are powerless to fully prevent it from entering due to its asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread,” stated Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, which represents 14,000 facilities across the nation.

Age, Underlying Conditions

Nursing home residents are typically older adults with multiple chronic conditions, making them most vulnerable to COVID-19, according to the AHCA/NCAL.

Hyland’s spreadsheet shows that is true locally.

The most deaths, 22, were among those 90 and above ━ including some centenarians ━ then 13 deaths of people in their 80s, six deaths of people in their 70s, a handful of deaths of people age 40 to 69, and no deaths of younger people.

Underlying conditions were a factor in 77 percent of the deaths.

Since residents at nursing homes and care facilities are not allowed to leave the premises, health officials believe staff are bringing the virus in.

Of the 1,200 active cases in the county, about 300 involve residents or staff at one of the county’s seven nursing homes or a residential care facility for the elderly, which are more numerous, Hyland said.

COVID-19 is so new “I think there’s just a huge learning curve,” she added.

As of Dec. 8, the state reports 74 resident cases and 34 staff cases at Santa Cruz Post Acute, 57 patient cases and 37 staff cases at Pacific Coast Manor, and 13 resident cases and 9 staff cases at Hearts & Hands Rehab Center in Santa Cruz.

CVS Delivery

Hospital workers are first in line to get the COVID vaccine, and Santa Cruz County will get 1,950 doses for them on Dec. 15, Hyland said.

Nursing homes will get the vaccine from “a different route,” going through pharmacies such as CVS, Hyland said, noting that she does not have a date yet.

CVS last week announced plans to hire thousands of workers to help distribute the vaccine.

A lawsuit filed against Watsonville Post Acute noted staff working at multiple facilities, increasing the likelihood the contagious coronavirus would spread.

Hyland said a policy requiring staff to work at only one facility would not work because “people are trying to make ends meet.”

“Many staff do work in several facilities, so when there is an exposure, a notice is sent to all facilities,” she said. “If there is an outbreak at a facility, no new admissions are taken.”

For example, admissions were halted in October at Watsonville Post Acute, but now there are zero cases and the facility currently accepts new residents.

California Department of Public Health, which licenses nursing homes, and California Department of Social Services, which licenses care homes for the elderly, “remain active in trying to mitigate outbreaks.”

Asked about personal protective equipment for nursing homes, Hyland said the county has PPE resources that facilities can tap. N-95 masks must be fit properly to prevent the virus from spreading, and she said the county has offered resources to nursing homes for that since April.

“We are currently contacting facilities and asking them to review those plans and ensure they are following proper infection control measures,” Hyland added.

County COVID Deaths
(category breakdown)

Age

90 and up: 22
80 to 89: 13
70 to 79: 6
60 to 69: 4
50 to 59: 1
40 to 49: 1

Race/Ethnicity

White: 20
Latinx: 19
Unknown: 4
Asian: 2
Black: 1
Other: 1

Underlying Conditions

Yes: 36
No: 11

Skilled Nursing

Watsonville Post Acute: 16
Santa Cruz Post Acute: 9
Pacific Coast Manor: 6
Total: 31

Gender

Male: 23
Female: 24

Source: Santa Cruz County Public Health