Hospitalizations Down Since New Year’s High
By Jondi Gumz
The COVID-19 coronavirus has claimed the lives of 111 Santa Cruz County residents, with the death toll highest at nursing homes, but hospitalizations are down from the New Year’s peak and fewer people are in intensive care beds compared to the post-Thanksgiving peak, giving hope that the worst may be over.
On Jan.8, Dr. Gail Newel, the Santa Cruz County health officer, ordered a suspension of elective surgeries to ease the burden on hospitals.
The situation has improved much in the Sacramento region where ICU capacity has hovered around 15 percent for the past 21 days so the area was cleared to exit the stay-at-home order on Jan. 12, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor dining.
Santa Cruz County is in the Bay Area region, where ICU is at 4.7 percent and must rise to 15 percent to end the stay-at-home order.
The focus now is on rollout of the new vaccines, which has been especially slow in California.
That state has received more than 2.4 million vaccines, but according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker, had administered less than 25 percent of doses received, about 2 doses per 100 people, behind the national average of 3 doses per 100 people.
Priority Age 65
The federal government released the second doses that were being held back and the California Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that people age 65 and older are now prioritized to get the vaccine as demand among health care workers is subsiding.
In Santa Cruz County, where nursing home patients account for two-thirds of the COVID deaths, 680 doses of vaccine have been distributed through a federal program to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, according to Corinne Hyland, county public health spokeswoman.
Of the county’s seven nursing homes, Driftwood Healthcare Center has not had a COVID fatality, Hyland said.
ICU beds in the county were full on New Year’s but there are no plans to opening a local alternate care site. Hyland said hospitals have plans to add more ICU beds if needed.
Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin said a mass vaccination site is in the works but details such as location were not ready for release Wednesday. He said plans call for two sites, one in North County and one in South County, using the state priority system, which means no drive-up visitors.
On Jan. 6, Dr. Newel, the county health officer, updated her travel advisory, reminding Californians to avoid non-essential travel and noting people arriving in California should self-quarantine for 10 days. This is a shorter quarantine than before, based on federal guidance.
Kaiser San Jose Outbreak
Kaiser Permanente, one of the major medical providers in the county, was fined $85,000 for not reporting when one of its San Jose employees was hospitalized for a week early in the pandemic. Kaiser is appealing.
On Christmas Day, a staffer at Kaiser’s San Jose hospital came in to cheer fellow employees in the emergency department, wearing an air-powered inflatable Christmas tree costume, according to NBC Bay Area TV, which obtained a photo. The staffer turned out to be COVID-positive and spread the virus to 60 employees, one of whom died.
Kaiser was fined $43,000 for violating the county health order, based on $1,000 for each of the initial 43 cases.
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Kaiser released the following statement:
The health and safety of our patients, employees, and physicians is our highest priority. We have determined 60 staff members out of those present in the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Department on Dec. 25 have tested positive for COVID-19.
Working with our infectious disease specialists, we are continuing to investigate the outbreak to determine the potential causes and using contact tracing to personally notify and test anyone exposed, based on CDC and public health guidelines. Given the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, it is often difficult to pinpoint the specific exposure leading to COVID-19 infection.
In addition to HEPA filtering of the ventilation systems, which is known to be effective against the coronavirus, other precautions we have taken include deep cleaning and intensive disinfecting of the entire Emergency Department, including surfaces, equipment, and high touch areas in common spaces and patient care areas, and we have tested to determine these areas are sanitized.
In addition, we implement regular rigorous cleaning, masks, symptom screening and temperature checks at the ED entrance; triage and appropriate isolation of anyone suspected with COVID-19; and ensure social distancing with precautions such as Plexiglass cubes for patients in the waiting area.
Our thoughts are with all of our valued staff members who have been affected by this situation, and we are continuing to provide the care and support they need.
Our physicians have contacted all 70 patients who were treated and discharged from the Emergency Department on Dec. 25, and are answering any questions patients may have. COVID-19 tests are being made available to these patients, and physicians are assisting members with securing the test. All Kaiser Permanente members can also self-schedule a test online at kp.org. Due to patient privacy laws, we do not have further patient information to provide.
Because COVID-19 continues to be widespread, and is often without symptoms, we are all still vulnerable and it remains critical for everyone to continue using the methods to help protect ourselves and others – especially masks, hand washing, avoiding gatherings, and social distancing.
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County COVID Deaths
As of Jan. 12
- Age — 90 and up: 41 • 80 to 89: 33 • 70 to 79: 19 • 60 to 69: 11 • 50 to 59: 3 • 40 to 49: 1 • 30 to 39: 3
- Race/Ethnicity — White: 64 • Latinx: 35 • Asian: 5 • Black: 1 • Other: 1 • Unknown: 5
- Underlying Conditions — Yes: 82 • No: 29
- Gender — Male: 47 • Female: 64
- Skilled Nursing/Residential Care — Santa Cruz Post Acute: 20 • Watsonville Post Acute: 16 • Pacific Coast Manor: 14 • Hearts & Hands Post Acute: 7 • Montecito Manor: 3 • Valley Convalescent: 3 • Aegis: 3 • Maple House I: 3 • Dominican Oaks: 2 • Maple House II: 1 • Paradise Villa: 1
Total: 73
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Cases by town
Aptos: 543 • Ben Lomond: 74 • Boulder Creek: 99 • Capitola: 285 • Felton: 101 • Freedom: 699 • Santa Cruz: 2,555 • Scotts Valley: 263 • Soquel: 250 • Watsonville: 6,072 • Unincorporated: 147 • Under investigation: 187
Total: 11,275
Source: Santa Cruz County Public Health
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To read the governor’s school plan, see www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Safe-Schools-for-All-Plan-Rationale.aspx