By Zach Friend, Second District Supervisor
As you have undoubtedly heard, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has arrived in Santa Cruz County. The County of Santa Cruz is responding to this growing public health threat by activating emergency personnel led by our Public Health Division and our Public Health Officer, Dr. Gail Newel.
Although the number of cases here is still small, Dr. Newel has issued community guidelines on workplaces and social distancing in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease. The community is strongly urged to follow the guidelines, available at www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus. The website is an excellent place to stay on top of the latest developments as well.
On March 4. Dr. Newel declared a local health emergency, and the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on March 10 to ratify that decision and declare a local emergency, which allows us to access state and federal funding to help fight COVID-19.
Together, the community is doing its part to stop the disease. While these decisions are painful, many of us have cancelled school fundraisers, business meetings, conferences, faith events, athletic competitions, concerts, non-essential travel and more. Schools have closed and even the Santa Cruz Warriors will play competitive games in an empty arena.
We know there are very real health, economic, social and emotional impacts associated with this and we are working with the state and federal government on ways to mitigate these impacts. But this needs a community wide response and we all have a role in helping mitigate the spread.
Community members should take precautions to help prevent the spread of illness, including frequent hand washing with soap and water; covering your cough or sneeze; avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands and avoid shaking hands; regularly cleaning surfaces touched by many people using normal household cleaners; staying home from work or school if you are sick; and getting a flu shot to protect yourself and others from flu. State guidelines encourage the cancellation of large gatherings and doing what you can remotely – via teleconferencing or video conference when possible.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and may appear in as few as two or up to 14 days after exposure. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, contact your primary care physician’s office, especially if you have recently traveled to areas with a COVID-19 outbreak or have had contact with a known case of COVID-19. Before seeking medical attention, call first to prevent possible transmission in the health care setting.
While novel coronavirus is part of a family of known viruses, COVID-19 is a new disease. The best epidemiologists in the world are working to better understand how the disease works, but we still do not know what the disease arc is, nor do we have human immunity or a vaccine.
While healthy adults can survive COVID-19 with relative ease, they can still be vectors to more vulnerable members of our community, for whom COVID-19 can be deadly.
That is why we are taking such an aggressive position in trying to contain and mitigate the disease. We are doing this on behalf of many in our community whose bodies cannot withstand an attack by a virus that might seem relatively mild to the rest of us. We know that COVID-19 appears to spread much faster that the common flu, and our community will need to stay united in our efforts to protect one another. Stay informed and engaged with the County’s website www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus for information or texting “covid19” to 211211.
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As always, if I can provide any additional information please don’t hesitate to call me at 454-2200.