By Jondi Gumz
On Monday, the Santa Cruz County Covid-19 dashboard reported 10 more deaths, all with significant underlying conditions.
The update came three days after Assembly Member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) introduced AB 1993 to mandate vaccines for all employees and independent contractors — and require employers to verify their workers are immunized.
It may be heard in committee March 13. Co-authors include Assembly Member Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) and Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), the children’s doctor who introduced SB 871 to require the Covid vaccine for schoolchildren and eliminate the personal belief exemption.
On Jan. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration mandate that employers with 100 or more workers vaccinate or test. The ruling said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration did not have the right to regulate public health broadly. (The court allowed a federal vaccine mandate for health care workers.)
Employers can mandate vaccines or tests for employees if they feel it’s needed.
New Yorkers for Religious Liberty sued New York City to halt enforcement of the city vaccine mandate but the city fired more than 1,400 workers for failing to comply.
Mask Mandate Ends
On Feb. 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the indoor mask mandate statewide in response to declining hospitalizations and test positivity.
Santa Cruz County and Bay Area counties will follow his lead. The state still requires masks for school children, but plans to reassess data Feb. 28.
The 10 local deaths occurred between Jan. 16 and Feb. 10, which included the peak of the highly contagious and thought-to-be-mild Omicron variant.
“This is sobering information and a reminder that the pandemic still holds significant risks to many,” said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel.
Nine Over Age 75
Age is a factor in Covid-19 mortality, and nine who died were 75 or older. One person was more than 100, three were in their 90s, two in their 80s, and three in their 70s.
One was in his 50s and unvaccinated, according to County Public Health.
Health officials said nine were vaccinated, but only five had booster shots. (The county website now lists vaccination status as “yes” or “no.”)
The most COVID fatalities in the county occurred in January 2021, when 22 people died in one week and vaccines were not available to most.
Masking, staying home when sick, and testing before gathering should protect those most vulnerable, according to health officials.
Outrage
Photos of Gov. Newsom, without a mask, with sports celebrity Magic Johnson, without a mask, taken at a sold-out, 80,000-fan Los Angeles Rams game and posted on Johnson’s Instagram page outraged parent Rob Ellison.
His concern: Kids in masks with speech delays, reading delays, depression and anxiety – and the double standard for Newsom, according to the full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle. For information, email [email protected].
After raising $10,000 in 24 hours via email, Ellison created a GoFundMe campaign to spread the word. Some 300+ donors gave more than $15,000.
A Covid vaccine mandate, imposed Jan. 15 on truckers by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, led to a protest blocking the busiest international bridge in Detroit, for a week, hurting auto-makers in the U.S.
General Motors, Ford and Toyota cut production at plants in the U.S. and Canada due to a lack of parts.
The bridge reopened after negotiations, arrests on charges of mischief, and vehicles seized by authorities. The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimated 85% of Canada’s 120,000 truckers were vaccinated.
Myocarditis
In Japan, the number of case reports of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination have increased, according to a case study published in January 2022.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart, which can lead to clots, a stroke or heart attack.
The Japanese government amended the label for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna to add myocarditis to their list of significant “adverse drug reactions.”
Young Kids, More Data
On Feb. 11, Pfizer and BioNTech said they are delaying completing their request for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize their coronavirus vaccine for children under 5 years old, because there’s not enough data on whether a third dose produces the desired result.
The FDA postponed an advisory panel meeting scheduled for Feb. 15 to discuss the matter.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they don’t expect to have three-dose protection data until early April. Parents anxious to have shots for their younger children age six months to 4 years must wait.
When Pfizer began applying for emergency use authorization for young children, the application was for two doses, not three. According to FDA, the goal was to see if two doses would provide enough protection.
Peter Marks, head of the FDA division responsible for vaccine safety, was asked to describe data leading to postponement, but he didn’t, according to Politico.
In late January, Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser, said younger children will likely need three doses because two shots did not induce an adequate immune response in 2- to 4-year-olds in Pfizer’s clinical trials.
Mary Holland, president and general counsel of Children’s Health Defense, contends there is no COVID emergency for children under 5 years old.
Children have a 99.995% recovery rate, and a body of medical literature indicates “almost zero” healthy children under 5 have died from COVID, according to Holland. She cited these studies:
- Germany: Zero deaths for children under 5 and a case fatality rate of three out of a million in children without comorbidities. In medicine, comorbidity means one or more diseases is present along with the primary infection.
- Johns Hopkins: 48,000 children with COVID, zero mortality rate in children under 18 without comorbidities.
- England and Wales: Throughout 2020 and 2021, only one child under 5 without comorbidities died from COVID .
Student Vaccine Mandate
Since Dr. Pan introduced SB 871 on Jan. 24, hospitalizations have fallen from 15,000 to 8,000. Action may be taken on or after Feb. 24. Track the bill at: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB871
Public health officials consider vaccinations to be the number one tool to prevent hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.
California reports 82.6% of residents age 5 and up have had at least one shot.
On the CDC Covid tracker, Santa Cruz County reports 92.4% of residents age 12 and up have at least one shot and 84.3% fully vaccinated.
Fully vaccinated means having two shots (Pfizer or Moderna) or one Johnson & Johnson shot. All were developed for the initial Covid-19 coronavirus, not variants.
For Omicron, a booster shot is needed. Booster shots are 90 percent effective against preventing Omicron hospitalizations, according to the federal Centers of Disease Control.
Protesting Mandates
Our Kids, Our Choice is a non-partisan, grassroots web platform launched in early 2015 to oppose SB 277 and “uphold medical freedom for parents and children.” The website is http://www.ourkidsourchoice.org/home.html
Parents with the group rallied at the state Capitol in January to encourage other parents to speak up and know they are not alone.
Public health officials say the scientific consensus is that Covid vaccines are safe, but protesters are skeptical about relying on science from drug-makers, which saw profits rise in 2021. They point to the U.S. government database, https://vaers.hhs.gov/, where health care providers are to report adverse events after a vaccine.
The reporting site was created after Congress passed a law in 1986 protecting vaccine manufacturers from civil personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits resulting from vaccine injuries.
After Covid arrived, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar invoked the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, a 2005 law that allows him to provide legal protection to companies making or distributing critical medical supplies such as vaccines unless there’s “willful misconduct” by the company, according to a report by CNBC.
This lowers the cost of immunizations, and the protection lasts until 2024.
Dr. Pamela Popper of Ohio has sued HHS, FDA and CDC concerning vaccines for kids under 16, hopes to get discovery, the point at which both sides can get evidence. Updates are at https://makeamericansfreeagain.com/
Active Cases
Active Covid-19 cases in Santa Cruz County fell from 6,677 to 5,229 and now stands at 5,680, despite the Nov. 22 mandate to mask indoors.
The assumption is Omicron, the most easily transmissible variant of the Covid-19 coronavirus, is the driving the increase.
Omicron was confirmed in two cases in the county on Dec. 16 and 17.
Then, 325 cases were confirmed on Dec. 29, peaking at 1,265 on Jan. 20, according to the county health dashboard, which is updated twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.
Hospitalizations that were as high as 43, are down to 27, including four in intensive care, according to a state dashboard, which updates daily.
Possibly people entering the hospital had another condition or scheduled surgery, then got tested for Covid. The dashboard does not explain.
Local cases are split between Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and Watsonville Community Hospital, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while trying to orchestrate a sale to a Pajaro Valley consortium. The auction will be Feb. 17.
The California Department of Public Health estimates Omicron comprises 91% of cases statewide and Delta 6.5% but does not have a breakdown of Omicron hospitalizations or deaths.
Not all COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization are sequenced, and the proportion of cases due to the Omicron variant that die is still being determined.
Less Deadly
Omicron is deadly than Delta, which raged in 2021.
Santa Cruz County reports 249 Covid deaths, up from 225 as of Dec. 15, before Omicron.
One statistic is similar: 79% to 80% of those who died had pre-existing conditions.
Why do people fear Omnicron?
They may have a pre-existing condition (diabetes, obesity, asthma, high blood pressure).
Half of Americans do, so they are at higher risk for severe Covid illness.
So are people 85 and older.
Some people who got Covid experience “long Covid,” with fatigue and brain fog months afterward. A 2022 study in the journal Cell by researchers following more than 200 patients found many acute Covid patients had low cortisol, which could be addressed.
Pajaro Valley Schools
Pajaro Valley schools, which have 19,000 students, report 1,083 active student cases and 59 staff cases this month, down from 1,247 student cases and 138 staff cases in January.
Aptos High reports 35 student cases and four staff cases, Aptos Junior High 21 student cases and one staff case.
Rio del Mar Elementary reports 11 student cases, zero staff cases; Mar Vista, 16 student cases, 3 staff cases; Valencia Elementary 51 student cases and 3 staff cases.
Bradley Elementary has 67 student cases and 3 staff cases.
Watsonville High School the most student cases, 109, and Pajaro Valley High, 72.
Testing
Santa Cruz County Office of Education, with Inspire Diagnostic, has provided 296,200 tests.
Cases peaked at 4,407 on Jan. 27, dropping to 1,394 on Feb. 14. The 14-day positivity rate, 12.25% two weeks ago, is down to 7.18%.
The County Office of Education offers drive-though testing for students, staff and families at these locations:
Cabrillo College, Aptos, Parking Lot K, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santa Cruz County Office of Education, 399 Encinal St., Santa Cruz, Monday to Friday, 2 to 5 p.m.
Hundreds of school staff have rapid response antigen tests, courtesy of the County Office of Education, and schools are distributing more for home use.
Directions are posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U8AdsSyH14sDvrjD6T25krhvOFRFsuXs/view
For test options see: https://tinyurl.com/get-tested-santa-cruz.
On Feb. 15, the California Department of Public Health reported a 5.7% test positivity rate statewide, down from 23% and 18.8% in January.
Based on federal recommendations, the state has shortened the isolation time for those testing positive, from 10 days to five days.
Booster shot appointments can be scheduled at https://myturn.ca.gov/ or with your local doctor and pharmacies. For local COVID-19 vaccine providers, visit www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirusvaccine.
For help scheduling an appointment, call the Community Bridges Helpline at 831-219-8607 or 831-440-3556 (English, Spanish, Mixteco and Triqui).
For local COVID-19 information, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus or call (831) 454-4242 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
•••
Total COVID cases: 5,680
•••
COVID Deaths: 249
As of Feb. 14
Age
85 and older: 107 •75-84: 57 • 65-74: 43 • 60-64: 15 • 55-59: 4 • 45-54: 10 • 35-44: 8 • 25-34: 5
Underlying Conditions
Yes: 200 • No: 49
Race
White 141 • Latinx 87 • Asian 16 • Black 2 • Amer Indian 1 • Hawaiian 1 • Other 1
Gender
Men: 127 • Women: 122
Location
At facility for aged: 113
Not at a facility: 136