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3.
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| AD HOC COMMITTEE ON COVID-19 ECONOMIC IMPACT AND RECOVERY |
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| Information |
| Referral History: |
Although the Board of Supervisors has authority over County issues, under State law, when an emergency of this nature is declared and there is a pandemic of this magnitude, the Health Officer of each county has the legal authority to impose whatever orders she or he deem necessary to protect the public.
On Tuesday, April 21, the Board of Supervisors formed this ad hoc committee to advise the Health Department on COVID19 impacts. The goal of the committee is to work toward having a sustainable COVID-19 mitigation and recovery plan. The committee will be working with the community and industry on issues of concern, advising the Board of Supervisors and the Health Officer on possible ways to interpret and apply Health Orders so they will continue to keep the community safe, but allow more businesses to re-open and provide common-sense applications to outdoor activities.
The Committee has so far conducted 21 public meetings on May 7, 14, 21 and 28; June 4, 11, 18, and 25; July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; August 13; September 3 and 17; October 15; November 19; December 17, 2020; January 21, and February 18, 2021, covering recreation and lifestyle services, in-home and other personal services, small businesses, religious gatherings, schools, and dining; a plan to move to fully to Stage 2 and, regrettably, the second surge that required postponement of many planned Phase 2 re-openings. A record of all prior Committee meetings is posted on the County website at this link. The committee has moved to a monthly meeting schedule unless changing circumstances dictate otherwise, taking up new developments in the pandemic and discussing a roadmap to recovery.
The State subsequently moved to a four-tier reopening plan, which has been the Committee's primary reference point since late August. Under the State's new Blueprint for a Safer Economy, every county is assigned to a tier by the State based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate (see Tier chart at the end of this section). The State reviews data weekly and tiers are updated on Tuesdays. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. On September 29, Contra Costa County progressed from the Purple (most restrictive) Tier to the Red Tier, and on October 27, progressed again to the Orange Tier. Following a resurgence of new cases and increase in hospitalizations, the County, on November 16, was moved back to the Purple Tier where it has remained until March 14, when the County will again move to the Red Tier. Additionally, Governor Newsom implemented a Regional Stay-at-Home Order between December 3, 2020 and January 25, 2021 in response to concerns about shrinking ICU capacity. Click to learn more about tier assignments and metric details.
Late December 2020 brought the availability of two vaccines, one from Pfizer and one from Moderna. Both available vaccines require two injections a few weeks apart. The first injection starts building protection. A second injection a few weeks later is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer. In response to guidelines from the State, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) and other healthcare providers in the County are now offering the vaccine at no cost to all residents who are 65 or older. Click here to request an appointment from CCHS
These basic precautions should continue to be taken:
- Stay home from work or school if you feel sick
- Wash your hands often
- Wear face masks whenever you are near someone outside your immediate household
- Observe physical distancing outside the home and do not make unnecessary trips or visits
- Get tested and follow the health instructions if you test positive or were exposed to someone who tested positive
All Bay Area residents are also encouraged to get tested for COVID-19, and to do so immediately if they have symptoms. Check with your local health department for more information about testing and about efforts in your community to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please visit cchealth.org/coronavirus to read the latest health order and its appendices, and for local information about Contra Costa's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a link to the updated FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions): FAQs
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| Referral Update: |
Deputy County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Warne will provide a COVID-19 update at today's meeting. Following Dr. Warne's remarks, the Committee will allow for Public Comment and will address questions specific to Dr. Warne's comments, the current Health Order, the vaccination allocation framework, and other guidance documents, attached. County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey may be available to provide an update on local school openings and respond to questions.
The most significant developments since our last meeting on February 18, 2021 is the announcement that the County will be moved to the Red Tier effective March 14 and the rapid expansion of the County's vaccination program. Contra Costa was poised to enter red tier on Wednesday next week, but will transition a few days earlier after the state met a goal of administering 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in high-risk, economically disadvantaged communities on Friday. That triggered a relaxation of the blueprint's requirements. Contra Costa County kicked off a countywide drive to provide 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. This ambitious goal has been frustrated by shortages in the vaccine and obstructions to shipping the vaccine to California due to the nation's severe weather storms. Nevertheless, more than 385,000 doses of vaccine have been administered to county residents and the county's COVID metrics continue to improve. Nearly 130,000 County residents have been fully vaccinated. Vaccine eligibility is rapidly expanding in California, and Contra Costa has coordinated with the State to build capacity to fill thousands of new requests.
Vaccine appointments are not first come, first served. Contra Costa established a vaccine allocation framework that follows State and Federal guidelines for prioritizing immunization. That means someone in a higher-risk group, especially someone who is 75 or older, might receive an earlier appointment than a younger person, even if they requested their appointment later. See the Distribution Phases illustration below.
It is important to know that even though any County resident who is 65 or older is eligible for vaccine, appointments may be weeks away for some people. CCHS is working hard with many partners, including other health providers in the County, to increase capacity so everyone can be vaccinated more quickly. Contra Costa Health Services will promptly respond to requests with an email that contains more information.
Contra Costa County has opened 20 vaccination sites and is opening more every day across the county at health centers and other large facilities to vaccinate eligible individuals. CCHS has also begun shifting staffing from COVID testing sites to vaccination efforts to increase capacity. We also have activated our volunteer Medical Reserve Corps to give vaccine, and the health department is working with fire agencies to use paramedics to administer vaccine.
Private health systems such as Kaiser, Sutter and John Muir Health — who are the primary healthcare providers for the vast majority of Contra Costa residents — have scaled up their efforts to vaccinate their own members and let them know when it's their turn. Pharmacies have also come online to provide vaccinations as more people become eligible. CVS and Walgreens are already vaccinating those living in long-term care facilities and their staff.
About 900,000 Contra Costa residents will be eligible for vaccine once the County reaches Phase 2 of the distribution plan. To reach community-immunity levels, 75% of those eligible (725,000 people) would need to be vaccinated in the county. In order to immunize 725,000 people over the next six months (104 business days), roughly 7,000 people will need to be vaccinated every business day on average. The vaccination dashboard for doses administered per day indicates we are substantially meeting that goal.
Click here for the latest about COVID-19 vaccination in Contra Costa. The chart below outlines the order in which people will become eligible to get vaccinated based on criteria developed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given at no cost to individuals. Vaccination providers may charge an administration fee, usually billed to an individual's insurance.
With the improving metrics, the State will promulgate new health orders any time now to allow more business and community activities. However, vigilance is still recommended because no vaccine is perfect, and there is no guarantee that the highly effective vaccines we now use will work as well against future variants of the COVID-19 virus.
Schools: The state health department has released new school guidance. There is a state hub of local school information providing more transparency on the status of school re-openings. See this letter for more information. The State, on January 14, 2021, also updated its COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year . California has dedicated 10% of the State's vaccine supply to education workers and on February 18, Contra Costa County updated its eligibility policy for COVID-19 vaccine to extend vaccination eligibility to residents who work in the education and childcare sector, food and agriculture workers, and emergency services workers as defined by Phase 1B of California's vaccination plan.
Updated County Health Orders: The County Health Officer issued two new Health Orders, attached, repealing local restrictions on certain high-risk business sectors and congregate living and residential care facilities. Rescission of these orders will align the County with revised State guidelines for these and other sectors.
The Health Officer also updated the Order on Mass Quarantine, attached, to include a new exception from the quarantine requirement for specified persons who have been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. |
| Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s): |
| RECEIVE status report on the County's COVID-19 status, the County's vaccination allocation framework, and school re-openings. |
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