The Health Services Department has established a website dedicated to COVID-19, including daily updates. The site is located at: https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/
Dr. Anna Roth, Health Services Director, reports that cases are continuing to rise in California and nation wide. California is now at 178,000 cases, with 5,500 fatalities. San Joaquin, Solano and Contra Costa counties are seeing an increase in hospitalizations. Contra Costa has 2454 cases, 62 deaths, 35 people are hospitalized, 4 not from Contra Costa, with 7 of our residents in another county's hospital. Over the last week there have been 343 new cases, clearing indicating wide community spread. Our 7 day percent positive is remaining around 3 percent.
Closely monitoring the 6 key indicators set by the Bay Area Health Officers to guide reopening measures. There is a slow rise in all indicators. Graphs and statistics are available on the dashboard at cchealth.org. Observing basic protective measures is vital to a reopening. Wash your hands, social distance, wear a mask and stay home if you are sick.
Health Services very much wants everyone to get tested. Especially any who work or live with the vulnerable populations. She urges employers to review their sick leave policies to enable those who are ill to stay home.
There are two epicenters: assisted living facilities and congregate living facilities. The County has tested over 62,000 people, 183 tests per 100,000 people. We are almost to the goal of 200 tests per 100,000 people. Last week a testing site was opened in the Monument Corridor in Concord, and next week another site will open in Richmond. County testing sites are using the less invasive, more comfortable self-swab test. The county is working with all area providers to ramp up there testing.
There is no waiting! Please call 1-844-421-0804 to schedule a test today.
The hiring process is complete and Health Services is on-boarding 60 new staff members for contact tracing, to add to the 86 already in place. Ten more will be added each week.
Dr. Sara Levin, Internal Medicine, Deputy Health Officer, informed the Board that it was recognized early in the pandemic that a coordinated response was necessary to control the spread of the virus in congregate care facilities, particularly in the highest risk population, the elderly. The public-private partnership has performed well. The county performed site visits with all senior care facilities with more than 8 or more beds. The priority has been in facilities for long term care for the elderly. Health Services is not a regulatory body for these facilities. They reached out to each site to help with training and ppe supplies for infection control and prevention. The April 13th health order required that visitation be limited, all staff and visitors be masked, and a log kept of all persons on site for residential care facilities. The May 29th Health order mandated that all long-term care facility personnel and residents be tested.
99 percent of deaths were among people over 50 years of age: 66 % of deaths were over 80; 15% were between 70 -80; 18% were 50-70 and 1% were under 50. Two-thirds were residents of senior care facilities. Patients are being transferred to hospital when appropriate.
The reopening timeline is subject to adjustment according to indicators, in particular hospitalization numbers and capacity of hospitals. The health officers are reconciling the state and local guidelines, with some adjustments
On July 1st we intend to open
hotels for tourism and individual travel; indoor museums, limited indoor entertainment such as arcades, billiards, bowling alleys, gyms and fitness centers and personal training; bars, with or without food; and personal services that don’t involve the face (massage, tattoos, body waxing, nail salons); and indoor dining
On July 15th we intend to open
Personal service that do involve the face; movie theaters, and card rooms
The Contra Costa Education Department worked with the health department, they have posted to their website a reopening guideline.
Reopening plans are subject to change if the indicators of the Bay Area Health Officers reflect it is not yet time because spread and hospitalizations have increased.
To keep up to date on information, please visit the dashboard at cchealth.org