On Wednesday, Santa Clara County reported a total of 22,056 cases, 353 deaths and 76 people hospitalized; San Mateo County had a total of 10,347 cases, 154 deaths and 30 people hospitalized as of Tuesday.
State tracking inequity of coronavirus spread
California will start tracking a metric intended to determine the inequity of the coronavirus’ spread, the state’s two top public health officials said Tuesday.
The state’s Healthy Places Index provides coronavirus test positivity data on a census tract-level with the goal of highlighting the areas of the state that are either healthier or unhealthier than others, allowing for more targeted support for communities that are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
Since late August, state public health officials have tracked the case rate per 100,000 residents and the test positivity rate for each of the state’s 58 counties to determine how widespread the virus is and whether it is safe for a county to open certain businesses.
Starting Tuesday, the state also began tracking the HPI scores for individual counties. Those with lower scores will be able to move quicker through the state’s color-coded, tiered reopening system, according to Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s acting public health officer.
“We have to prioritize our interventions to the communities where we’re seeing the most disease,” Pan said, noting that communities with the most coronavirus transmission are often those inhabited by essential workers.
So far, Humboldt County is the only county to move to a less restrictive reopening tier based on its HPI score, moving to the least restrictive yellow tier.
Outbreak at assisted living facilities
As health leaders warn of a potentially dangerous fall and winter that could lead to new cases of COVID-19, recent outbreaks at long-term care facilities in Palo Alto highlight how difficult controlling the coronavirus can be.
Channing House has had 13 COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks: six cases among residents and seven among staff, CEO and Executive Director Rhonda Bekkedahl confirmed on Oct. 1. In total, 10 residents and 17 staff members have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. One contracted caregiver also tested positive. The cases are all in the assisted-living section, Bekkedahl said in an email.
The long-term care facility isn’t the only one with cases. Vi at Palo Alto and Palo Alto Commons also had cases within the past 14 days, according to data posted on a Santa Clara County Public Health Department public dashboard.
Bekkedahl said Channing House Health Center staffers, which include assisted living and skilled nursing, are currently tested weekly for the virus while other staff receive tests on a monthly basis. All residents are tested at least monthly. Outside caregivers also follow the Channing House testing schedule.
Channing House also doesn’t allow indoor visits at its facilities except in end-of-life situations, she said. Staff encourages outdoor visits and provides support in scheduling and facilitating meetings over Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms with family and friends, according to Bekkedahl.
“The health and safety of the Channing House residents and staff are our top priority,” Bekkedahl said. As soon as the pandemic began, staff implemented multiple, “stringent” measures for health screenings, cleaning and disinfection, Channing House has also enforced a face coverings requirement across the facility and installed more hand-washing and hand sanitizer stations.
Comprehensive COVID-19 coverage
View interactive charts tracking the spread of the coronavirus in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties online at paloaltoonline.atavist.com/tracking-the-coronavirus. Find a comprehensive collection of coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by The Almanac and its sister publications, Palo Alto Online, and the Mountain View Voice, at tinyurl.com/c19-Almanac.
CalMatters and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
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