Stanislaus County health officer on COVID-19: ‘It seems to be everywhere’
Stanislaus County leaders were still unclear Tuesday about what assistance the state will provide for bringing a coronavirus surge under control.
But they hope to use the state’s influence to do more testing and get test results faster.
“Any resources that show up locally we will put to use very quickly,” Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes said. “We need ample testing and a quick turnaround time.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $52 million in support for counties in the Central Valley that are inundated by COVID-19 cases. The surge began about six weeks ago after sectors of the economy were reopened in most areas of California.
Funding from a federal grant will help bolster testing in eight counties that make up the Central Valley, as well as pay for more supplies and additional support for the medical system, Newsom said during a press conference Monday in Stockton.
The state also intends to use coronavirus strike teams to battle the COVID-19 spike in the region, which has especially impacted Latinos, farmworkers and essential workers.
Stanislaus County last week had the highest rate of positive tests for coronavirus (23%) among the state’s 58 counties, its chief health officer said. Recently, people using three public testing sites in the county have waited for seven days or more for results.
On Monday. the county reported that 95 people have now died from COVID-19. On Tuesday, the state reported Stanislaus County had 60 more positive cases, the lowest one-day total since 50 were reported on July 4.
Supervisor Vito Chiesa asked public health officer Julie Vaishampayan for an explanation of how the illness is spreading.
Vaishampayan said it’s spreading in many areas of the community. “It seems to be everywhere,” she said. “It seems like it’s getting into every business and spreading, into every congregate living facility and spreading. There are a lot of gatherings, a lot of smaller ones, resulting in continuous spread in all directions.”
Vaishampayan’s remarks Tuesday followed a message she issued to the public on Monday regarding efforts to get children back to school in a few weeks.
Stanislaus County’s 8,288 positive tests include 669 children from 5 to 18 years old, the public health officer said in an online statement Monday. The past nine days have brought 204 cases in that age range, she said, more evidence that schools must reopen with care.
None of the children has died, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Risk grows in teen years
Vaishampayan said children younger than 10 seem to have a lower infection rate than adults, but it increases as they move toward adolescence.
“Imagine how many exposures would have occurred in our schools if they were currently open,” she said. “How many children would have been sent home for a 14-day quarantine? How many school staff?”
Schools in the county shifted to remote learning in mid-March, one of the steps aimed at slowing COVID-19. Improving indicators led to plans to reopen the campuses in August, with social distancing and other prevention measures.
Surging numbers in Stanislaus prompted Newsom to stall those plans earlier this month.
Through Monday, the rolling 14-day rate of infection stood as 23.65%, more than three times the state number.
Vaishampayan again urged all residents to wear face coverings in public, to stay at least 6 feet from non-household members, and to wash their hands.
“It’s what we must do to lower our community transmission enough to get our children back in school,” she said. “To open businesses again. To feel life coming back to normal just a little more.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
