Local COVID stats
As of Jan. 4, there have been 19,386 cases of COVID in Sonoma County, with 5,360 currently active. There have been 196 deaths.
The unadjusted new care rate per day per 100,000 with a seven-day average and a seven-day lag was 43. The adjust case rate was 33.1. The case rate per 100,000 for the past 14 days with a seven-day lag was 584.5
The overall testing positivity rate is 7.8% though the testing positivity rate among the lowest quartile of Healthy Places is 12.2%.
Though our county’s ICU capacity is reported at 28.9%, the Bay Area Region is at 8.4%. In the county, 34% of ICU patients are COVID positive. The number of cases in skilled nursing facilities is 829 and the number of cases among the homeless population is 41, including a recently reported outbreak at the Sam Jones Hall homeless shelter.
As of Dec. 31, 6,004 doses of vaccine had been administered in the county, including 4,193 from Pfizer and 1,811 from Moderna. However, that number does not necessarily include all the doses administered by entities who received the vaccine directly and distributed it themselves, as those doses have to be entered into a vaccine registry.
Vaccine information and protocols
Because the supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States is currently limited, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing recommendations to federal, state and local governments about who should be vaccinated first. The CDC’s recommendations are based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent panel of medical and public health experts. The recommendations were made with the following goals in mind: decrease death and serious disease as much as possible; preserve functioning of society; and reduce the extra burden COVID-19 is having on people already facing disparities.
Therefore, distribution of the vaccine will begin with those at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19, including healthcare workers and residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities. In Sonoma County, the plan consists of multiple phases and tiers of populations.
Phase 1A has three tiers consisting of healthcare workers, and we are currently in tier 1.
Tier 1 includes healthcare personnel at the highest risk of exposure:
- Acute care, psychiatric and correctional facility hospitals
- Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and similar settings for older or medically vulnerable individuals (includes residents in these settings)
- EMTs, Paramedics
- Dialysis Center Staff
Tier 2 includes:
- Intermediate Care (non-continuous nursing supervision)
- Home health care
- In0home supportive services
- Community health workers and promotoras
- Public health field staff
- Primary care clinics, FQHCs
- Rural health centers
- Correctional facility clinics
- Urgent care clinics
Tier 3 includes:
- Specialty clinics
- Laboratory workers
- Dental/Oral health clinics
- Pharmacy staff
Phase 1b consists of essential workers in the following careers:
- Food & Agriculture
- Food Service
- Transportation
- Education
- Energy
- Police
- Firefighters
- Manufacturing
- IT & Communication
- Water & Wastewater
Phase 1c consists of those with high risk medical conditions:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- COP
- Heart Condition
- Chronic Kidney Condition
- Cancer
- Smoking
- Solid Organ Transplant
- Sickle Cell Disease
Phase 1C also includes adults over 65 years of age who reside in:
- Community dwelling
- Congregate facilities
- Residential care communities
- HUD Senior Housing
Phase 1 began on Dec. 18. Phase 2 is hoped to launch in the spring of 2021 and will consist of the remainder of any phase 1 populations, critical populations and then the general population. By phase 3, hoped to begin the summer of 2021, they hope to have shifted to routine strategy of open access to vaccinations.
Community briefing on vaccinations
On Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. following the regular press conference with Dr. Sundari Mase, there will be a community briefing on vaccination within the county featuring the county’s public health department and Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. This will be an opportunity for the public to learn about the vaccination process in the county and the priority tiers being followed. Stay tuned to the county’s Facebook page for more information.
