Health officer says area may not see effects of closures on local statistics for another week or two

Yuba-sutter businesses have had to modify indoor operations for nearly two weeks now due to the area being placed on the state’s monitoring list after having significant increases in confirmed cases over a short time.

Bi-county Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said the area won’t see the effects of the state-mandated closure on local statistics for probably another week or two. The area has seen a slight improvement in the number of confirmed cases per day, with numbers recently dropping from 40-plus to about 30 per day on average. In order to be taken off the state’s list, the area would need to drop down to 6-7 cases per day.

Luu has maintained throughout the pandemic that the virus will not be going away anytime soon absent a vaccine.

“There are several vaccines that have successfully completed Phase 1 trials – essentially vaccination of a small number of people (around 40-50 people) and noted no adverse side effects,” Luu said. “Now those vaccines will need to proceed with Phase 2 trials – expanding the number of those who will participate in the trials by hundreds to thousands to ensure the appropriate dose, frequency, and monitor for longer-term side effects.”

The number of confirmed

COVID-19 cases in the Yuba-sutter area increased by 55 on Thursday, bringing the total to 941 cases.

Seventeen residents are currently hospitalized, while seven people recovered from the virus on Thursday. Seven local residents have died from COVID-19 to date.

A total of 10,321 local residents have been tested in the area.

In Colusa County, the numbers ramped up considerably after an outbreak at a Williams nursing facility was reported. That county has now had two COVIDrelated deaths.

Luu said the best way residents can protect themselves from getting sick is by staying home as much as possible, though that can be difficult for people who need to earn a living to support their families and don’t have the opportunity to work remotely. The key, she said, is choosing activities and practicing behaviors that are lower risk.

“Sitting with a large group of people inside a living room with no one wearing a facial covering is very risky,” she said. “If you and one other household – say your neighbors across the street – get together for a barbecue and bring your own food, don’t share utensils, keep a physical distance of six feet or more, and wear a facial covering when that is not possible; that is lower risk.”