Health experts talk order, next steps

Stay-at-home: Residents’ actions in coming weeks will determine county’s ability to care for ill in 2021, says official

SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel began a press conference Thursday morning in a reflective state. Approximately one year after COVID-19 was discovered and named, the county and its neighboring jurisdictions will enter into a stay-at-home order once more to preserve resources.

Newel jumped right into explaining exactly what Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regional stay-at-home order means. Because Santa Cruz County’s region in the order, the Bay Area region, hit a 12.9% ICU capacity Wednesday, the order requiring that regions with less than 15% ICU capacity shut down was triggered. Newel explained that part of that decline had to do with Bay Area hospitals taking in and treating COVID-19 patients from areas with little to no available ICU capacity such as the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions.

Starting at 11:59 p. m. Thursday, individuals must stay at home except for traveling for essential purposes, such as essential work or shopping (such as picking up prescriptions). The order bans gathering with others outside one’s household. It is in effect for three weeks. After the three-week marker, the state will study the Bay Area region’s projected ICU capacity weekly. Only when the projected ICU capacity indicates that capacity is at or greater than 15% will the region be permitted to resume operations.

“Our (order) will be well into January, so make sure to follow the order through your plans,” Newel said. “You should be celebrating holidays with just your household members at home, or if you have outdoor recreational activities (planned) that’s OK as well if it’s within the same household.”

Medical and dental care, child care and schools that opened prior to the order will all remain open. Gatherings, whether for spiritual, political or other purposes protected by the First Amendment, must remain outdoors. Office work should be remote- only if it can be done in that fashion. Hair services, nail salons, waxing services, tattoo shops, campgrounds, hotels and all other types of lodging will be forced to cancel reservations and close.

“Hotels and any kind of short-term lodging facilities are only allowed to book and house people who are from outside of our area, those here for essential travel for (a) critical infrastructure job or if they’re isolating or quarantining here,” Newel said of the new stipulation. “This means they would not be leaving their hotel room or place of residence.”

All bars, wineries and distilleries must close. This is a part of the governor’s motto, Newel said: “Close bars, open schools.” Restaurants are solely permitted to offer takeout and delivery. Coffee shops are considered restaurants and must follow the same guidelines.

Grocery stores will be open at 35% of their normal capacity, retail stores at 20% of their normal capacity, the mandate orders. Gyms and swim facilities cannot operate indoors and may offer outdoor group exercises. Farmers markets may open with

modifications.

The seriousness of compliance

Following these restrictions of the order are “critical” over the next month, Santa Cruz County Deputy Health Officer Dr. David Ghilarducci said, as it will heavily dictate the amount of ICU capacity the county has left. ICU capacity has, at times in the last few weeks, been at zero, Newel admitted. It’s known that the county is one of the jurisdictions that has very low ICU bed availability per capita.

“This is largely because we have relied as a community, for many of our intensive care needs, our medical-surgical (needs), on big medical centers around us like Stanford and UC San Francisco,” Newel said. “At this point, our neighboring counties are also struggling with bed capacity, so we are doing our best to manage within our own county.”

Because beds open up and fill up almost on an hourly basis, Ghilarducci said, people are discharged, brought in or waiting in the ER before the state’s hospital data page can catch up. That’s why the numbers from county officials may be newer; the official has been seeking to bridge the gap and get up-to- date information by calling the hospitals in the mornings.

Vaccines will help with ICU management, as both the current Pfizer vaccine and incoming Moderna vaccine promise above a 90% efficacy rate. The fact that medical professionals at the county’s two acute care hospitals, Dominican and Watsonville Community hospitals, have surged bed capacity for ICU and non-ICU beds to meet the current need is proof that their role is undeniably essential and they should be protected, Ghilarducci said. This is the reason why Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination rollout plan prioritized health care workers.

“The vaccine is not a solution to the need to follow the advice we have been giving you all along with distancing, masks and being careful,” he said after calling this week a ‘momentous’ one.

Newel shared encouraging news about an additional OptumServe testing site, such as the one at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. Details around the exact location, hours and testing capacity of the second site are still to come, but county spokesman Jason Hoppin said after the press conference that the opening will be “relatively imminent.”

Newel also teased the idea of an upgraded county coronav irus dashboard with more granular data from agencies reporting at the state level. The date of that launch is unknown.

Home for Christmas

When asked for advice to give individuals living alone, the majority of which will not see their family members this holiday season, Newel admitted it was hard for all but especially those who would be reserved to connecting virtually. She suggested getting outdoors and being active. Those who choose to gather with others should do it in the safest manner possible — in the outdoors while exercising with six feet between individuals and masks on.

“We did not understand yet how the virus spread in March and April,” Newel said. “It was a brand new virus and (we thought) it may spread through air or water. We were much more concerned about outdoor activities than we are at this time. Now we know if you’re active outdoors it’s almost impossible to acquire the virus in that setting… sitting outdoors is much riskier than being outdoors and active.”