COVID-19 data shows slight improvement locally
There was a possible bright spot in local news related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, Jan. 18 — the number of new Tehachapi cases over the past week dropped to about 56 percent of the number of cases reported the previous week.
The accuracy of those numbers, unfortunately, is only as good as the reporting of test results to the Kern County Public Health Services Department.
Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley on Tuesday had all four intensive care unit beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, but overall hospitalizations were down from 18 at the same time last week.
On Jan. 11, Tehachapi Unified School District reported a high level of staff and student absenteeism due to COVID-19 when school resumed following the winter break. Between Dec. 6 and Jan. 10, there were 209 new student cases and 47 new staff cases. Because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, schools were not in session on Monday and the district had not released any updated attendance data as of Tuesday morning.
Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley provided an update on Jan. 18, showing 16 beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, of which two were vaccinated, 10 were unvaccinated and four had an unknown vaccination status.
Of those, four patients were in the intensive care unit (three unvaccinated and one unknown vaccination status.) The hospital has 24 beds, of which four are ICU.
The health department reported 202 new cases of COVID-19 in the 93561 ZIP code between Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 and data from the California Department of Corrections showed continuing increases in active cases among both staff and people incarcerated there — with the greatest increase among the incarcerated
population. A Jan. 18 update for staff was not available by the deadline for this article. Staff cases reported on Jan. 14 were 157 — up by 29 from Jan. 10. Inmate cases were at 87 on Jan. 18 — up from 16 the week before.
LATEST INFORMATION
Kern County’s level of transmission, per Centers for Disease Control this week: High.
The health department last week released a message to area residents, urging them to avoid calling 911 for non-emergency treatments. “Please do not call 911 or visit the ER for minor COVID complaints or to get COVID testing,” the news release said. “We want to ensure our first responders assist emergencies. Kern County Public Health, local hospitals and first responders continue to work together to provide the best care for patients in Kern County.”
Beginning Jan. 18, the federal government started offering free at-home tests delivered by the United States Postal Service. According to the USPS, there is a limit of one order per household; each order contains four individual tests.
They can be ordered online at https://www.covidtests. gov or at https://special. usps.com/testskits
RECOMMENDATIONS
The health department continues to encourage the community to utilize as many layers of protection as possible to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
Recommended layers of protection include:
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19
Getting your COVID-19 booster as soon as eligible
Wearing a mask while in indoor public settings Staying home when sick Washing your hands Get tested before gathering or traveling
Gather outside or increase ventilation indoors
Eating a well-balanced diet and regularly exercising
VACCINATIONS
According to the county’s public health website, vaccinations are available in Tehachapi at Rite Aid, OmniHealth, Centric Health, Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley and Kaiser-Permanente. Online registration and the latest information about vaccination eligibility is offered at
https://myturn.ca.gov/
FREE TESTING
Adventist Health Tehachapi Hospital provides free testing from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Tuesday at the gymnasium, 125 S. Snyder
Ave., Tehachapi. (Note: This location is served by OPTUMServe and setting up an account at lhi.care/ covidtesting prior to getting tested can save time.)
Tehachapi Unified School District students and families can get free testing from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the district office, 300 S. Robinson St., Tehachapi.
SYMPTOMS
According to the CDC, COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Possible symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.
People with emergency warning signs for COVID-19, according to the CDC, are advised to seek emergency medical care immediately.