Tuolumne County sees three deaths, 215 new cases since Friday
The coronavirus pandemic continued exploding in Tuolumne County with 109 new cases reported Monday, the first time more than 100 cases have been counted in a single day, as well as two more deaths that brought the county’s death toll to 19.
The individuals who died most recently of COVID-19 in the county were described as two women, one in her 70s and another in her 60s. A 17th death was reported on Friday as a woman in her 80s who was a resident of a local care facility.
“We are sad to report two additional deaths today,” Tuolumne County public health staff said Monday afternoon. “The Public Health team sends its condolences to the families and friends of the individuals.”
The county has now tallied 11 coronavirus deaths so far in December alone, surpassing the eight deaths recorded in the previous nine months of the pandemic. Nationally, the surging coronavirus pandemic death toll this year passed 300,000 deceased Americans on Monday.
Of the 109 cases counted Monday, 75 of them were inmates at Sierra Conservation Center outside Jamestown. A recent outbreak at the state prison has resulted in more than 250 new cases since Dec. 5. Staff at the county Public Health Department became aware of the outbreak last week through a state infectious disease reporting system.
No inmate deaths from COVID-19 have been reported at the prison.
The county has reported a total of 1,760 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, including 276 inmate cases, with 1,192 individuals described as recovered. Four individuals with corona
virus were hospitalized as of Monday afternoon, while there were 273 active cases.
One new case reported on Monday was described as a resident of a local care facility. New cases among the county's general population included seven individuals in their 50s; seven more in their 60s; one woman in her 70s; two individuals in their 80s; and one woman in her 90s.
There were also 106 new cases in the county reported over the weekend, with 61 of them SCC inmates.
Intensive care unit availability in the 12-county San Joaquin Valley region that includes Tuolumne and Calaveras counties dropped to zero percent on Saturday, increased to 1.5 percent on Monday, and fell back to zero percent by Monday evening.
Zero percent ICU availability was the lowest among five regions in the Golden State. A stay-athome order that took effect Dec. 6 remained in place Monday for the entire San Joaquin Valley region.
Michelle Jachetta, the Tuolumne County Public Health director, said zero percent ICU availability in the San Joaquin Valley region did not necessarily mean there were “zero beds available at any given time in this fluid situation, but it does represent a severe impact to the healthcare system locally and within our region.”
Whether it's 1.5 percent or anywhere below 15 percent, it means staffed beds are limited for those who need care at Adventist Health Sonora. Individuals requiring a higher level of care, whether for COVID-19 or other health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and accidents, are not as likely to be able to transfer to a facility outside of the county because beds are full elsewhere, Jachetta said.
Transfers that are possible from Adventist Health Sonora will also take ambulance teams out of service for the duration of those trips.
While ICU availability remains below 15 percent in the San Joaquin Valley region, people may be treated in surge tents, other adapted areas of care facilities, or alternate care sites with lengthy wait times, Jachetta said.
“If staffed beds become extremely scarce or unavailable, individuals may not receive the same level of care they would otherwise, and it may increase the risk of additional deaths in our community,” Jachetta said. “We can still take action to slow the spread of the virus and the impact on our healthcare system.”
As from the beginning, Jachetta said, the best thing to do is reduce the number of overall cases. The best way to do that is to take individual responsibility and wear a face covering; keep six feet distance from others; wash hands frequently; stay in a single-household bubble; and stay home if you're sick.
The state has changed a process in the infectious disease reporting system CALREDIE, which may cause some delays in Tuolumne County case reporting, county public health staff said.
County public health staff are working on a COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan and implementation. The first shipment of vaccines is expected this week and will be distributed to health care workers.
“Please stay home, wear a mask, wash your hands, limit your exposure, and get tested!” Tuolumne County Public Health staff said. “The actions we take today will slow the spread and help keep our communities safe.”
As of Monday, California had counted more than 1.58 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 21,046 deaths. Nationally, the pandemic had resulted in more than 16.42 million confirmed cases and contributed to the deaths of more than 300,450 Americans.