Virus inching up here, flattening out in state
LAKE COUNTY >> At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, just like he did in previous meetings, Interim Public Health Officer Dr. Charlie Evans, an ER physician, reiterated the message that vaccinations, appropriate masks, social distancing and common sense are the best tools against COVID-19. And just like they did in those same meetings, anti-vaccine, anti-test and anti-mask Zoom participants voiced their opposition and objections.
In his report, Evans summarized the county’s latest epidemiological data from the seven-day period ending Jan. 24, 2022: The virus had flattened out in the state but still creeping up in rural Northern California and has yet to plateau. Omicron had a huge impact on hospitals. Hospitalizations were on the rise though local hospitals still have capacity “to take on more patients” and still have ICU beds. The county had a case rate of 89 per 100,000, almost twice the case rate from a year ago. The Northern California region had a test positivity rate of 17% while Lake County showed a test positivity rate of 27.5%, a 6.1% increase from the previous seven-day rate, and a significant increase from last September’s test positivity rate of 18%. The 18-49 age group had the highest rate of climb but the climb was not as rapid as in other communities. Among the vaccinated in the county, 15,456 people or 77.9% were fully vaccinated in the 65+ age group; 12,438 or 80.2% in the 50-64 age group; 22,707 or 56.5% in the 18-49 age group; 4,557 or 56.6% in the 12-17 age group; and 5,323 or 89.8%, in the 5-11 age group.
While omicron is widely reported as not causing severe symptoms, Evans said some get “extremely ill” citing the plight of a 27-year-old male patient who came to ER gasping for breath and “may not survive,” and an unvaccinated 22-yearold female patient experiencing severe symptoms. Due to overworked staff or to cope with staff shortages, many institutions ask paramedics for help, Evans added.
Board Chair Eddie Crandell said he appreciated Evans highlighting the issue of ICU beds. He
shared a personal story to emphasize the dire situations with hospitals. He said a sick family member could not get into ICU because “all ICU beds in the northern region were full” and she finally was admitted to ICU over the weekend.
Evans commented, “As an ER doctor, we struggle every single day about getting beds ICU beds. We look as far south as Gilroy and as far west as Modesto to get people hospitalized.” He said the goal is to prevent infection, not to treat after. “We’ve crossed 80,000 deaths in the country. We’ve never had a pandemic in our lifetime close to this. For many, it may be like a common cold. For many, it’s a death sentence. We need to take it seriously. We need to work together. It’s a step by step, inch by inch process. I appreciate all the people working to get us there.”
Evans also noted that local schools “had been hit hard” and that “the vaccination rate for school-age kids is low.” The Record-Bee earlier reported that three schools in the county had suspended in-person learning and transitioned to independent study from home. School officials attributed the closure to staff shortage due to COVID-19 exposure. Konocti Unified School District’s Highlands Academy was closed from January 12-21 and Konocti Education Center was closed from January 18-21. Both schools reopened at the start of this week. Kelseyville Unified School District’s Mountain Vista Middle School also shifted to in-home learning for three days and reopened on January 11.