Solano County posted a press release today recommending the use of cloth face coverings when social distancing measure are difficult to maintain.
“It is important to remember that while we are all working together to reopen retail shops, malls and dine-in restaurants, the coronavirus is still here in Solano County,” says Bela T. Matyas, M.D., M.P.H, Solano County Public Health Officer.
“Wearing a cloth face covering, as recommended by the CDC and CDPH, is an additional way to protect yourself and others and can help slow the spread of the disease. Also, we ask that people wear non-surgical, non-N-95 respirator face masks, as those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders.”
Solano County encourages wearing a cloth face mask outside your home whenever physical distancing cannot be maintained, maintaining a physical distance of six-feet from others, practicing coughing and sneezing etiquette, using a hand sanitizer or washing your hands for at least 20-seconds and to stay at home if you’re not feeling well. Businesses that are permitted to reopen must abide by the social distancing requirements in the County’s and State’s Orders.
For more information about Solano County’s Roadmap to Recovery, social distancing protocol and frequently asked questions about the phased reopening, visit the Solano County website at www.SolanoCounty.com/COVID19 and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SolanoCountyPH.
Newsom pushes virus contact tracing with first batch of tracers
Vallejo Times-Herald, by Fiona Kelliher, May 24, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom, news conference at Mustards Grill in Napa, Calif., Monday May 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
A batch of about 500 people will be deployed this week statewide for contact tracing, the public health practice that involves tracking down people who have come in contact with COVID-19 patients.
Starting this week, the tracers will begin calling, texting and emailing those who may have been exposed to coronavirus, encouraging them to quarantine or recommending medical care, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Meanwhile, Californians may notice new radio, television and billboard campaigns that aim to up awareness of contact tracing and urge people to pick up the phone. Tracers will be identified as part of the “CA COVID Team” — an effort led by the California Public Health Department — when texting or calling, and will not share health information with outside entities.
The tracers are the first batch toward a goal of 10,000 statewide, according to Newsom’s office. It’s not exactly clear how those tracers will work in tandem with local health departments’ own contact tracing programs.
Working with the University of California, San Francisco and Los Angeles, the state began developing an online training program earlier this month to get the tracers up to speed. Another 300 tracers will be trained this week, Newsom’s office said.
Governor asks Californians to answer the call to help keep our families and communities healthy and on the path to reopening
SACRAMENTO – In the ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Gavin Newsom today launched California Connected, the state’s comprehensive contact tracing program and public awareness campaign. As part of California Connected, public health workers from communities across the state will connect with individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and work with them, and people they have been in close contact with, to ensure they have access to confidential testing, as well as medical care and other services to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The state’s program is led by the Administration in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, local public health departments and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Los Angeles (UCLA), which have launched a robust online training academy to develop a culturally competent and skilled contact tracing workforce.
“We are all eager to get back to work and play, and that’s why we’re asking Californians to answer the call when they see their local public health department reaching out by phone, email or text,” said Governor Newsom. “That simple action of answering the call could save lives and help keep our families and communities healthy.”
To prevent the spread of this virus, public health workers will connect Californians with confidential testing. They may also recommend medical care,
and that individuals who could be infectious separate themselves from others in their home to protect those around them. Information provided to local public health departments is confidential under California law. Public health authorities will not share that information with outside entities. That information will be used for public health purposes only. Contact tracers will not ask for financial information, social security numbers or immigration status.
“A key step in stopping the spread of COVID-19 is quickly identifying and limiting new cases, across the diversity of our populations – and that’s exactly what this statewide program does,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, California Department of Public Health Director and State Health Officer. “We are bringing together the best minds in public health, academia and private industry to design a program that can help lower the risk for COVID-19 in all of our communities and keep us on the path to reopening.”
The California Connected public awareness campaign is getting off the ground this week with support from multiple private partners who have committed a total of $5.1 million in funding and in-kind resources to help educate all Californians, and underserved communities in particular. These partners include Jeff Skoll and his organizations (The Skoll Foundation, Participant, and Ending Pandemics), The California Health Care Foundation, The California Endowment, Twitter and Facebook, in addition to existing media partners engaged in the larger public awareness effort.
Beginning this week, Californians across the state will hear radio ads and see billboards, social media posts and videos in multiple languages encouraging them to answer the call to slow the spread of COVID-19. Public health workers across the state – identified on caller ID as the “CA COVID Team” – will call, text and email individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and people they may have unknowingly exposed to the virus.
The state plans to launch 10,000 contact tracers statewide as part of its plan to reopen California. More than 500 individuals have been trained under the new contact tracing program, and more than 300 are being trained this week.
To streamline and coordinate these efforts, Accenture, a leading global professional services company, is launching a data management platform developed by Salesforce and contact capabilities (phone calls, texts and emails) in collaboration with Amazon Web Service’s Amazon Connect. These organizations have already successfully implemented a large-scale contact tracing effort in Massachusetts.
A PSA from Director of the California Department of Public Health Dr. Sonia Angell can be found here. Watch the California Connected PSA in English here and in Spanish here. An infographic and other content can be found here.
Solano County Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates and Resources. Check out basic information in this screenshot. IMPORTANT: The County’s interactive page has more. On the County website, you can hover your mouse over the charts at right for detailed information.
Previous report, Thursday, May 21
Summary
Solano County reported 6 new positive cases today, total is now 455.
1 new death today, total is 20.
Thank goodness no new confirmed cases among young persons 18 and under today. The County reported 11 new cases among our youth in the last 9 days, having reported only 6 over the 5 weeks prior. (See table below).
BY AGE GROUP
No new cases were reported today among young persons under 19 years of age, total of 17 cases, 3.7% of total confirmed cases. (See table below.)
All 6 of today’s new cases were persons 19-64years of age, total of 323 cases, 71% of the total. No new deaths in this age group, total of 4. Note that 43 of the 323 cases in this age group have been hospitalized at one time, an increase of 4 since yesterday and 13% of total cases in the age group. (It is unclear whether the 4 deaths were ever hospitalized.)
No new case was of a person 65 or older, total of 115 cases, 26% of the total. 1 new death, total of 16. Note that 30 of the 115 cases in this age group (25%) were hospitalized at one time, nearly double the percentage in the mid-age group. (It is unclear whether the 16 deaths in this age group were ever hospitalized.)
Recent surge in positive cases among youth 18 and under
Date
New cases
Total
Friday, May 22, 2020
0
17
Thursday, May 21, 2020
3
17
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
0
14
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
0
14
Monday, May 18, 2020
1
14
Friday, May 15, 2020
2
13
Thursday, May 14, 2020
3
11
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
1
8
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
1
7
Monday, May 11, 2020
0
6
Friday, May 8, 2020
0
6
Thursday, May 7, 2020
0
6
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
0
6
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
0
6
Monday, May 4, 2020
0
6
CITY DATA
Vallejo added 1 of today’s new cases, total of 267.
Fairfield added 3 of today’s new cases, total of 83.
Vacaville added 1 of today’s new cases, total of 45.
Suisun City added 1 of today’s new cases, total of 22.
Benicia remains unchanged at 21.
Dixon, Rio Vista and “Unincorporated” are still not assigned numerical data: today all remain at <10 (less than 10). The total numbers for other cities add up to 438, leaving17cases somewhere among the locations in this “<10” category (same as last reported).Residents and city officials have pressured County officials for city case counts. Today’s data is welcome, but still incomplete.
HOSPITALIZATIONS: 73 of Solano’s 455 cases resulted in hospitalizations, 4 more than yesterday.
ACTIVE CASES: 47 of the 455 cases are active – good news: 6 fewer than yesterday. Note that the county does not report WHERE the active cases are. Below you will see that only 18 are currently hospitalized, which leaves 29 of these 47 active cases out in our communities somewhere, and hopefully quarantined.
HOSPITAL IMPACT: The County shows 18 of the 69 hospitalized cases are CURRENTLY hospitalized, same asyesterday. The County’s count ofICU beds available and ventilator supply remains at “GOOD” at 31-100%. (No information is given on our supply of test kits, PPE and staff.)
This chart shows the infection’s steady upward trajectory in Solano County. Our “curve” continues to creep up. Our nursing homes, long-term care facilities and jails bear watching!
Still incredibly important – everyone stay home if you don’t need to go out, wear masks when you do go out, wash hands, and be safe!
By Roger Straw, UPDATED ON May 22, 2020Workers with the Solano Public Health Office collect samples for testing during the county’s first drive-thru testing facility for first responders and essential job employees on April 8 at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo. (Chris Riley/ Times-Herald)
Health experts everywhere are in agreement: the only way to stop a renewed outbreak of coronavirus cases and deaths is to press forward with widespread testing and contact tracing. Experts on the economy agree that a key to restarting the economy is increased testing.
The Solano County Public Health department has reported on the number of our residents tested on a daily basis (Monday-Friday) since April 13. Over this period, the daily number tested has varied widely, from 29 to 1,021, averaging 192 per day.(See table below.)
Today, the County reported 367 residents newly tested since yesterday. The total number of Solano County residents tested as of today is 9,340, still just under 2% of the population(477,643 as of 2019). Here’s hoping these numbers continue to increase in the days and weeks ahead.
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