Coronavirus updates: California cases pass 5,000, second Placer death, ventilators sought
As the coronavirus continues to spread in communities across the globe, California has seen a huge surge, passing 5,000 positive cases and reaching at least 118 deaths.
Worldwide, the virus is spreading at an ever-increasing rate. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 713,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, while over 33,000 have died as a result and 148,000 have recovered as of 1:45 p.m. Pacific time Sunday.
Despite the apparent threat posed by the pandemic now, prior California politicians lacking the power of hindsight decided to shut down one in four of the state’s public health labs.
California has 29 public health labs at its disposal to test for coronavirus and observe patients — but two decades ago it had 11 more, since closed, leaving the state with about the same number of labs it had in 1950.
Sutter, El Dorado and Placer counties all closed their public health labs in the last five years.
The rationale behind the state’s lab closures largely came down to funding.
“Right now we’re looking through the lens of coronavirus. We do need high-volume testing,” state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, told The Sacramento Bee. “But we do need to look at lab capacity and the way we finance county health departments.”
Newsom seeks ventilators
On Saturday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited a Bloom Energy facility in Sunnyvale to tour the company’s capacity to retrofit old ventilators and make them viable for future use.
Bloom Energy is one of many companies the governor is working with to provide necessary medical supplies during the coronavirus crisis as fears of shortages continue to mount.
During Newsom’s tour, he said California will soon need 10,000 ventilators to keep up with the number of infected patients entering its hospitals.
Of that number, the state has acquired 4,250 ventilators and is actively working on getting the rest.
To illustrate this need, Newsom pointed out that on Friday night alone, the number of patients being treated in California intensive care units more than doubled, jumping from 200 to 410.
Ventilators helps to push air into the lungs of patients who have difficulty breathing on their own. COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, often results in shortness of breath.
Newsom said 350 manufacturers have offered their facilities to help the state reach its public health goals.
“This is what we should be doing,” Bloom Energy CEO KR Sridhar said. “We are in this together.”
Second Placer County death
Placer County health officials said on Sunday that a second resident died from COVID-19.
The patient, who was elderly and had underlying health conditions, lived in south Placer County, a more urbanized region that includes Roseville.
The person is believed to have contracted the coronavirus through community transmission and was admitted to a hospital for testing on March 17.
Test results came back positive on March 22. The patient died Saturday.
“This tragic loss is a sad reminder that COVID-19 is widespread in our communities and of the continuing importance of social distancing measures,” Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in a prepared statement. “It remains everyone’s responsibility to stay at home unless absolutely necessary to help prevent as many more infections and deaths as we possibly can.”
There are 53 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Placer County. The county’s first death — also an elderly person with underlying conditions — was reported on March 4.
The cases are spread throughout the county in 11 communities: Auburn, Carnelian Bay, Granite Bay, Kings Beach, Lincoln, Loomis, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, Olympic Valley, Rocklin and Roseville. Most of them, however, are from south Placer, Sisson said.
Sisson said the county and its three hospitals are preparing for a “surge” of patients, but because of limited testing it is uncertain when the surge will come or how much of a spike may happen. Modeling says the county may face a peak number of cases anytime between May and August, depending on the speed of the spread. “Those models leave a lot to be desired,” she said.
In any case, she said, the county faces the likelihood that its 469 available beds will be filled at the peak surge moment with people who have the virus or virus-like symptoms, many from Placer County, but also some expected from Sacramento and neighboring counties.
She said Placer residents appear to be doing a good job following state and local “shelter in place” orders and directives.
Sacramento State to stay online for summer
California State University, Sacramento President Robert S. Nelsen announced Sunday afternoon that all classes were to remain online through the summer semester.
His previous directives moved teaching online through the end of the spring semester, but the “difficult decision” to continue for summer came in consultation with local and state leadership, Nelsen said.
“As we continue working to find a way through what will certainly be remembered as the most challenging and bizarre spring semester in the recent history of higher education, I know many of you already are wondering about Summer Session,” Nelsen said. “No matter how much it pains all of us not to be together as a Hornet Family, learning side by side and being taught in person by our outstanding faculty, it is clear to me and to all whom we have consulted that we must remain vigilant in our fight against the spread of COVID-19 by practicing physical distancing.”
The summer semester begins in late May and concludes in mid-August.
California stays home
As Newsom fights to get ventilators, the rest of California fights to stay home.
Measures of social distancing after the governor’s stay-at-home order are everywhere, from light traffic even during rush hour to empty streets in downtown entertainment districts.
A Bee review of mobile phone data provided by technology company Unacast, which monitored movements of devices in each county in the United States, showed that most Californians are doing a good job of staying put.
Between late February and mid-March, California residents reduced their overall travel by 48 percent.
However, some counties were more likely to stay at home than others.
Wealthier, more urban counties reduced travel greatly — some by as much as 70 percent — while poorer, rural counties, by contrast, seemed to hardly change their behavior.
Sacramento County residents reduced travel by 42 percent, while Placer and El Dorado County residents stayed home at even higher rates.
Tehama, Siskiyou and Lassen counties lagged behind the state, increasing their movement by a nominal amount.
These counties have all reported few coronavirus cases, or none at all, like many of the sparsely populated northernmost reaches of California, possibly lending a sense of lessened urgency.
Another finding in the data — those who voted for President Donald Trump are less likely to stay home.
Communities that voted for Trump in the 2016 election include many of the rural Northern California counties, but distrust of government and media may also play a role.
California parks limit access
Despite the general atmosphere of isolation and social distancing, the California State Parks recorded a spike in activity on Saturday.
This is not the first time since coronavirus became a statewide concern that attendance at state parks has suddenly jumped up.
It makes sense — people have nowhere to go and are restless from staying inside. But these surges in attendance, the State Parks said, “made it impossible for the public to implement appropriate social/ physical distancing practices.”
In response, California State Parks will be closing vehicle access at all 280 state parks for the time being.
The State Parks previously closed all campgrounds, museums and visitor centers and canceled all events scheduled within the parks.
“During this pandemic disease, every person has a role to play in slowing down the spread of COVID-19,” the parks agency said in a prepared statement. “This is not the time for a road trip to a destination park or beach.”
The State Parks recommends, even while enjoying the outdoors, to keep a distance of at least six feet between people — and even better than going to parks, the agency said, is staying close to home.
Park employees will continue to monitor adherence to distancing guidelines at state parks.
“If the safety measures implemented thus far are not sufficient to protect public health, additional measures may be taken to fully close parks,” the agency said.
Virtual court hearings
California’s chief justice told state judges Saturday to conduct court proceedings remotely using digital technology and loosen legal requirements of speediness to avoid turning jails into petri dishes.
“I’ve received no assurances that jails in California are practicing social distancing,” Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said. “This is an avenue to protect the public and to protect inmates as well.”
The directives were unanimously approved during an emergency state judiciary meeting, meaning that criminal defendants will now have up to a week to face a judge after being charged and both criminal and civil courts can take up to a month to bring trials to a judge. Superior courts will be able to use video or audio for remote appearances.
All jury trials in the state were previously suspended until May in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“This provides a much-needed lifeline to courts across the state,” Justice Brad R. Hill said of remote proceedings. “These are extraordinary measures, but they are not a replacement.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2020 at 11:27 AM.
