Coronavirus updates: Sacramento region’s cases top 900 as U.S. surpasses Italy in daily deaths

As California health officials continue to grapple with the expanding crisis posed by the one-month-old coronavirus pandemic, a public health office located in Sacramento has shut down after discovering a positive case.

A California Department of Public Health office in Natomas was closed after an employee tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.

In an email acquired by The Sacramento Bee, managers at the office said the employee, who worked in the Center for Health Statistics and Informatics, was confirmed infected on Wednesday. The email, sent on the same day, told employees to immediately leave the building.

The employee was last in the building on April 3, five days before others were notified. The office will be closed until Tuesday. It will undergo a cleaning before reopening, officials said.

The Natomas office processes records and statistics, and is not the hub of the CDPH coronavirus response, which is located in downtown Sacramento.

Worldwide, the coronavirus has infected more than 1.7 million people, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University.

The virus has killed more than 108,000, and over 401,000 patients have recovered.

U.S. death rate passes Italy one month into pandemic

The United States on Saturday surpassed Italy in the total number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus, reaching its deadliest day on Friday with more than 2,000 deaths. As of Saturday afternoon, the total stood at 20,000, according to Johns Hopkins’ data.

Deaths per capita in the U.S. remain lower than in Italy, but health officials have warned that the nation’s geography and population density have helped cushion the outbreak. To date, the virus has killed 19,468 in Italy, or 32 individuals per 100,000 people. In the United States, the number of deaths per 100,000 people was six.

Lack of testing has also been problematic in California and the rest of the country.

The country’s death toll, which has more than doubled over the past week, is now increasing by nearly 2,000 most days, according to the New York Times, exactly one month after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11.

The U.S. Saturday afternoon had 524,000 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins.

California, one of the earliest adopters of social isolation measures, has fared better than other high-population states.

More than 21,600 people have been infected with the virus in the state, compared to 181,000 in New York, 58,000 in New Jersey and 23,000 in Michigan.

At least 601 Californians have perished of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins.

California Department of Public Health figures differ slightly. The agency was reporting 20,615 cases and 609 deaths Saturday afternoon.

More than 1,500 patients with either a confirmed case of coronavirus or with symptoms of coronavirus were being treated in California intensive care units as of Saturday, according to the CDPH.

Sacramento-area cases and deaths

The four-county Sacramento area has seen 930 infections and 33 deaths total, which is up from 604 infections and 20 deaths one week ago.

Sacramento County has seen 699 coronavirus cases and 26 death.

On Saturday morning, the county reported 46 new cases and added two to its death toll. Citrus Heights was among those reporting mortality, marking its second death in the pandemic.

In the past nine days, the number of coronavirus infections in Sacramento County has doubled.

Sacramento per capita rates currently indicate that 45 out of every 100,000 residents have been infected. In a pandemic, per capita rates change quickly and are not an indication of growth, but give a snapshot of where the disease is right now.

As of Saturday, Placer County was reporting 124 cases and four deaths. Through Friday, Yolo County reported 75 cases and three deaths and El Dorado County reported 32 cases and no deaths.

Real estate market affected by virus

As markets the world over brace for a much-prophesied economic downturn in response to the coronavirus and the shutdown measures it prompted, the Sacramento real estate market is showing signs of torpor.

Figures from March show exceptionally low spring sales rates, but with a silver lining.

House prices increased slightly, even amid the depressed sales, as health officials try to maintain market activity.

The Sacramento Association of Realtors reported a median house sale price of $400,000 for February and March, compared to $397,500 in January and early February.

This week, Sacramento County health officials declared real estate an essential service, and allowed for transaction to continue through at least the end of April.

“This does not mean business as usual,” Sacramento Association of Realtors executive Dave Tanner said. “You must act responsibly. Remember, our mission here is not to sell houses. Our mission here is to save lives. To stop the spread of the virus and to keep everybody as healthy as possible.”

Placer County extends coronavirus orders

Placer County health officials pushed out its social isolation measures through May 1, plus added increased restrictions as models of the virus continue to change.

County health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson issued the order Friday night, and it will go into effect immediately.

“While the prior directive has been effective, further action is necessary,” Sisson said in a prepared statement. “The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise. New evidence that people can spread the virus up to three days before developing symptoms is concerning. Right now, our best tool to slow the spread of the virus is to continue to stay home.”

Additional restrictions in the order require Placer County residents to move homes only when completely necessary, bans most recreational areas such as parks or golf courses and limits funerals to 10 people or fewer.

Additionally, the order further clamps down on the few businesses that remain open, which now must enforce social distancing policies and scale down to only bare minimum components.

“I urge residents and businesses to comply with both the letter and the spirit of this order. People need to stay home as much as possible and businesses should critically assess whether they are truly essential,” Sisson said.

Although the new Placer County directive will last through the beginning of May, Sacramento-area residents may not be out of the woods by then. Experts predict that the virus will be under control in California by June or early July.

Yuba County moves to enforcement

The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that it will be “transitioning from an educational approach to enforcement.”

Many local law enforcement agencies have been lenient with regard to stay-at-home orders, offering warnings to those out during the pandemic.

But the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office noted that the county health orders, which largely echo those previously ordered by California Governor Gavin Newsom, are enforceable by law and violators may be convicted of a misdemeanor.

Citing state law, the Sheriff’s Office said consequences could be as severe as six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Shortly afterward, Sheriff Wendell Anderson made a statement to address the public feedback — including much confusion — to the announcement.

“The decision to take an enforcement approach has not been an easy one nor one without careful consideration. As the elected Sheriff of this county and a proud citizen of the United States, I do not take our civil liberties lightly,” Anderson said. “Despite our continued efforts to educate people in our county, we still have a high number of people that are completely disregarding the order and going about their routines as usual.”

Anderson assured county residents that those making essential trips would not be fined, nor would those safely enjoying nature with proper social distancing measures.

“If you were told that you could save a child who was undergoing cancer treatment by practicing social distancing for a few months or that you could keep a loved one on this earth for another year, two years, or 10 years by doing the same, would you?” Anderson said. “That is what we are asking.”

Roseville mask giveaway

A Roseville volunteer group is giving away 1,000 masks Saturday in order to help at-risk residents.

The Roseville Volunteer Force will be appearing at the Westfield Galleria mall to hand out hand-made cloth masks, meant to help elderly, essential workers and seriously ill patients who can’t otherwise acquire masks.

The Centers for Disease Control recommended that Americans start wearing masks when out in public in order to decrease the chance of community transmission.

“The majority of mask-makers across the country are creating masks for health care workers and first responders,” Roseville city councilman Scott Alvord said. “We are not ignoring these important people, but we are trying to serve many of our neighbors that are in high-risk situations and cannot make their own mask and cannot buy one online (and the online scammers are plenty).”

This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 11:37 AM.