Coronavirus updates: 3,400 dead in California; Sacramento can open restaurants soon
As Sacramento County on Tuesday became one of the latest approved by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to begin reopening dine-in restaurants and a number of retail stores, the mayor of West Sacramento is urging Yolo County leaders to slow down.
Newsom at the beginning of this week loosened criteria within his four-phase reopening plan, dropping a previous requirement in which counties looking to move further along in Phase 2 would need to go 14 days without a COVID-19 death.
The new guidelines would allow 53 of the state’s 58 counties to move forward, the governor said Monday. A state list shows 30 counties have had their “attestation” documents approved as of Wednesday afternoon, not yet officially including Sacramento County, with Stanislaus and San Luis Obispo counties among the recent additions.
Sacramento County announced Tuesday afternoon it had the state’s OK to open restaurants for sit-down dining and stores for in-person shopping, with modifications. An official amendment to the countywide order is expected midday Friday, and those businesses — including Arden Fair mall — could open by that evening, county health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson said.
Next door in Yolo County, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon emailed county and California Department of Public Health officials last Friday, writing that “reopening without testing in the most affected area presents a clear danger.”
Cabaldon notes that there are three testing centers in Yolo County, but none in West Sacramento, making them hard to reach for residents of the city without cars.
“Without testing, we are managing the emergency, and its significant risks, blindfolded,” Cabaldon wrote.
As of midday Wednesday, at least 3,436 people have died in California from COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious coronavirus, according to a Bee survey of counties’ individual health departments. More than 84,000 lab-confirmed cases have been reported.
Mendocino County church pastor tests positive
The pastor of a Mendocino County church has tested positive for COVID-19 after leading a livestream service on Mother’s Day, county officials said.
The Mendocino County Department of Public Health offered free coronavirus testing Tuesday for anyone who recently visited Assembly of God in Redwood Valley or participated in the livestream production of the service.
The county didn’t identify the pastor but social media posts said his name is Jack McMilin. The pastor had been posting items on the church’s Facebook page this week about the pandemic shutdown, including a picture of a woman protesting the prohibition on churches from holding in-person services.
Mendocino County has recorded a total of 15 COVID-19 cases but no fatalities.
The disclosure from Mendocino came days after officials revealed that 180 congregants of a Butte County church were exposed to the coronavirus during an in-person Mother’s Day service. The pastor of Palermo Bible Family Church, Michael Jacobsen, has said he doesn’t feel the need to apologize or defend his decision to hold services.
State, counties rush to train contact tracers
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, almost no county in the state had enough contact tracers on its current staff to do the job expected in the coming year.
The state health department two weeks ago announced each county should have 15 contact tracers per 100,000 residents before it reopens restaurants or stores. For Sacramento County, which had six tracers, that would mean reaching 230 within weeks.
Beilenson said he thinks that may be overkill and said he doesn’t want the state to hold back on reopening the economy based on a number that may not be necessary.
The county has expanded its team to more than 30 contact tracers by retraining existing county employees who have the research and people skills to handle the job, which involves interviewing an infected person, finding out who they have been in close contact with, then quickly calling each of those people to tell them they have been exposed to the virus and instructing them to take a coronavirus test. Those who test positive can be placed into quarantine.
For the moment, Beilenson said, 30 may be enough. In the last few days, the county has seen only a handful of new cases daily and Sacramento now plans to reopen many new activities, including restaurant dining and shopping at malls.
But there are signs counties will have to scramble at times to stifle outbreaks. In Butte County, a church held a Mother’s Day service with 180 attendees in defiance of the governor’s order prohibiting large groups. One attendee subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the county health team to attempt to contact everyone who was at the service.
Confused by Newsom’s reopening plan and its phases? Here’s help
Newsom’s reopening plan has been one filled with reopenings, partial reopenings, phases, stages, roadmaps, guidelines, criteria and more verbiage.
Here is a guide summarizing the state’s four-phase reopening plan and what each of the phases mean in layperson’s terms.
Latest Sacramento-area numbers: Nearly 90 dead
The four-county Sacramento region, plus nearby Yuba and Sutter counties, have reported a total of 89 COVID-19 deaths and more than 1,700 lab-confirmed cases.
Sacramento County public health officials have reported 1,255 cases of the coronavirus and 56 deaths, last updated shortly after 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. One newly reported fatality came Sunday and another Monday, with the latest reported in the city of Sacramento. A note on the Sacramento County website continues to say that all deaths have come in individuals who were either age 65 or older; had underlying health conditions; or had other risk factors. Eight additional cases were reported Monday and five more on each of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Yolo County had one new COVID-19 confirmed case reported Thursday in Woodland, with the countywide total of people infected at 186. The county has reported 22 deaths tied to the virus. Fifteen of those deaths — including at least one staff member — have come at Stollwood Convalescent Hospital, located within the St. John’s Retirement Village campus in Woodland, according to the county website.
Placer County reported 176 cases and eight deaths, last updated 8 a.m. Thursday with one case removed from the count. The county’s last death was reported on April 15.
El Dorado County reported no new COVID-19 cases on Thursday afternoon, the third day in a row no new cases were reported. The county total remains at 67 cases, and its death toll remains at zero. The county added three new cases Monday.
Sutter County reported no new COVID-19 cases on Thursday; its total remains at 40. The county had one new infection reported Saturday and two on Sunday. Two people have died there due to the virus.
Yuba County had no new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, and its total remains at 28 cases. The county reported two new cases Monday. One person has died there due to the virus.
World, US numbers: Nearly 5 million cases globally
The global infection total for COVID-19 is approaching 5 million and the death toll has surpassed 326,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for about 1.55 million cases and more than 93,000 of those deaths.
Within the U.S., more than 28,600 have died in New York state and over 10,700 in New Jersey. Another 6,000 have died in Massachusetts and 5,000 in Michigan, according to Johns Hopkins. Pennsylvania reports 4,600 dead and Illinois about 4,500. Connecticut, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Virginia and Washington state each report between 1,000 and 3,500 coronavirus fatalities.
Over 500 have died in each of Alabama, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Missouri, Arizona, North Carolina and Minnesota.
The United Kingdom has suffered nearly 36,000 coronavirus deaths and Italy over 32,000, according to Johns Hopkins. France and Spain each report roughly 28,000 COVID-19 deaths, followed by Brazil at 18,000 and Belgium at over 9,000. Germany, Iran, Canada, the Netherlands and Mexico each report between about 5,500 and 8,000 dead. China, the original epicenter for the new coronavirus, currently reports over 4,600 dead, according to Johns Hopkins.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
