Coronavirus updates: California data problem stalls contact tracing; death toll near 10,000
As health officials throughout California remain handcuffed by a major ongoing problem with the electronic system used to track COVID-19 case data, the technical issue is introducing significant delays to the contact tracing process, while also keeping local jurisdictions in the dark about the true coronavirus transmission rates occurring in their communities.
The computer problem, which is blocking case data from getting to both the state and individual counties, could also stall Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to let some elementary schools reopen via a waiver process that the state described in detail Monday.
The California Department of Public Health and numerous individual counties first publicly acknowledged the data glitch, which has resulted in noticeably underreported COVID-19 case totals, earlier this week. It’s unknown how many cases may be going uncounted, when the issue might be fixed or when exactly the undercounting issue problem started. Some counties, including Placer and Riverside, have said data discrepancies started showing up around last Friday; others suspect it started as early as the prior Saturday, July 25.
Kat DeBurgh, executive director of the Health Officers Association of California, says the technical problem appears to be affecting the state’s data for all counties, which is collected through the currently glitched system known as CalREDIE.
“We’re not really sure of our case rate until this gets fixed. We don’t know how many people have tested positive,” DeBurgh said. “That means the local health department can’t call them and begin the contact tracing process or offer them services.”
Until the issue is resolved, the state is telling labs to send data directly to counties in digital spreadsheets.
While the problem persists, the state has stopped adding and removing counties from its monitoring list, a CDPH spokesperson said. This watchlist determines which types of businesses can be open and whether places of worship can hold in-person services amid the pandemic shutdown. A county must also be off the list for at least two weeks before permitting K-12 schools to reopen for in-person instruction without a waiver.
The list contained 38 counties that combine for more than 97% of the state’s population as of the decision to pause updates to it.
CDPH has reported significantly smaller daily numbers for new, lab-confirmed COVID-19 tests this week than had been typical since infection totals started surging around the second half of June. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s reported totals made up the three smallest one-day increases dating back to July 5. The state attached a disclaimer regarding the technical issue’s skewing of those figures in its Tuesday morning update.
State officials say, though, that hospitalization and death figures are reported through different systems and therefore don’t appear to have been affected.
While California’s statewide hospital and ICU rates appear to be trending on a modest downward decline, with each figure down more than 10% from a late-July peak, deaths have continued to mount from the highly contagious respiratory disease: 219 fatalities reported last Friday and 202 Wednesday were the two highest daily death tolls CDPH has reported during the pandemic. Another 166 deaths were disclosed Thursday.
California has recorded at least 9,703 total deaths from COVID-19, according to Thursday’s data update from the state, with an average of 132 new daily deaths reported over the past two weeks. The rolling 14-day average had been at 59 daily deaths just prior to the July surge, which lagged behind surges in new infections and hospitalization totals by a couple of weeks.
City of Sacramento reaches 100 COVID-19 deaths
California’s capital city on Thursday morning officially recorded its 100th death from the coronavirus, according to county health officials.
The figure means roughly one in every 5,000 people who live in Sacramento have died of COVID-19 in the five months it’s been spreading in the region.
Sacramento city and county death tolls from have been climbing steadily in the past month, with increases of multiple reported fatalities almost every day since early July.
Huge wait time for unemployment benefit help, EDD director says
California Employment Development Department Director Sharon Hilliard recently told state lawmakers that those calling seeking help with unemployment benefits are facing a “four-to-six weeks wait time” to get a call back from EDD, a time frame she said was “absolutely not” acceptable.
Newsom in April established an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. call center line to ease EDD’s backlog, but in practice, that line as of now is mainly used for general questions and “secondary technical assistance” rather than help with an individual’s specific case, Hilliard said.
EDD has scrambled to handle an unprecedented volume of claims. Since March, EDD has processed at least 9.3 million claims. In 2010, the worst year of claims stemming from the Great Recession, the department processed 3.8 million claims.
“EDD’s call centers have been a miserable failure,” said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco. “People can’t get through to a live agent, when they do the agent can’t help them, and then they are placed on 4-6 week waiting list for a call back. It’s ridiculous.”
Correctional officer dies as CDCR continues to face staff, inmate outbreaks
A correctional sergeant at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla has died after contracting COVID-19, according to the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. The association’s president identified the victim as Sgt. Seeyengkee Ly, a 17-year veteran of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
CDCR as of Wednesday reported eight employee deaths from COVID-19, while at least 1,927 employees have tested positive. Of those who’ve tested positive, 894 have returned to work.
Among inmates in custody, 1,251 have tested positive for coronavirus and 51 have died, CDCR reports. The deadliest prison outbreak has been at San Quentin, where 23 inmates have died, 1,968 have recovered, 388 cases are considered active and 55 were released with active COVID-19 cases.
Latest Sacramento-area numbers: 228 dead in greater Sacramento area
The six-county region of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties has reported 228 coronavirus deaths among more than 16,000 lab-confirmed infections. Sacramento and Placer have confirmed that some of their recent daily case numbers have been undercounts due to the ongoing statewide technical issue, though both reported daily numbers Thursday that were more in line with what had been typical prior to the data problem.
Sacramento County, which passed 10,000 cases over the weekend, had tallied 10,544 cases by Thursday morning with the addition of 300 new infections. At least 155 residents have died, with five new fatalities reported Wednesday and Thursday. In total, 100 who have died were capital city residents, 22 lived in unincorporated areas of the county, 10 in Citrus Heights, nine in Elk Grove, seven in Rancho Cordova, four in Galt and three in Folsom.
State health data updated Thursday show 262 COVID-19 patients currently in hospital beds across Sacramento County, the same as the day before and down from a peak of 281 on July 30. Eighty-eight are currently in the ICU with the virus, with 79 ICU beds still available countywide.
Placer County has reported 2039 cases and 20 deaths, reporting 41 new infections Thursday and one new death each day since Monday. There are 59 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the county, including 10 in the ICU.
Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 1,660 cases and 42 deaths, with 27 new cases and no new fatalities reported Thursday.
El Dorado County has reported a total of 716 cases and just one death from COVID-19. On Thursday, 14 new cases were reported by county health officials. There are two positive cases in county hospitals, with one being treated in an ICU. The county has 14 ICU beds available. El Dorado County, despite reporting its first death last month, remains the only county in the greater Sacramento area to have not been placed onto the state’s regional coronavirus watchlist, reflecting its relatively low number of cases.
Sutter County has reported a total of 881 cases and six deaths, adding a record-setting 41 new cases Wednesday. Eighteen are hospitalized with the virus in Sutter, four of them in the ICU. The previous daily infection record was set July 23, when 35 new cases were reported.
In neighboring Yuba County, 533 people have been infected and four have died, with 21 new cases confirmed Wednesday. Ten people in Yuba County were hospitalized as of Tuesday evening, with two in intensive care.
World numbers: 712,000 dead across globe, nearly 160,000 in US
The worldwide death toll for COVID-19 has recently surpassed 710,000, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Over 18.9 million people have tested positive for the virus.
The U.S. accounts for more one-fifth the global death toll, with nearly 160,000 coronavirus fatalities; and over 4.87 million cases as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins.
Next in terms of death toll are Brazil at over 98,000, Mexico at close to 50,000, the United Kingdom at 46,000, India at more than 40,000, Italy at more than 35,000, France with over 30,000, Spain at more than 28,000 and Peru at just over 20,000.
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 people 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 August 6, 2020 at 7:55 AM.
