Coronavirus cases jump by 33 percent in Placer County as it reopens business, government
Placer County has seen a 33 percent jump in the number of coronavirus cases since May 27, said the county’s public health officer, Dr. Aimee Sisson, demonstrating that the respiratory illness “is still very much here and that people should take as many precautions as they can.”
Sisson noted: “Though there have been a few clusters of cases — several in one family connected to international travel and a number of cases in the Auburn jail — our more recent cases are notable for a shift in age. Since May 27, no new cases have been reported for anyone 65 or older, but we’ve seen cases in those aged 18-49 years old jump from 83 to 127, and cases in those aged 0-17 years jump from two to 11.”
It appears that people 65 and older are heeding the call to stay home as much as possible, Sisson said, and she encouraged them to continue to do so because they and people with chronic health conditions are at high risk of complications from the virus that causes COVID-19.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, public health officials recommend wearing a bandanna or cloth mask to keep droplets from your nose or mouth from traveling, washing your hands regularly and avoiding touching surfaces that may have been used by others, maintaining 6 feet between you and people outside your household.
Sisson said public health officials statewide have anticipated that, as people begin to move about more freely, the number of cases would grow. A spokesman at the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said the agency would not be able to immediately answer queries about cases under its purview.
Testing up but positives up, too
Sisson said the increase in cases is not due simply to the fact that more tests are being done. Rather, her team is seeing an increase in the percentage of tests that come back positive, she said, a statistic that typically goes down as more tests are done.
Currently, Sisson said, fewer than 5 percent of tests are coming back positive over a rolling 14-day period. This is not high enough to warrant imposing stricter social distancing guidelines.
“In our attestation to the state, we outlined the triggers that would cause us to consider modifying our approach, including the rate of case increases,” she said. “We continue to monitor that and local health care capacity closely so we can respond quickly to avoid our health care system becoming overwhelmed.”
Since a surge in COVID-19 cases could result in an overwhelming number of people seeking hospital care, public health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been keeping tabs on hospital capacity nationwide. As of Wednesday, they said, COVID-19 patients, occupied six percent of California hospitals’ inpatient beds. That adds up to 4,469.
About a third of California’s intensive-care beds were open and available for new patients, the CDC noted in its Wednesday report. The agency updates the numbers three times a week.
County hiring contact tracers
Similar figures can be seen on a county level at a site under the auspices of the California Department of Public Health. Currently, medical teams at Placer County hospitals are treating 23 patients suspected to have COVID-19, two of them in ICU, and 11 confirmed cases, two of whom are in the ICU.
“Hospitalizations typically lag behind cases,” Sisson said. “We would therefore expect to see an increase in hospitalizations in the coming weeks. However, since we’ve generally seen fewer hospitalizations for younger COVID-19 patients, we may not see a large increase in hospitalizations resulting from the uptick in cases among younger residents.”
Sisson said her office is expanding its capacity to track down people who came into contact with individuals testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
“We’re currently hiring for both entry-level and more-experienced trainers to continue increasing our tracing capacity,” she said. “Public health is following up with all close contacts of confirmed cases. This includes anyone who was within 6 feet of a case for more than 10 to 15 minutes — to get them tested and ensure they do not spread coronavirus.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday to correct the percentage of tests coming back positive. Fewer than 5 percent of tests have come back positive.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 5:09 PM.
