Santa Cruz County Health Leader Updates Call for COVID Vaccination – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz — 18 months after the first reported case of COVID-19 in the region, the pandemic is not over.

Dr. Gale Newel, Health Officer of Santa Cruz County, reminded attendees and online viewers of the ongoing risk of COVID-19 at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

According to Newell, her team was much more positive about the fact that they were expecting more illnesses after the numbers declined as the vaccine became widely available in the spring. The illness came a little earlier than expected. As of last night, Newell was told by state health officials that 80% of COVID-19 cases in California were associated with the delta mutation. This is an example of its accelerated infectivity.

“We wanted to be unaffected by this early in the summer, but we see higher case rates and higher positive rates in our community here,” said the health doctor. “Locally, there are 11 documented cases of variants, but here in Santa Cruz County there are very few cases, and very few of them are sequenced (tested through the genome). As in most cases in California, in most cases you should assume that a delta variant is present. “

Local doctors and hospital managers stood in front of the media on the 1400 balconies of the Santa Cruz County Government Center on Emeraine Avenue, expressing a message.

Newel said the pandemic that once caused a war on the immune system of all individuals is now a pandemic for those who choose not to be vaccinated. The state-wide case rate for unvaccinated individuals averages about 10 cases per 10,000 people. This corresponds to the case rate in the purple layer of the blueprint for California’s earlier safer economic model. The state-wide case rate for vaccinated individuals is about 2 per 10,000, dropping to what is designated in the yellow layer of the blueprint.

In recent weeks, all inpatients who tested positive for COVID-19 at a local hospital have not been vaccinated, according to Newell. This promotes medical professionals’ belief in the science and research behind the vaccine, she added, is likely to get full FDA approval in early September.

Community approach

Santa Cruz facility managers and medical professionals have been talking about the difficulties, tears, and heartaches that frontline staff have endured since early 2020 and are looking forward to the work that still has to be done. This is a feat facilitated by public participation. Stephen Salia, CEO of the new Watsonville Community Hospital, talked about the shortage of medical staff, especially nurses, that was only exacerbated by the pandemic.

“We absolutely need your help,” Salyer said when he thanked his staff many times. “I will rally staff, rally providers, and discuss with other leaders, so take this seriously and help frontline workers (by being vaccinated). They are all of us. For and they need to be available when we continue. “

Since December, when the light at the end of the tunnel came in the form of a vaccine, hospital workers have been rushing to vaccinate as many people as possible. At Dominican Hospital, President Nanette Mickiewicz has shown that more than 30,000 vaccines are being given on campus. Today, residents of Santa Cruz County can go to most local clinics and choose from any of the three vaccines available. This is a luxury that can only be achieved by supply, Mickiewicz explained.

“In my experience, vaccines are safe and effective,” said the hospital director. “We will continue to vaccinate as long as the community needs it … this is very important to us and the community and it’s free because we can’t see if anyone can get what they need. Accommodates everyone. “

Mickiewicz says that when a colleague nods with her, she can coordinate a coalition of medical professionals and education leaders in the region to target one of the poorest performing groups in the Santa Cruz region for vaccination. He said he was looking forward to it. — People under the age of 30. SutterHealthFamilyMedicine Dr. Catherine Martin asked young people to consider more than the personal risks of the virus.

“COVID-19 is still a very real threat, but now we can protect ourselves,” she said. “Young adults … represent a significant gap in the pursuit of herd immunity … Start thinking about the risks that remaining unvaccinated poses to the community in which you live.”

In addition, adolescents develop short-term and long-term symptoms during contraction of COVID-19. In some cases, the infection killed people who were otherwise perfectly healthy. When Martin persuades people under the age of 30 to get vaccinated, he can get infected by gathering more often in groups, such as with friends in other areas where vaccination rates may be low. He pointed out that the infection may be restricted because of the higher dose. Santa Cruz is a hotspot for tourists, and President Joe Biden declared normal before and after the festival on July 4, which predicted greater risk to locals, especially unvaccinated people. Newell added.

Most schools in the Santa Cruz community require vaccination as a prerequisite for returning to this fall. This should help mitigate the spread, added county spokesman Jason Hoppin.

“It all depends on those who didn’t choose to get vaccinated. It’s really in your hands to turn it all around, yourself, your family, your children, your community, the economy. I hope you choose to be immunized because it can be very easily protected. After Magalian asks everyone who cares about the well-being of their children to listen. ,Said.

With numbers

Total number: 16,452

Active case: 140

Recovery rate: 16,105

Death: 207

Current ICU hospitalization: 2

Current hospitalization: 4

Open ICU bed: 8

Negative test: 147,171