Sonoma County ranks fifth in the state for COVID-19 infection rates — Sonoma State University

COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States almost a year after it first appeared in the United States. Regionally, the number of cases of coronavirus is increasing daily as the infection rate increases. Of the 58 counties in California, Sonoma County is of greatest concern. According to the Press Democratic Party, Sonoma County, “after the counties of Shasta, Lassen, Inho and Amador,” ranks fifth in the state for COVID-19 infection rates.

On October 8, there were 1,621 active COVID-19 cases in Sonoma County, an increase of 72 in just 24 hours. There have been about 6,500 recovery cases in the county since the beginning of the pandemic in the United States, but according to SoCo Emergency, active cases make up just under 1% of the population, or about 2,000. The county ran about 200,000 tests.

As for Sonoma State University, cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and are continuously suspected on campus.

The first positive COVID-19 case was confirmed on September 17, according to an email from Missy Brunetta, Director of Emergency Services and Associate Risk Manager. Due to this case, the Schultz Information Center was temporarily closed.

Sonoma State University published an article on September 21 discussing email communications with interim spokesman Robert Eyler. “So far, one student and two employees on campus have been positive since the beginning of the fall semester,” he said.

On October 5, another email warned the Seawolf community that Darwin Hall was temporarily closed due to a recent suspected case of COVID-19 on campus.

Throughout the Bay Area, Sonoma County remains least likely to restart completely due to transmission speeds. This increases the risk to the resident as it increases the likelihood of a stronger second wave case. However, the cause of the high transmission speed is not completely clear. Many factors can be the cause, including the celebration of Labor Day.

“It could also be from our fire and evacuation,” said Dr. Sundari Mase, a county health officer. Shelters are needed during the fire season, but create a great risk of new infectious diseases in the county.

There are many possible causes for a continuous outbreak, but in some cases it seems almost unavoidable after the reopening of the office. In late September, there were outbreaks in 13 care centers and schools throughout Sonoma County. Outbreaks of this type are guaranteed to support the reopening of the county and have proven to be stressful for the population.

“Most of the infected children were under the age of six. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 10 school staff and 27 family members were also infected,” he said. Mase continues to emphasize the importance of child care, especially as people gradually return to work, despite the risk of the care center infecting their families.

However, despite many facilities demanding reopening, Mase has made it clear for the time being that it will promote social distance in education. Health officials must first clear the school’s plan to resume safely before approving the request.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, hesitation has continued to reopen schools across the country. Certain schools in some states have decided to fully reopen for students and faculty, but there are concerns about that idea. The outbreak in Sonoma County’s school will have a major impact on the decisions to be made for the time being.

“We have cases of COVID-19 in all sectors, so it’s not surprising that these cases are occurring in day care and early learning centers. COVID-19 chooses that way. It’s not a target. I’m not surprised, but considering the reopening of school, I think I can take a short break, “says Mase.