On Monday, January 11, Governor Gavin Newsom released his latest update on California’s response to the coronavirus. You can see his full comments on the live stream above.
TOO SOON TO SAY IF HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DECREASING
Governor Newsom pointed out today that we are seeing a 6% increase in the total number of hospitalizations in the last 14 days, which is an improvement in the state curve.
“This is one of the smallest increases we’ve seen in a period of two weeks in some time,” said Newsom.
The rate of increase is also lower in state ICUs.
The governor warned, however, that it is too early to say whether or not this is a real wave signal decreasing.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, explained that officials expected that, “If people made different decisions in the last half of December, we would start seeing some flattening in hospital numbers first.”
“That said, we are still concerned that, in the last week, we have seen some high numbers of cases and they will end up in our hospitals, you know, in five to ten days. So I don’t want to think about it we are out of danger by any measure” said Ghaly.
He added that his team is still grateful for the “slight flattening” they are starting to see, which may give the healthcare system a little breathing space.
HOSPITAL TEAM
The governor says that the state’s emphasis is now on hospital staff, mostly hired.
“We continue to work with the Federal Government’s Department of Defense and others to request additional resources … this is a top priority,” said Newsom.
More than 1,878 state and federal employees are now deployed across the state of California, mainly in southern California, where the numbers are higher. Next week, the governor says he expects about 1,000 hired employees to take action, including registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses and respiratory specialists. He said the state is currently in the process of finding out exactly where they will go. These health professionals will complement the 2,000 that have already been deployed.
VACCINE UPDATE
California received just under 2.4 million doses of the vaccine, Newsom said, with the goal of vaccinating 1 million Californians in 10 days and is taking a “general approach”.
To achieve this, Newsom said, the state has loosened some of the levels and expanded the pool of people who can administer vaccines. This includes nursing students, dentists and pharmacists, among others.
“We now have 15 National Guard strike teams across the state,” he said. “And they are there working with the Emergency Services Office, working directly with clinics and healthcare providers.”
Newsom added that the state will open larger vaccine distribution sites, such as Dodger’s Stadium:
“We recognize that the current strategy will not get us where we need to go as quickly as we all need to, and that’s why we’re accelerating administration, not just for priority groups, but now opening up big venues, finding Dodger Stadium Padre Stadium, Cal Expo these large mass vaccination sites, you start to see those popping up this week. You will see many, many more … so this is encouraging. “
Newsom added that he expects $ 350 million in incentives for vaccine distribution.
The state also launched a new PSA campaign in English and Spanish to raise awareness of the issue, focusing on the fact that the vaccine is free for everyone, but that the public must still wear masks and distance themselves socially after receiving it.
GORILLAS
Yes, you read correctly. Two gorillas tested positive for COVID-19 and a third gorilla is symptomatic.
“We are currently confirming the source of the infection and the strain,” said Newsom. “It’s an area that has long been a cause for concern, the transmission from human to animal, but our beloved gorillas obviously worry us.”
The governor said we will probably see more information about this in the next few hours. He also mentioned that his four children found this slide in his presentation particularly entertaining.
Update: according to a zoo press release: “In addition to some congestion and cough, the gorillas are doing well.”
GENERAL ASPECT AT CALIFORNIA NUMBERS:
Here is a look at the long-term trends in the state. To see more, visit our California COVID19 Tracker and choose California or any county in the state that interests you. These figures are current as of January 10:
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