SANTA CRUZ – Entering a new week, Santa Cruz County is providing information about a recent local order, its coronavirus fatalities and how many vaccines have landed on congregation home facilities.
Updated elective surgery order
According to Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency spokeswoman Corinne Hyland, the county updated an order on the suspension of elective surgeries on Friday to align it with the state order signed by the health care officer. State Public Health, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón.
Orders were written at both levels in order to reduce the burden resulting from the demand for COVID-19 in health systems. Across the state, staff shortages and reduced capacity for regular beds and ICUs have caused a serious increase. In Santa Cruz County, this increase left municipal hospitals in a “near crisis situation”, both the original and the amended version of the order point out.
The original local order, signed by county health officer Dr. Gail Newel on the same day that Aragón signed his (January 5), required that all elective surgeries and procedures performed in hospitals and outpatient surgery centers operating in the Santa Cruz County to suspend all surgeries and procedures in the first two layers of the University of St. Louis Elective Surgical Acuity Scale. This includes procedures such as carpal tunnels and colonoscopies.
The amended order requires that all surgeries and procedures performed at these county facilities be categorized and deferred according to the terms of the state order, but these facilities include only hospitals and operating centers affiliated with hospitals.
“I believe this is the main difference in orders,” said Hyland. “The previous order did not make that distinction.
The amended order, which took effect at 5 pm on Friday, replaced the previous order, which took effect at 5 pm on Thursday. It will remain in effect until terminated by Newel and his team.
More than 100 deaths, more than 10,000 cases
Over the weekend, Santa Cruz County reached the record number of coronavirus cases – more than 100 deaths and more than 10,000 cases. Approximately 25% of notified cases in the county are currently active; three times more people than those who died and were hospitalized for their severe symptoms of COVID-19.
Nearly 100,000 people were tested for coronavirus in Santa Cruz County. The county is currently reporting a 9.4% positivity rate to date, according to its data panel. Although this rate of positivity is lower than some nearby counties, such as Monterey and San Benito counties, it exceeds others like San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Sentinel obtained data from county spokesman Jason Hoppin on Monday afternoon about the last nine deaths, which showed that someone else in their 30s died of the new coronavirus. A Latin woman without significant underlying health conditions that could have contributed to her death died on December 30. His death was unrelated to any of the outbreaks reported in the residences of the Santa Cruz congress.
The 98th fatality was a white woman in her 90s who died on December 27 with at least one significant underlying health problem. She lived in Dominican Oaks in Watsonville.
The 99th fatality was a 90-year-old white woman who died on December 23 and also had at least one significant underlying health problem. She was a resident of Maple House I in Santa Cruz.
The hundredth fatality was an 80-year-old Latin man who died at Christmas. He had no significant health problems that could have contributed to his death. He was not a resident of a family home.
The 101st fatality was a 60-year-old white woman who died on January 4 and had at least one significant underlying health problem. She was a resident of Valley Convalescent Hospital in Watsonville.
The 102nd fatality was a white woman in her 90s who died on New Year’s Eve. She had at least one significant underlying health condition that contributed to her death; she was not a resident of a residential complex.
The 103rd fatality was the young woman in her 30s.
The 104th fatality was a white woman in her 70s who died on December 12 and had at least one significant underlying health problem. She was not a resident of a residential complex.
The 105th fatality was an 80-year-old white woman who died on New Year’s Eve. She had at least one significant underlying health problem and was a resident of Maple House I.
The 106th fatality was a white man in his 70s who died on January 4. He had no significant health problems that could have contributed to his death. He was a resident of the Hearts & Hands Post-Acute Rehabilitation and Care Center in Santa Cruz.
Update vaccines
As residents of qualified wards and residential care facilities continue to succumb to their coronavirus cases, other residents and employees are eager to receive doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines through the Federal Pharmacy Program. In partnership with CVS Health and Walgreens, the Centers for Disease Control can distribute doses that do not harm those distributed to the county to Phase 1a recipients, such as hospital staff.
Hoppin said that as of this weekend, 680 vaccines have been given to bring together living facilities – probably qualified nursing facilities before residential care facilities, as the first group is prioritized through its classification to deal with those who are already sick. Santa Cruz Post Acute, Dominican Oaks and Watsonville Nursing Center have hosted their first vaccine clinics since the Federal Pharmacy Program started in late December.
Although the county knows how many doses have been distributed by federal and state agencies in the area so far, it does not have a mechanism for obtaining data on exactly how many of those doses have been administered. Hyland said last week that the county is registered with the California Immunization Registry and expects the state to provide a panel on dose disbursements in the near future.
By the numbers
Total cases: 10,833
Active cases: 2,736
Recoveries: 7,991
Kills: 106
Current ICU admissions: 13
Hospitalizations: 334
Open ICU beds: 0
Negative tests: 99,669
Check back here for updates.