As California Governor Gavin Newsom normally holds his coronavirus press conference, the state’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, made a presentation on the state’s actions thus far and the justification of the same. He also hinted at new directions to come from the state. (Note: California COVID-19 daily issues are at the end of this publication.)
Ghaly started Tuesday with one of the governor’s standard arguments, saying the reopening has been data-driven. Ghaly then went through several slides to illustrate “The California COVID Story.” Highlights include that California is the first state in the nation to close and its success paved the curve from the start.
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The secretary continued with some optimistic data points, including: “We don’t see the same double-digit increases” in hospitalizations and new cases that had become the norm. She also noted that, as a result, “We continue to see that transmission is reduced. Again we have accumulated enough hospital capacity across the state. ”
But, Ghaly said, “The governor’s finger is on that dimmer switch. We, at this time, continue to see the data. “
He said the elapsed time is not enough to know if last month’s masking order or the most recent closing orders are sufficient. “That 2-3 week period may not be long enough to feel the impact of the state face coverage directive.”
When asked when he believed those results could show, Ghaly did not commit and said, “I will not commit to a certain date. I wish I had that crystal ball. But the secretary revealed something else in the state’s future.
“We are preparing to release a playbook to augment the guidelines that have already been published,” said Ghaly. He did not detail whether the raise playbook would result in a tightening or loosening of the restrictions. But Ghaly said, “The overall health of Californians is what will guide the governor.” Not just north or south, but all Californians.
“The goal is to protect the virus with clear industry guidance, testing, and contact tracing,” he said.
That announcement came a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom said at his Monday news conference that the state was adjusting some of the workplace closure guidelines it issued last week, specifically those related to hairdressers and hair salons and the “personal care services industry”. The governor said he had wanted to make the changes before, but that “it turned out to be more challenging than it seemed.”
“The good news is,” Newsom said, “We now have new guidelines on the COVID-19.ca.gov website that clarify what we can and cannot do regarding haircuts and the activities we want to go through. ” indoor-outdoor for the personal care services industry, “Newsom said. That doesn’t seem to be the end.
“If we need to make even more changes,” said Secretary Ghaly, “by modifying or perhaps even considering other closings, we will.
“We will always take a broader view of public health,” said Ghaly. “We spoke to our general surgeon a few months ago about mental health, particularly for young people. We will always focus on those who are overlooked … communities of color.
“We knew that closing the economy and our schools had a real mental, economic, and educational impact … and the consequences were severe for CA.”
But, he warned, the reopening “has been treated by many as a green light to return to a normal life.
“If the data trends continue to such a place that we don’t think we’ll get there [to recovery]”The secretary warned,” We will dim again in some areas of the state. We will always have our finger on the dimmer switch, we are not afraid to use it and we will continue to be guided by the data. ”
See Dr. Ghaly’s presentation below.
Also Tuesday, the state reported 9,231 new cases. California now has 400,769 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The number of COVID-related deaths increased by 61, which is 0.8 percent for a total of 7,694. The number of COVID-19 diagnostic test results in California totaled 6,536,932, an increase of 122,611 tests since Sunday. The positive result rate in the last 14 days is 7.5 percent. That is .7 percent of the same average 2 weeks ago. California hospitalizations for COVID-19 increased by 170 from the previous day. Another 63 patients with coronavirus were seen in the ICU during the same period. That is 3.2 percent.
