A new analysis of the recent increase in coronavirus cases shows that people who gather with family and friends for birthdays, barbecues, bachelorette parties and funerals, even traveling outside the area for such events, is a leading cause of viral spread in Sonoma County.
Health officials have long warned that the spread of the virus in the general population will eventually lead to the death of our most vulnerable residents.
On Thursday, two more virus-related deaths occurred among residents of local qualified nursing homes, bringing the death toll to 24 people. Health officials said the two people who died were a man and a woman, both over the age of 65 and with underlying health conditions.
Amid a growing number of cases and deaths, local officials and health professionals are renewing their calls for residents to comply with public health measures.
“They are meetings, in all categories, whether they are close contacts, community broadcasting or travel, they have been meetings that lead to cases,” said Dr. Sundari Mase, county health officer. “When you get together with people you don’t normally live with, you expose yourself to wherever those people have been.”
On Thursday, Mase presented the latest analysis of recent cases covering the three-week period between June 21 and July 11 to the Board of Supervisors. The most frequent form of “close contact” transmission continues to take place within households.
Of the 470 cases of close contact during this period, 222, or 47%, were within the home. Health officials said that in the past three weeks the number of coronavirus cases in Sonoma County increased dramatically as the county moved toward reopening after months of refuge.
It is a time when residents began to venture further and further out of the bubbles of their home, Mase said during an interview on Friday. At the time, the virus had not spread in the community, and therefore there was little risk to those who ventured when the county reopened.
“Now that we have so much transmission, you’re at risk,” said Mase. “If you get on a bus, you are at risk, and if you go to the grocery store, you could be at risk.”
Of the 470 close contact cases, 85 were residents who became infected in the workplace. Transmission in the workplace, now at 18%, is significantly higher than 10% of cases several weeks ago, Mase said.
Of these close contact cases, 66 residents, or 14%, were exposed in congregated settings, such as specialized nursing homes, residential care facilities, prisons, or juvenile wards. Another 67 cases classified as close contacts were linked to the exhibition in meetings, such as visits between family and friends at recent events such as July 4, Father’s Day and other functions.
Of the 96 cases classified as community transmission, 60 people said they did not know where they could have contracted the virus and that they could not list things like grocery stores, meetings or any specific event.
Fourteen of the 40 people who listed some possible form of community-transmitted exposure said they likely had contracted the virus at a recent meeting or event.
Meanwhile, 11 cases of community transmission were from people who said they were likely exposed during necessary activities, such as going to the grocery store, bank, doctor, or gas station.
For the 45 COVID-19 cases that listed travel as a possible mode of transmission, 30 people identified air travel or driving out of state for vacations and visiting family members and attending meetings as funerals.
Mase said that not much can be done about domestic transmission of the virus, but asked local residents to avoid visiting people outside their home. She said that even meetings of extended family members are leading to new cases.
“In general, getting together and meeting other people that you don’t normally spend time with at home is definitely associated with these cases,” he said.
You can contact the editor Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or [email protected]. On Twitter @pressreno.
