District 5 Important Update | Covid-19 Health Warning

Placer County, California sent this bulletin at 08/26/2021 12:22 PM PDT

Supervisor Cindy Gustafson's District 5 Update

DISTRICT 5 UPDATE | AUGUST 26

COVID-19 HEALTH WARNING
THE SURGE IS VERY REAL HERE IN PLACER COUNTY

Last Friday, Sutter Roseville Medical Center experienced their busiest day in their history, driven by the surge in Covid-19 cases. Placer County’s Director of Health and Human Services Dr. Rob Oldham provided the Board with an update indicating the situation from hospital executives in the region is “dire”.

The bottom line: the surge is very real here in Placer County. As of Tuesday, Placer County reported 204 confirmed cases in the hospital with 45 confirmed cases in the ICU. In addition, our 7-day test positivity rate was 10.9% with our 7-day average daily case rate coming in at 31 cases per 100K - far surpassing the surge we experienced last winter. Visit the Placer County Covid-19 Dashboard for more information on current stats.

On Monday, Chair of the Board Robert Weygandt and I toured Sutter Roseville Medical Center with their entire management team. Let me paint a picture of what we witnessed first-hand: the lobby and hallways were full of non-critical patients waiting to be seen because all their rooms were full to capacity because with Covid-19 patients. In addition, the challenges of the very dedicated and tremendously overworked medical staff were clearly evident and expressed over and over throughout our visit.

Touring Sutter Roseville: Dr. Rob Oldham, Brian Alexander-CEO Sutter Health Roseville, myself, and Chair of the Board of Supervisors Robert Weygandt.

The Delta variant is very different, much more contagious and our hospitals are seeing younger patients admitted. The staff indicated that stays of those admitted are longer and therefore beds are full without space for others who need them. Nearly 90% of those currently hospitalized with Covid are unvaccinated, and of the remaining 10% of patients who had been vaccinated, most had known pre-existing conditions. Vaccines are proven to work to prevent illness and reduce the severity of illness. They are readily available, free of charge. If you’re not already vaccinated, I encourage you to CLICK HERE to schedule your vaccination appointment today!

Please follow Placer County’s guidelines and new warnings below. Wear a mask to not only protect yourself - but your family, friends, and our entire community. Please be mindful - let's work together to keep our kids attending school in person and Placer County strong and healthy.

In service,
Cindy Gustafson, District 5 Supervisor

SUTTER ROSEVILLE MEDICAL CENTER

Brian Alexander |CEO

Like other health systems, we are seeing a significant rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, which is requiring us to activate components of our surge plan as we did during previous surges. We’ve learned much about this virus over the past 18 months, including how to respond when there is a rise in admissions. While the region is seeing some of the highest hospitalization rates to date, we are prepared to further adjust operations so that we can continue to care for patients. Our teams are highly trained and it is extraordinary to see them continue to respond with professionalism and compassion.

While we remain prepared to manage the increase in patients, we need community members to understand the important role they can play in reducing the rate of transmission: follow public health guidance on masking and physical distancing, and for those eligible to get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best step we can take to put this pandemic behind us.

Finally, please don’t delay in seeking care. Sutter network hospitals, walk-in care clinics, and medical foundation offices are open and providing high-quality care to patients. Safety precautions at Sutter hospitals remain in effect to help protect the health of patients, clinicians and staff, which includes some visitor limitations, universal masking and requiring physical distancing where possible.

KAISER PERMANENTE, ROSEVILLE

Kimberly Menzel | Senior Vice President and Area Manager

This past week, our Roseville Medical Center surpassed the daily peak from last winter’s surge for the number of patients with COVID-19 admitted to our hospital. Based on each of the prior surges, we anticipate hospitalizations will continue to increase over the next three weeks in Placer County.

Roughly 90% of the patients with COVID-19 receiving care in the Kaiser Permanente Roseville hospital—including those in intensive care—are unvaccinated. It is clear vaccination against COVID-19 prevents most infections and reduces severe illness from this virus, and reduces the need for hospitalizations. Widespread vaccination in conjunction with health and safety protocols such as social distancing and mask wearing is our best hope of stopping this current surge and ultimately ending the pandemic.

We urge everyone to help end the pandemic and provide relief to our hospitals, physicians, nurses, and care teams by immediately getting the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge to all.

NEWS RELEASE: PLACER COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES NEW COVID-19 HEALTH WARNING

AUBURN, California - The Delta surge has resulted in record numbers of COVID-related hospitalizations this week and is leaving our local hospitals with less room to absorb more patients requiring hospitalization. Hospitals in Placer County are providing critical care in areas not typically designed for that purpose, report a high level of acuity in their patients, and are experiencing strains on their workforce. COVID patients occupy nearly one third of licensed beds, a higher share relative to hospitals in other communities.

Beyond hospitalizations, cases in school settings are rising too among students and staff, resulting in increasing numbers of classroom outbreaks that, in some cases, have led to the temporary cancellation of in-person instruction. School-related cases were uncommon and largely isolated with previous COVID-19 variants, yet early signs point to more students and staff who are turning up positive as a result of a COVID exposure.

To preserve critical infrastructure that serves all, including hospitals and schools, Placer County Public Health is advising residents regardless of vaccination status to use high-quality masks while in all indoor settings to protect against the highly infectious Delta variant.

“Our individual actions during this Delta surge are impacting everyone, including those seeking health care or in-person instruction,” said Interim Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham. "Placer County Public Health stands behind organizations who take precautions to support our community's efforts to preserve key infrastructure such as implementing universal indoor masking, which is much less disruptive than other restrictions experienced during the pandemic."

To provide a sufficient layer of protection, residents are also advised to use higher quality masks, like a surgical or KN95 mask. Higher quality masks were largely in short supply during the beginning of the pandemic but are now more readily available at local drug stores or online.

For those who are 12 and older and unvaccinated, talk to your doctor right away about questions you have about COVID-19 vaccines. Most patients currently hospitalized locally for COVID-19, including those in the intensive care unit, have not received a COVID-19 vaccination. While vaccination may not fully prevent infection, it’s one of the best tools we have to reduce the risk of severe illness and hospitalization. Please visit myturn.ca.gov to schedule your appointment today.

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