- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Nine more COVID-19 cases reported in Lake County; three hospitalized
Lake County’s case total now stands at 54, according to Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.
“Community transmission has probably occurred; the new Lake County cases stem from a variety of sources,” Pace said in a written statement issued on Sunday afternoon.
Lake County News asked Pace for information about how the newly confirmed cases acquired the virus but he did not provide that information.
“Similar increases are occurring throughout our region, including surrounding counties. California-wide, we have set a daily record for new infections each of the last five days,” Pace said in a written statement. “With more social interaction taking place due to loosening of restrictions, an increase in cases was expected. However, it also reinforces our great need to take appropriate precautions.”
Pace said 16 of Lake County’s COVID-19 cases are active, 38 have recovered and three currently are hospitalized.
One of the individuals requiring hospitalization was transferred to a higher level of care in another county, but remains Lake County’s case, Pace said.
Lake County’s current hospitalization number is the highest reported during the pandemic so far. Four previous cases also required care in hospitals, bringing the county’s cases that have required hospitalization to a total of seven.
“In other areas of the state, rises in cases have been followed in a week or two by a rise in hospitalizations,” Pace said. “We will be limiting any further relaxation of restrictions until seeing how this change in case numbers unfolds. If we continue to see worrisome increases throughout the week, we may need to reconsider some of our current approaches to businesses and activities.”
As of Sunday, approximately 4,785 tests have been conducted in Lake County. Lake County has more than 64,000 residents. Results from 770 cases are pending, Public Health reported.
Lake County’s COVID-19 cases have more than doubled since June 1, when the reported number of cases totaled 26.
In that same timeframe, cases statewide have risen from just over 115,000 to more than 210,000, with deaths increasing from more than 4,200 to nearly 6,000, according to Lake County News’ ongoing surveys of data provided by Public Health departments statewide.
Pace continued to ask people to wear face coverings to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“Clusters where people were wearing face coverings and not attending large social gatherings seem to be contained; those where people were not as careful appear to be creating more spread, with many more contacts being identified in our investigations,” Pace said.
While there have been those that have questioned the effectiveness of face coverings, “Health Services’ investigations have demonstrated far fewer people are exposed in cases where infected individuals regularly wore masks. As a reminder, we wear face coverings because it makes it less likely we will unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others, not to protect ourselves. If you have not already, please make masking a priority,” Pace said.
Pace said that, starting on Monday, he will begin publishing demographic information about Lake County’s cases online on its Lake County Coronavirus Response Hub.
The information, which will be updated weekly, will include age ranges, gender, location in the county (divided by the five supervisorial districts) and general mode of contact, Pace said.
State issues new guidance on bars
In other COVID-19 news on Sunday, in light of the recent spike in cases across the state, the California Department of Public Health and Gov. Gavin Newsom released guidance on the closure of bars for counties on the County Monitoring List.
Pace said Lake County is not currently on that list – which is monitoring areas with increased transmission rates and hospitalizations – but noted, “it gives some insight into how things could evolve if the situation continues to worsen.”
He added, “While we are not currently adding back any restrictions, no further relaxation can occur at this point.”
Lake County’s bars were among 13 business sectors that Pace allowed to reopen or expand operations on June 12.
The counties that the state on Sunday ordered to close their bars were Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles and Tulare. The state also recommended – but didn’t make mandatory – bar closures in Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus and Ventura.
Contra Costa and Santa Clara, where bars are not yet open, are recommended to keep them closed. Imperial and San Joaquin, which also have not reopened bars, have been ordered not to do so at this time, the state said.
Public health professionals within California and throughout the nation have identified bars as the highest risk sector of nonessential businesses currently open.
The higher risk is due to the close, social nature of bars, with reduced inhibition and impaired judgment due to alcohol consumption, less compliance with masking and social distancing, the louder environment which leads to raised voices and great projection of droplets, and the increased challenge for contact tracing – a key measure needed to control spread – because of the constant mixing among patrons and a lack of record-keeping of those in attendance, the state reported.
Last week, Gov. Newsom also recommended Imperial County in Southern California return to shelter-in-place status, due to rising cases and full hospitals, Pace said.
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