Sonoma County reports 2 COVID-19 deaths this week, but pandemic fatalities continue to decline

Sonoma County public health officials reported two COVID-19 deaths this week — both occurring in February — as pandemic fatalities continue to decline following the dramatic omicron-fueled winter surge.

Though omicron caused less severe illness than delta, it was far more infectious, sending virus transmission rates to levels unheard of during the two-year pandemic. Ultimately, omicron killed almost almost as many people as delta did during the summer.

The month of February saw 17 coronavirus-related deaths, compared to 36 virus-related fatalities in January. The number of COVID-19 deaths in January was nearly has high as the they were in August last year, when 38 people during the peak month of the delta surge.

The two deaths this week included an unvaccinated woman between 45 and 55 with underlying health issues who died Feb. 18; and an unvaccinated man between 60 and 70 with underlying health conditions who died Feb. 28. Both had been hospitalized.

The fatalities bring the total number of pandemic deaths to 476. Health officials believe the number of deaths during the now-receding omicron surge was likely blunted by the county’s vaccination effort. Recent county public health data shows that local residents who were either boosted or fully vaccinated and up-to-date on their inoculations showed the lowest level of infections.

In January and February last year — before widespread immunity from the local vaccination effort — 68 and 32 people county residents died of COVID-19, respectively. Local health officials continue to encourage residents to get vaccinated and boosted to avoid the worst outcomes of COVID-19

Current COVID-19 hospitalizations, at 26, are now four and a half times as low as were on Jan. 10, when 116 patients in local hospitals had tested positive for the virus, according to state and county data.

On Friday, the county reported a virus transmission rate of 13.2 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate since Dec. 13, 2021. Virus spread at the peak of the omicron surge hit 255 new daily cases per 100,000 people on Jan. 10.

It didn’t take long for omicron spread. The World Health Organization first designated the strain as a “variant of concern” on Nov. 24.

According to local public health data, in December 55% of genetically sequenced infections were tied to omicron. The rest were mostly delta variant infections. By January, omicron comprised about 95% of locally genotyped infections.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.