Sonoma County surpasses 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19

The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sonoma County passed 100 on Friday, a milestone county health officials said will allow them to provide more detailed demographic information about local coronavirus cases.

Such information could include age breakdowns for those who have been hospitalized; locations for travel-related cases; the types of symptoms exhibited; and underlying medical conditions, said Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer.

“For example, we have X number of people hospitalized ... is there a certain characteristic that’s more likely to be associated with hospitalizations?” Mase said, during an interview Friday.

“We have a lot of people who travel, the one place that keeps popping up is New York, actually - that makes sense of course,” she said.

The more detailed demographic data will soon be made available to the public on the county’s online COVID-19 dashboard, Mase said.

The county reported that 21 of the 105 confirmed cases are now classified as recovered. Sonoma County has been averaging about seven new cases a day this past week, according to county data.

Of the 105 cases, 20 have required hospitalization at some point, while 79 did not require any hospital care. Mase said the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients who have recovered is likely higher than the 20, because it takes some time for ?public health workers to revisit some of the cases.

The county reached ?105 cases a day after officials released the first computer projections of the scope of local transmission of the infectious disease.

According to that modeling, which was conducted by Imperial College London, found that more than 1,500 Sonoma County residents could require hospitalization for the coronavirus when infections peak in about two months.

It also found that absent the county’s current order for people to largely stay home, COVID-19 illnesses would overwhelm local hospitals’ ability to treat stricken patients, requiring more than 10,000 hospital beds.

The county’s projected peak in 2 months contrasts with federal and state projections that have the state peaking later this month. For example, modeling from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has the pandemic likely peaking in California on April 24.

Mase said there were multiple reasons for this distinction, one of which is that cases appeared in Sonoma County several weeks after other California counties discovered cases. She said that areas like Santa Clara County, which has more than 1,000 ?cases, are likely greatly affecting the overall state projections and pushing the peak date up earlier.

Mase added that Sonoma County issued a shelter-in-place order when only four people had been infected locally, whereas Santa Clara County initiated the order after discovering more than 100 cases.

Sonoma County’s early response allowed officials to mitigate community transmission, which flattens the curve and pushes back the peak date, she said.

“We may be ahead of the game,” Mase said. “The whole point of this is to make sure that our health capacity is there … so even though we have a lot of cases spread out over time, we’ll be able to handle them more.”

Meanwhile, county officials said they were close to executing an agreement for an alternate care site that would be used to care for patients, including those with COVID-19, not requiring the full services of a hospital.

The site would be one of several locations that combined would provide an additional 500 beds, on top of the more than 345 beds that will become available after local hospitals enact their surge plans. Normally, local hospitals have just under 700 beds.

County health officials on Friday would not provide any information about negotiations related to the location being considered as an alternate care site.

Rohish Lal, a county health services spokesman, said modeling data was used to determine how many extra beds the county would need for the projected surge and peak in COVID-19 cases.

Lal said the alternate care site could have a separate area for those who are 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions and are in the positive and pending categories in the at-risk groups. These groups again would also have mild or no symptoms.

“The (alternate care site) will be used for individuals who have mild or no symptoms, but are positive, and can’t return home during recovery or pending test results,” Lal said in an email.

He said there could also be a separate area for patients who have mild or no symptoms and are 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions who have tested positive or are awaiting a test result.

Barbie Robinson, the county’s Department of Health Services director and interim executive director of the Community Development Commission, said Thursday that work to secure those sites was ongoing.

Twelve days ago, county officials suggested Sonoma State University could be a target site, but county leaders on Thursday said there were no contracts in place for the surge sites. Lal said the Sonoma Developmental Center in Eldridge is currently not being considered as a location.

The alternative sites could be used to care for first responders and health care workers. Beds could also serve people who have just a few days remaining in a hospital stay unrelated to COVID-19, according to county documents.

Also on Friday, Napa County announced the second confirmed death of a resident due to COVID-19.

The adult died Thursday and was being treated at a hospital in another county, the county announced Friday in a statement. Citing confidentiality laws, the county released no other information.

In Mendocino County, Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan recommended Friday that everyone who leaves their home for an essential activity should wear a face covering, such as a mask, scarf or bandanna. The recommendation follows guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There’s no evidence that these items prevent the wearer from getting sick, Doohan said in a news release. But if the individual has COVID-19, a face covering may reduce the risk of them spreading the virus to others.

Since not everyone who has the virus knows that they are sick, wearing face coverings could prevent some people from unknowingly infecting others.

Still, Doohan said surgical masks and protective equipment should be saved for medical professionals. Unless residents already have a supply of surgical masks or N95 masks at home, that equipment is not recommended for everyday use.

As of Friday, four people have tested positive for the virus in Mendocino County, two of whom have since recovered, according to the county’s website. The county has no reported deaths caused by COVID-19.

Late Friday night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order designed to prohibit price-gouging during the pandemic. The order bars raising prices on essential goods such as food and medical goods, as well as a range of essential consumer products, by more than 10%.

Staff Writer Lori A. Carter contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.