An area coronavirus surge fueled by the omicron variant has been declining since its peak on Jan. 9, Marin County’s public well being officer stated Wednesday.
Dr. Matthew Willis stated the typical every day new an infection depend on Jan. 9 was 407 circumstances over a seven-day interval. On Wednesday, the quantity was 280.
Willis stated the county “didn’t see a spike” on Tuesday, when individuals returned to varsities and work after the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. vacation weekend.
“The case price has been steadily declining every day since Jan. 9,” Willis stated. “It’s the bottom it’s been since Dec. 29.”
Additionally, he stated, analyses of the county’s wastewater point out a lower in focus of the virus.
“We’re seeing promising indicators from the case counts and the wastewater surveillance that the height is behind us,” Willis stated.
There was a one-day excessive depend of 625 optimistic circumstances on Jan. 4, however Willis stated the county makes use of the seven-day rolling common to find out the place it stands.
The replace comes as Marin officers notified dad and mom that COVID-19 publicity notices will now solely be despatched out within the occasion of recognized exposures from shut contacts.
Beforehand, the county had despatched out notices for each reported publicity — with some dad and mom getting 4 or extra notices a day.
“Native case investigations have proven that the majority COVID infections amongst college students and employees happen outdoors of faculty, and are from family exposures, personal indoor gatherings and higher-risk actions, together with sports activities,” Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin deputy public well being officer, stated in a letter to folks final week.
“For these causes, Marin County Public Well being recommends suspending notification for low-risk classroom exposures,” she stated.
Santora stated the county “doesn't advocate testing all college students and employees who've been uncovered in classroom settings.”
Willis stated Wednesday that for all Marin residents, the “most secure assumption is ongoing publicity.” Folks usually must “monitor for signs and check if signs develop, and if optimistic, then isolate,” he stated.
In faculties, Santora stated, “college students and employees who're recognized shut contacts or who've been uncovered in higher-risk actions ought to check on day 5 after their final publicity — or sooner in the event that they develop signs.”
Santora stated that regardless that one in 20 or 25 individuals within the county is contaminated with COVID-19, “fewer than one in 1,000 contaminated Marin residents is hospitalized,” she stated.
“Colleges stay among the many most secure locations for kids,” she stated.
Marin college districts and neighborhood schools reacted this week to the county’s up to date steerage.
At Faculty of Marin, officers introduced Wednesday they are going to postpone the beginning of in-school instruction to Feb. 7 to permit for the omicron surge to say no additional.
David Wain Coon, the school president, stated it will proceed with distant instruction till then.
“This determination was based mostly on the newest information from Marin Well being and Human Providers and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention,” Wain Coon stated in a memo to employees and college students. “The Bay Space is at present experiencing impacts from the Omicron variant and a surge in circumstances.”
Additionally, the school will likely be buying further N95 masks and rising testing.
“By Feb. 7, the school will even be outfitted with 60,000 N95 masks that will likely be distributed to each college students and staff,” Wain Coon stated
Free at-home speedy COVID-19 checks at the moment are obtainable from the federal authorities at covidtests.gov. Up to date Marin faculties steerage on testing, quarantines and isolation is offered at marinschools.org.