SALINAS – Monterey County has reached an all-time excessive in COVID-19 case charges with a peak of 108.6 per 100,000, outpacing the final report set in January 2021 of 107.8 per 100,000. Assistant Director of Public Well being Kristy Michie mentioned the county has not but seen the worst.
“Sadly, I don’t assume we’ve hit the crest but,” mentioned Michie on the Monterey County media briefing Wednesday. “We haven’t seen domestically our numbers slowing down, so I believe that they're rising.”
Michie mentioned that taking a look at what occurred in New York and different locations, the county will most likely see excessive ranges of COVID-19 for the subsequent couple of weeks.
Monterey County’s present COVID-19 take a look at positivity fee is nineteen.3%, and there are 103 individuals hospitalized who've examined constructive for the virus. Final week, the case fee was 47 per 100,000, the take a look at positivity fee 9.8%, and there have been 63 hospitalizations. For the week of Jan. 3, the case fee was 10 per 100,000, the take a look at positivity fee was 3.7%, and 50 individuals had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
“The excellent news is that whereas our case charges are at report excessive ranges, our hospitalizations are actually at about half of the place they had been throughout final winter’s surge in order that’s actually nice information and our deaths are lower than 1 / 4 of the place we had been final winter through the surge,” mentioned Michie.
The excessive case fee displays how prevalent COVID-19 is in Monterey County communities proper now and the way environment friendly the omicron variant is spreading among the many inhabitants.
However the comparatively low hospitalization and demise fee factors to a number of components together with the variety of those that are vaccinated in Monterey County. In accordance with the California Immunization Registry, 81% of these 5 years of age and older eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have obtained not less than one dose and 72% of these eligible are absolutely vaccinated.
Michie mentioned the county continues to make progress on vaccinations and booster uptake, significantly in these 50 years of age and older.
To assist stem the tide of COVID-19 infections individuals have to proceed with the measures taken over the previous two years of the pandemic to guard themselves, their households and the neighborhood at giant together with getting vaccinated, receiving a booster, sporting face coverings over the nostril and mouth, staying dwelling when sick, and getting examined when attainable well being officers say.
“The singular most necessary factor individuals can do is to get vaccinated,” mentioned Michie. “Vaccines are confirmed to scale back hospitalizations and demise.”
For info on public testing and vaccination websites in Monterey County, go to MontereyCountyVaccines.com.