It’s a brand new period within the COVID pandemic: Most precautions have been rolled again, and instances are as soon as once more on the rise in California. However with the Bay Space boasting a number of the nation’s highest vaccination charges, and the provision of recent therapies, Contra Costa County public well being officers introduced a brand new aim on Monday: to scale back, and ideally eradicate, “preventable” COVID deaths.
“We really feel assured that you just now not should die from COVID-19,” Contra Costa County Well being Director Anna Roth mentioned at a information convention, asserting the county’s “Path to Zero” plan to broaden at-home testing and get COVID sufferers efficient antivirals shortly. “We imagine that many deaths, most deaths, are preventable at this level as a result of we have now highly effective instruments obtainable.”
For the reason that pandemic began, Contra Costa County’s cumulative demise fee is lower than half of the U.S. demise fee, however it has misplaced greater than 1,300 residents to the virus.
Now, the county is reviewing these deaths to find out which of them had been thought of “preventable” which can assist focus efforts going ahead on essentially the most susceptible populations, mentioned Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the county’s Well being Officer. The mortality assessment will ask questions like “had been they in a position to be examined in a well timed method? Did they search out remedy and had been they in a position to get remedy in a well timed method? Have been they in a position to get vaccinated? Have been they boosted?”
“If the reply to any of these questions is not any,'” Tzvieli mentioned, “it exhibits us what we did effectively and the place we fell quick.”
Contra Costa County well being officers are additionally encouraging using at-home assessments, and making them obtainable at upcoming public occasions.
One of many predominant instruments within the new effort is a brand new nurse line for residents who check constructive, obtainable to all no matter insurance coverage protection, or vaccination standing.
The recommendation nurse line will assist county residents shortly decide if antiviral medicine is acceptable, after which assist them find the place the medicine is on the market domestically and shortly.
Any Contra Costa resident sick with COVID can now name the County’s 24/7 Recommendation Nurse line at (877) 661-6230 and request a prescription.
The drugs will be taken at residence with a prescription inside a number of days of symptom onset to tremendously cut back the severity of the illness, and decrease the probabilities of hospitalization and demise. Roth mentioned one of many causes the county has turned to an recommendation line is as a result of they heard residents had been having a tough time finding antiviral drugs.
County well being officers made the announcement Monday on the Bay Level Household Well being Middle, a clinic operated by the county, which can also be returning to offering common well being care providers after two years of a public well being emergency disrupted the clinic’s regular care.
“The time has come for us to suppose in another way about this virus.” Roth mentioned. “When a member of our group dies from COVID at the moment, we must always perceive why after which work to take away any boundaries to remedy which will have contributed to that demise.”
With few federal and state restrictions on social gatherings, and even mask-wearing, the “Path to Zero” plan being applied is meant to refocus efforts on the communities most devastated by COVID.
“There are stark variations in COVID mortality charges between our wealthiest, healthiest neighborhoods and people with vital challenges to group well being,” mentioned Gilbert Salinas, chief fairness officer for the well being division. “Path to Zero helps us to sharpen our concentrate on our most susceptible communities.”
Case charges have greater than doubled within the county in current weeks, from lower than 70 common day by day instances to over 180. COVID hospitalizations within the county have additionally greater than doubled since early April, from as few as 17 COVID sufferers early within the month to greater than 40 sufferers, approaching 50 in current days.
There have been 22 COVID deaths reported within the county in March 2022, and solely three have been reported for April, although which may go up nonetheless as reporting will be delayed be a number of weeks.