Marin County is continuous to see widespread transmission of COVID-19 as well being officers ramp up efforts to take care of what guarantees to develop into a brand new pandemic: monkeypox.
“Proper now we're within the longest extended interval of excessive transmission charges as a county because the begin of the pandemic,” Dr. Matt Willis, the Marin County public well being officer advised Marin supervisors Tuesday, concerning COVID-19.
“We’re now in a excessive plateau interval that's being fueled by the BA.5 subvariant of omicron,” he stated. “We’ve had roughly 80 to 100 new circumstances per day for 2 months no less than.”
Relating to monkeypox, a DNA virus that, till not too long ago, was hardly ever seen exterior the tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa, Willis stated he expects it to be formally designated a pandemic quickly.
“I'd name it a pandemic,” the well being officer stated, “as a result of it meets the factors now. It’s an epidemic in most nations.”
Thus far, two monkeypox circumstances have been confirmed in Marin and a 3rd is suspected.
Willis stated the estimate of COVID-19 circumstances, primarily based on each lab assessments and residential assessments reported to the county, is nearly definitely an undercount.
“The best way we all know that's by our wastewater,” he stated.
The quantity of virus in Marin wastewater is much like the quantity in January, when case counts have been thrice as excessive. Now extra testing is finished at dwelling, which is far much less reliably reported to the county.
The elevated variety of circumstances is ensuing mainly as a result of the BA.5 variant is extra transmissible and might infect individuals who have been vaccinated or contracted the virus beforehand. BA.5 at present accounts for between 90% and 100% of Marin’s COVID-19 circumstances.
Supervisor Damon Connolly stated the excessive charge of transmission coincides with reviews from his constituents.
“From what I’m listening to anecdotally locally is lots of people are getting it,” Connolly stated. “They usually’re displaying vital signs. It’s knocking people on their proverbial rear ends.”
Willis stated the excellent news is that the variety of Marin residents being hospitalized attributable to COVID-19 has not risen in tandem with the elevated transmission.
“Our charges of hospitalization attributable to COVID have been comparatively steady at round 10 folks per day for about two months,” he stated.
Willis stated a wide range of elements have resulted in Marin’s COVID-19 demise charge falling dramatically because the early days of the pandemic. Seventy % of Marin’s complete 256 COVID-19 deaths occurred within the first yr of the pandemic earlier than vaccines have been extensively out there.
Along with vaccines stopping an infection, dwelling testing has allowed for earlier prognosis in order that inpatient and outpatient remedies, corresponding to Paxlovid, will be administered.
“We’re seeing about one demise per week now,” Willis stated.
The well being officer stated that in 2020 there was a one in 10 probability that if a Marin resident over the age of 65 contracted COVID-19 that they'd die. At present, there's solely a 1% probability of a Marin resident over the age of 65 dying in the event that they catch the illness.
The general public well being officer stated Paxlovid reduces the prospect of hospitalization by 89%.
Connolly, nonetheless, stated he had heard from individuals who stated that they had hassle getting COVID-19 remedy via their well being care suppliers. Supervisor Dennis Rodoni requested how individuals who lack an everyday well being care supplier can entry the drug.
Willis stated he wish to know which if any well being care suppliers are failing to offer remedy. He stated low-income Marin residents can get Paxlovid at any of Marin’s federally certified well being facilities, such because the Marin Group Clinics or the Marin Metropolis Well being and Wellness Middle.
If that fails, Willis stated folks can go to one of many county’s Optum Serve/LHI testing websites.
Marin public well being is recommending that residents age 50 and older, in addition to these with situations that place them at heightened threat, get a second vaccine booster shot. And whereas public well being has no plans to reimpose masks mandates, the division is recommending that residents don masks when mixing with massive numbers of individuals indoors.
“A high-quality masks does shield you from being contaminated,” Willis stated, “so carry a masks with you and use your judgment.”
As for monkeypox, Willis stated public well being is searching for to get extra vaccine from the state and dealing with the Spahr Middle to get the phrase out to the neighborhood most in danger: males who've intercourse with males.
The general public well being officer stated to this point the county has acquired 150 doses of the monkeypox vaccine, “which isn't almost sufficient.”
Public well being has distributed most of what it has acquired to native well being care suppliers; Kaiser Permanente was given 60 doses. The county has requested 1,000 further doses.
“We organized a letter that we’re sending this week to the California Division of Public Well being signed by quite a lot of key Marin elected officers that again up that ask,” stated Adrian Shanker, government director of the Spahr Middle, following Tuesday’s assembly.
“We all know that everybody is working with a vaccine scarcity however we imagine that Marin County deserves a good allocation of the vaccine,” Shanker stated.
Willis stated that monkeypox is principally transmitted via intimate skin-to-skin contact. Signs embody a rash with lesions, often within the genital space, in addition to fever, complications, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes.
Each Willis and Shanker advocate that anybody experiencing signs get examined and chorus from sexual contact. Individuals who contract monkeypox can stay infectious for as much as a month.