With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations declining, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said today that a health order temporarily restricting the size of large gatherings will expire as scheduled at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 10.
“The numbers are trending in the right direction, and there are clear signs that we are now past the peak of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases,” said Mase. “I am confident we will be able to safely lift our temporary restrictions on the size of gatherings starting Feb. 11.”
While COVID-19 case rates have declined over the last three weeks, she said, transmission levels remain substantial. Mase continues to residents, particularly seniors over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions and people who have not yet been boosted or vaccinated, to avoid large gatherings and continue wearing masks indoors around people outside their household, noting that the omicron surge is not yet over.
Omicron is not harmless, Mase said. New infections are still occuring at levels that are nearly 400 percent higher than the county experienced during the worst days of the delta surge.” And it’s our oldest residents who are most at risk.”
On Jan. 12, Dr. Mase placed limits on the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings for 30 days in an attempt to prevent superspreader events as COVID-19 cases soared to unprecedented levels in Sonoma County, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
At the time, more than half of the positive cases, where the source of transmission was known, were coming from large gatherings.
Since then, the spread of COVID-19 has slowed significantly and hospitalizations have declined. The county is now detecting 126 new cases of COVID-19 every day per 100,000 residents, down from an all-time high of nearly 250 cases per day in early January — but still almost four times higher than the 34 cases per day experienced during the delta peak in August 2021.
There are 95 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Sonoma County today, down from a peak of 116 nearly two weeks ago, but still higher than the 84 hospitalizations recorded during the delta peak last August.
Mase said that the temporary restrictions on the size of gatherings helped keep area hospitals from being overwhelmed any more than they were in early January.
“They also helped to protect the people who have been disproportionately hurt by this pandemic — our seniors, our essential workers and people who have been disadvantaged by inequities that exist in our county,” Mase said.
Seniors over the age of 65, people with underlying health conditions and people who have not yet been boosted or vaccinated are exposed to the highest risk of serious illness. Since Jan. 1, at least 25 people have died from COVID-19 in Sonoma County. Of those, 96 percent were over the age of 65, 92 percent had underlying health conditions and 52 percent were unvaccinated.
An additional 40 percent were fully vaccinated but had not received a booster shot. Only two of the 25 deaths involved people who were fully vaccinated and boosted.
“If you are in a higher-risk group because of your age, vaccination status or an underlying health condition, you need to be aware of the risks you are exposed to every time you gather with strangers, particularly indoors where the virus is easily transmitted,” Dr. Mase said. “The best thing you can do is get vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. The next best option is to avoid non-essential gatherings until we see further reductions in transmission.”
Ethan Brown, interim executive director of the county Economic Development Board, recognized businesses that have implemented and maintained protective measures.
“We applaud the many local businesses and organizations that have put measures into place to protect the public during large events, including adherence to best practices for masking, social distancing, vaccine verification and testing,” Brown said. “Their vigilance and dedication to reduce transmission of COVID-19 play an important role in keeping our community safe.”
The vaccine is safe, effective and free for everyone age 5 and older, regardless of immigration or insurance status. Visit SoCoEmergency.org/vaccine or call 2-1-1 for information.
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