LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s interim Public Health officer warned Monday that the county’s COVID-19 infection rate is moving up at the same time as concerns are rising over the spread of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Dr. Karl Sporer and the Lake County Health Services Department reported that Lake County has moved to the “medium” level of COVID community spread, according to the latest metrics released by the California Department of Public Health.
Additionally, and of great concern to health officials is that influenza and RSV are together driving a national wave of respiratory illnesses parallel to the ongoing pandemic.
Lake County’s health officials are particularly concerned for the community’s first responders as this development poses innumerable challenges for them as they go about fulfilling their duties this winter.
“Our first responders are burdened by the direct effects, indirect effects, and changes in their operational environments posed by this increased risk of exposure,” the Lake County Health Services Department said in a Monday afternoon statement.
“Directly, they’re threatened by the risk of severe illness, which leads to absenteeism, stress, and quarantines. Indirectly, this changes how services are delivered, training slows down, or first responders face increased healthcare costs. The availability of resources, their working conditions, and the level or type of demand for services is also affected,” the agency reported.
The community level of spread is determined by the number of new COVID cases in the county over the past seven days, the number of newly admitted patients with confirmed COVID, and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds that are occupied by patients with coronavirus.
With Lake County moving into the “medium” level of transmission, the CDPH mask mandate requires that congregate settings, such as jails and homeless shelters, implement universal mask mandates.
While officials said they are concerned for first responders given this development, their focus continues to be on Lake County’s vulnerable elderly and youth populations.
Lake County Health Services recommends that all people, but especially those who are more at risk for severe illness or live with someone who is, take the following extra precautions at this time:
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean commonly touched surfaces.
• Consider wearing a well-fitting, good-quality mask when indoors or in crowded spaces.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Throw the tissue away after using it.
• Stay home when sick and limit contact with others.
• Take a COVID test. People who develop flu-like symptoms should take a COVID test, especially if they have underlying conditions that put them more at risk for severe illness or hospitalization from flu or COVID. Free rapid antigen COVID tests may be ordered through the United States Postal Service here.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and running water. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Officials also strongly recommend getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID and influenza to prevent more severe illness and hospitalization.
The updated bivalent booster offers increased protection against strains that are currently circulating, including omicron and its subvariants.
To learn about the most up-to-date vaccine schedule, visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html or call Lake County’s dedicated COVID Hotline at 707-263-8174.
It is also recommended that everyone ages 6 months and older receive a yearly flu vaccine. People may receive their flu shot at the same time as their COVID vaccine or booster at one of many vaccination sites throughout our community.
For additional information about COVID-19 and this development, please visit the following websites.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Assessing Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Illness:
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/coviddata/investigations-discovery/assessing-risk-factors
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels:
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Data Tracker:
www.covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
County of Lake Health Services’ COVID-19 Resources & Data:
www.lakecountyca.gov/471/Coronavirus
Lake County moves to ‘medium’ level for COVID-19 community spread
- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS