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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Things are looking a little better than they have in the last several weeks,” Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the board.
Sarah Marikos, the county’s epidemiologist, said California’s 14-day positivity rate has declined since the start of the year. “It’s telling us that the virus is decreasing throughout the state.”
She said the state’s case curve is starting to go down. California also is at the top of the curve and trending downward as far as hospitalizations, but it’s still a significantly higher number than in the summer.
Over the previous seven days, Lake County has had six to eight of its eight intensive care unit beds occupied, with between 43 to 71 percent of the patients having COVID-19. Patient numbers over the previous three days had been the lowest seen in some time, she said.
Marikos said the number of deaths is still increasing, with more than 37,000 Californians having died so far of COVID-19.
In Lake County, of the 32 deaths so far, 64 percent were age 70 and older, 27 percent were 60 to 69 years of age, and 9 percent were under age 60, Marikos said.
In the last seven days the county had identified 93 new cases, compared to 300 the previous week, she explained. About 83 new cases had been reported this week.
Marikos said the county has seen a slight increase in cases among children from birth to age 14, and a slight decrease in cases in those age 65 and older, trends she’s continuing to watch.
Pace said he’s hoping that the county is starting to see a positive turn. He also pointed out that intensive care unit capacity in the Bay Area is starting to loosen up, which is beneficial for Lake County since that’s where patients tend to be transported for higher levels of care.
He explained that with the officials lifting regional stay at home orders for the rest of the state, they are getting back to where Lake County has been all along, as it is part of the Northern California region that’s not dropped below the 15-percent ICU availability that triggered the stay at home orders.
Pace said there are a couple of different COVID-19 variants that are showing up in Lake County and in California. So far, they don’t know whether the variants are more contagious or have a more serious impact on people.
Marikos said epidemiologists are watching as the variants become increasingly prevalent around the state to gauge if they are in fact more infectious or contagious and how that will affect ICU capacity.
“Basically the variant is a little bit of a curveball,” Pace said. “We don't know exactly what it's going to mean for us down the road but it’s definitely something we’re all watching.”
He acknowledged that he’s seeing a lot of questions about the vaccine. “It’s a very confusing situation.”
Pace said people can call the 211 information line for updates and visit the Lake County Public Health website vaccine page.
He said the county continues to receive a small amount of vaccine, averaging 400 doses a week, although this week they received an 800-dose allocation. They’re working to distribute the doses quickly in order of tiers set out by the state.
Public appointments are not available and he encouraged people to contact their health care providers for information on when they can receive the vaccine. He asked that people no longer contact senior centers, which have been overwhelmed with calls.
He estimated that about 3,000 Lake County residents have received the vaccine so far, which is just under 5 percent of the population. Referring to infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci’s estimated vaccination rate needed in order to get herd immunity – which Fauci has said is about 90 percent – Pace said it would take Lake County 20 months if it continues to receive the same dose amounts.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska pointed out that the nation’s estimated number of vaccinations so far is at about 3 percent, close to Lake County’s rate.
Pyska asked Pace about masking and if everyone should be using N95 masks if possible. He said N95 masks are the most effective.
While urging people to avoid being out in public as much as possible – explaining that they’re likely to encounter the virus out in the community – he said wearing an N95 mask offers much more protection than a surgical mask, and surgical masks offer much more protection than no masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is starting to come out with recommendations on double masking as double masking is believed to have increased protection, Pace said.
He suggested avoiding stores during the busy hours and waiting until March or April to pursue other activities in the community.
Pyska asked about the coming fire season and the ability of community members to be able to be out to safely do cleanup and vegetation management.
Pace said that with some precautions, being outdoors for such work “is pretty darn safe.”
During the discussion, Pace said Lake County needs to fall below 42 new cases a week to have current restrictions eased. He estimated that could happen by the end of February.
Asked by a community member about the county’s plan for ramping up if more vaccine becomes available, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said, “It’s a work in progress. We recognize the need. We’re working very closely with Dr. Pace to prepare for putting those resources in place.”
However, Huchingson said they don’t yet have specific numbers because the flow of vaccines to Lake County has so far not been consistent.
In response to questions from Board Chair Bruno Sabatier about the numbers of residents needing to be vaccinated, Pace explained that herd immunity only works if people are vaccinated. If 40 percent of the population declines vaccination the county won’t get to herd immunity.
In related news, the board reached consensus on Tuesday to continue to keep the board chambers closed for in-person participation by the public for the time being due to the COVID-19 case rate and in response to staff’s input last week about wanting less interaction in order to protect against the virus.
The chamber closures are being reviewed weekly.
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In response to the local COVID-19 case rate, court officials said they submitted a request for emergency relief under Government Code section 68115(a)(10), which addresses judicial emergencies.
On Tuesday, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye authorized the Lake County Superior Court to extend statutory deadlines in criminal trials under Penal Code
section 1382, by no more than 30 days.
Jury trials had been set to start again at the end of January. However, as a result of the Tuesday order, no jury trial will take place before Feb. 23, court officials said.
County residents who have received a jury summons for any date prior to Feb. 23 are not required to appear, the court reported.
This is the sixth emergency order the state has approved for the Lake County Superior Court to allow for the adjustment of court operations during the pandemic, as Lake County News has reported.
Trials had been stopped from March through late summer, when trials resumed.
However, at the start of December, after Lake County moved into the purple, or highest tier, on the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the court sought an emergency order putting off trials through the end of that month and moved much of the rest of its hearings online.
At the end of December, the court received another order approving putting off trials until the end of January, with Tuesday’s order bringing the closures up to nearly three months in length.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The purpose of this board is to focus on the county’s agricultural industry for the purposes of advising the board regarding the needs and interests of all local ag stakeholders.
Interested parties must fall under the categories of crop owner, organic farmer or ag processor.
Applications are online at www.lakecountyca.gov on the Board of Supervisors’ page or at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 North Forbes St., Lakeport.
Please note that membership on the committee is voluntary.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Forecasters issued a winter storm warning that will be in effect from 2 p.m. Tuesday through noon on Wednesday.
It warns of a strong and cold storm system that will move across the region, bringing heavy snow above the 1,500-foot elevation level, along with wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
More specifically, the forecast calls for snowfall above the 2,500- to 3,000-foot elevation level in both Lake and Mendocino counties.
The National Weather Service has issued an additional winter weather advisory above 2,500 feet for southern Lake County to account for more minor snow accumulations along Highway 175.
Additional rain and snow is expected into the weekend, with the forecast calling for rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches in lower elevations just through Thursday.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for rain and snow after 10 a.m. Tuesday, with little or no snow accumulation and wind gusts of above 20 miles per hour.
On Tuesday night, rain is expected to be heavy, with between 1 and 2 inches in the forecast. Winds are forecast to be nearly 40 miles per hour in some higher elevations.
Up to an inch of rain is anticipated over the course of Wednesday during the day and at night, with more than a quarter of an inch possible on Thursday.
Chances of rain are forecast from Friday through Monday.
Temperatures overnight Tuesday were forecast to be in the mid-20s, with nighttime temperatures in the 30s and the high 40s through the end of the week, and daytime temperatures expected to edge into the low 50s early next week.
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