State COVID-19 Teams to Help Stem County’s Senior Care Center Deaths

Share with Friends

Sonoma County’s health officer said Monday that state strike teams called in to help stem infections and deaths in the county’s senior care facilities may open a regional isolation facility, if the crisis merits it.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Dr. Sundari Mase also said the work of state teams who arrive this week will be vital in breaking the pattern that has resulted in more than a dozen care center deaths in the past two weeks, and more than 80 percent of the county’s total COVID-19 fatalities.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths in Sonoma County reached 39 this weekend, with more than 3 thousand cases reported so far. The recent positivity rate is approximately 6 percent.

According to state data, all of the reported senior care center deaths have come at three post acute care facilities, Broadway Villa Post Acute in Sonoma, Petaluma Post Acute and Em Pres Post Acute, also in Petaluma.

Senior care centers, including residential, skilled care and acute care facilities are all regulated by the state, which reduces the ability of the county health department to directly force changes. Despite this Mase says all facilities have cooperated with Sonoma County in efforts to stem the rate of infection, which currently stand at more than 250 detected cases among workers and residents of county care centers.

Sonoma County was eligible to come off the state monitoring list on Sunday, but a high rate of cases, more than 180 per 100 thousand over the past two weeks, and a large number of recent deaths mean the county will stay on the monitoring list until conditions improve.

Health officials believe a primary way the coronavirus is entering senior care centers is through those who work there. Dr. Mase told News of the North Bay that although the county requires workers to take showers and fulfill other sanitation and screening guidelines before transfering between facilities, state health officials will be examining spread and may clamp down further on the movements of residential, nursing and acute center employees.