As the number of coronavirus cases climbs in California, contact tracing is giving health experts a picture of how the virus appears to be spreading.”What we’re hearing from them is the recent increase in cases is predominantly due to in-home, private gatherings,” said Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye.People are venturing out to spend time with extended family and friends after two-and-a-half months under the state’s stay-at-home order — just in time for late spring graduations, birthday parties, funerals and other warm weather events.Kasirye explained those at-home events make it difficult to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet, and that when people gather with others they know, they tend to let their collective guard down.Another factor public health experts are paying attention to is the demographics of the people contracting COVID-19.”There was a time when the bulk of cases that we were getting reported were people in long-term care facilities,” Kasirye said. “We worked really hard with those facilities and those numbers have gone down.”The age demographic of people testing positive for coronavirus appears to be shifting. Young adults, ages 18 to 49, make up a higher number of cases being reported, something health experts also attribute to smaller, in-home gatherings of people who know each other but who aren’t immediate family.In order to prevent the virus from spreading, Kasirye said, “It’s important for all of us to take this seriously and important to take measures to protect ourselves and protect everybody else, especially our loved ones.”The rise in coronavirus cases appears to be less about the state reopening businesses and services, according to health experts. The health department doesn’t foresee a future rise in new cases that will be directly tied to restaurants, nail salons, massage studios, tattoo shops and the like — opening once again. In fact, the health department said businesses are asking what they can do to open up and how they can do things right.”When these businesses open, they don’t want to have a situation where a cluster is related to their business,” Kasirye explained. “Then, they know they would need to close.”As coronavirus testing becomes more accessible, public health experts are frequently asked whether more people getting tests equates to the statewide case numbers going up.”More testing doesn’t create more cases,” said Daniel Kim, Supervising Public Health Educator/Public Information Officer for San Joaquin County. “It’s revealing the cases that are already out there in the community, and we need to do more .”Health experts are also examining the number of people being treated in hospitals for COVID-19 in addition to the number of overall coronavirus cases. They said those hospitalization numbers are also on the rise.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. —
As the number of coronavirus cases climbs in California, contact tracing is giving health experts a picture of how the virus appears to be spreading.
“What we’re hearing from them is the recent increase in cases is predominantly due to in-home, private gatherings,” said Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye.
People are venturing out to spend time with extended family and friends after two-and-a-half months under the state’s stay-at-home order — just in time for late spring graduations, birthday parties, funerals and other warm weather events.
Kasirye explained those at-home events make it difficult to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet, and that when people gather with others they know, they tend to let their collective guard down.
Another factor public health experts are paying attention to is the demographics of the people contracting COVID-19.
“There was a time when the bulk of cases that we were getting reported were people in long-term care facilities,” Kasirye said. “We worked really hard with those facilities and those numbers have gone down.”
The age demographic of people testing positive for coronavirus appears to be shifting. Young adults, ages 18 to 49, make up a higher number of cases being reported, something health experts also attribute to smaller, in-home gatherings of people who know each other but who aren’t immediate family.
In order to prevent the virus from spreading, Kasirye said, “It’s important for all of us to take this seriously and important to take measures to protect ourselves and protect everybody else, especially our loved ones.”
The rise in coronavirus cases appears to be less about the state reopening businesses and services, according to health experts. The health department doesn’t foresee a future rise in new cases that will be directly tied to restaurants, nail salons, massage studios, tattoo shops and the like — opening once again. In fact, the health department said businesses are asking what they can do to open up and how they can do things right.
“When these businesses open, they don’t want to have a situation where a cluster is related to their business,” Kasirye explained. “Then, they know they would need to close.”
As coronavirus testing becomes more accessible, public health experts are frequently asked whether more people getting tests equates to the statewide case numbers going up.
“More testing doesn’t create more cases,” said Daniel Kim, Supervising Public Health Educator/Public Information Officer for San Joaquin County. “It’s revealing the cases that are already out there in the community, and we need to do more [testing].”
Health experts are also examining the number of people being treated in hospitals for COVID-19 in addition to the number of overall coronavirus cases. They said those hospitalization numbers are also on the rise.
