The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday issued an urgent plea with residents to curtail Thanksgiving gatherings, to continue with COVID-19 prevention basics like wearing face coverings and social distancing, and to remain vigilant amidst “COVID fatigue.”
The calls to help limit the spread of the virus comes while the county has an average of 9.2 new COVID-19 cases per week — double the rate of just one week ago — and a tripling of coronavirus-related hospitalizations since Oct. 16.
“If you gather, keep it safe, keep it short and keep it stable,” Anna Roth, Contra Costa County’s health director, told the supervisors (and the public) Tuesday morning. That means gatherings of 15 or fewer people, outside if at all possible, and for two hours or less.
Roth said that hospitalizations in Contra Costa County have gone up from 21 on Oct. 16 to 48 on Monday, and then to 63 on Tuesday, an increase of 15 in one day. That, she said, is alarming.
Contact tracing efforts, Roth said, show family gatherings are the fourth-most prevalent source of new COVID-19 transmissions.
The leading source, Roth said, continues to be within “congregate living facilities” like nursing homes.
The third leading source of transmission is restaurants, she said.
The second-most common source of COVID-19 transmissions? Unknown, literally, Roth said.
“It’s so common now in our communities that people can’t be sure where they got it,” Roth told the supervisors.
Thanks to a surge in new coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that 41 of California’s 58 counties — Contra Costa among them — would go into the “purple tier” in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy plan, the most restrictive level in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective Tuesday.
Newsom called this large-scale regression “pulling an emergency brake” and “sounding the alarm” about the critical state of affairs regarding the coronavirus.
Just seven days earlier, on Nov. 10, Contra Costa had moved from the “yellow tier” into the “red tier.” And by Friday, the county had already ordered business and social-gathering restrictions that come with the purple
tier.
Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa’s health officer, said that given the recent increases in both case numbers and positive-test rates, it’s likely that the county’s COVID-19 numbers will surpass summertime high levels
before Thanksgiving.
Better news, he said, are the encouraging reports on two COVID-19 vaccines that, in tests so far, appear to be effective. County officials do not know when the vaccine will come to Contra Costa, but county health
officials have been testing their distribution system with the flu vaccine.
In the meantime, Farnitano said, COVID-19 testing is encouraged, especially ahead of the holidays.
Farnitano advised that Contra Costa residents “hunker down, stay at home, wear masks and avoid gatherings to get through the dark winter to a glorious vaccine spring.”
I’m not hunkering down any more than usual. Hunker down on this!
#MeToo
No hunkering down here either.
Masks work. Social distancing works.
Is that really so hard?
It’s a difference of opinion and is that really so hard Nope? Not everybody has to agree with you right?
“Glorious vaccine spring”– such poetry! Ow, my poor aching soul. I guess the “dark winter” is having an impact on everyone’s sanity. Especially those in places of power.
This is going to be a long, long, long winter. Shoot me now.
Good one Lizzie!
Lol…Nope! I agree.
Any day could be anyone’s last day on earth … people die of other things besides corona … I know that’s a shock for some to hear!
Dr. F can hunker down on my this too!!!!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, this is a joke, right? Is Ann Roth hunkering down? How about the supervisors, are they going to hunker down too? We all know our fearless leader (Newsom) won’t be hunkering down.
So I ain’t gonna do it.
As to the “second most common” source, it should be obvious. It’s a place where people gather en masse indoors for at least an hour. It’s the only thing as hazardous as an indoor movie theatre. I wonder how many people had some kind of gentleman’s agreement with their pastors/priests to conveniently forget where they’d been.
Back when we scaled back the first time, indoor church services were listed as a primary source of spread. In the orange tier, capacity doubled. I doubt it got four times safer than it was in June. *shrug*
Please don’t blame this on people secretly going to church. This is not happening. I miss church so much and none are wanting to open up. But I was thinking what big event happened in the last 14 days that suddenly caused all these cases of coronavirus? Could it be all the Biden-Harris celebrations??? The time is right.
Never let the absence of evidence get in the way of the scolding you want to do…
Churches are generally pretty big spaces. Lots of people aren’t going even when they are allowed to. Spaced out, masks on, no singing, shorter services. Your mileage may vary, but the church situation I see every week is not likely to spread the virus much.
The obvious factor is weather. The temps started dropping noticeably a few weeks ago. Colder and dryer is more conducive to respiratory virus transmission. People going indoors more. Add in the time change screwing with people’s circadian rhythm. There are lots of obvious factors. You don’t need to manufacture one with no evidence.
Yes @Badge … it’s the political win that got people out and about. It’s CERTAINLY not the big holiday at the end of October where many people here (and elsewhere in the country) said “I’ll do what I want, screw it” and went out against doctor’s requests.
But hey, let’s make it political. That’s what people visiting this “news” website do, right? This issue would have mostly solved itself back in the Spring if people just stayed inside for 2 weeks like other countries and put their egos in check just once. Nope. Instead people had to “I’ll do what I want”, “Newsom can’t tell me what to do”, “scientists are communists” garbage over and over. Congrats to all you wonderful folks with that mentality. YOU’RE the reason we’re still in this mess and it’s only going to get worse because of it.
Yes, but let’s make it a political thing. Science means nothing – even when it comes from other countries with zero vested interest in this nation’s politics. *shrug*
@Joe Blo Well said!
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors can take a collective very long walk off of a very short pier.
I’ll never understand how so many people can keep voting for them over and over again.
Or, are they….?
Who are we kidding?…….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TReCZ2auRkE
9.2 cases per week?? Not exactly. Today’s report showed 10.7 cases per day per 100,000 residents averaged over the seven days from 11/2 to 11/8. The most recent seven days aren’t used because testing reports are still coming in.
It’s alarming that November 12 had a one day total of 221 cases. And it’s assumed that more test reports for that date haven’t been received yet. The number of covid-19 patients in the ICU has jumped from 5 a month ago to 25 as of today’s report. And, no, people don’t get put in the ICU for a mild case of the flu. Now, try to have a safe Thanksgiving, all.
In July we had a similar ramp-up in numbers. Back then they never went exponential. Instead, the numbers starting improving without needing to impose additional restrictions.
10.7 cases per day per 100,000 residents means one case per day out of every 10,000 people. It shows that COVID-19 is not particularly widespread.
Lately the county has been averaging 6 days to get most of the samples collected on a given day processed. 221 cases for November 12 should be close to the final number for November 12 as that’s five days ago.
I’m more concerned about that there are regular delays in processing the tests. At the beginning of November it was taking 10 days. It’s hard to make fact-based decisions about medical care, need for contact tracing or quarantine, and public policy such as the color coding thing, if it’s taking a full week, much less nearly two weeks, to get test results.
You wonder what these people were promised if they “played the game”? We need to investigate. 😉
Oh hunker down my butt!
Get over it with the scare tactics, it’s winter, rain and cold flu season is here.
You can’t run, you can’t hide, closing up and telling people to hunker down is BS.
It’s called Psychosomatic Hypochondriacs. These people get a little nose run and they run to the emergency room! We have a LYING Mockingbird media problem.
And shut up with that Dark Winter CRAP!!!
Funny how it’s banned to talk about supplementation…..keep eating those GMO chips and colas though.
Who me? I’m just following the examples of Governor Newsome and Senator Feinstein.
Maskless and party time!!!!
ManBearPig for the win
Manbearpig for governor! Thanks for the laugh!
Question: If masks and lockdowns are so effective then why are the last 3 deaths (from 10/21- now) from long term care facilities?
Honestly, I thought theses facilities required masks and strict lockdowns for months. I could have been mislead, but I also read that health officials changed the way hospitalization numbers are kept on October 31st. From what I remember hospitals are now required to count patients who test positive for the duration of their stay. Previously theses patients are only counted as Covid until they tested negative. Does anyone know if this is true or have any information on this? If so, then of course hospital Covid numbers are going up.
Screw Newsome iam not hunkering down gonna celebrate Thanksgiving
I encourage everyone to hunker down. While doing that go look at the detail case data on the CC Health website where there is a link to data by Census Tract – you can even download the data if you do not like clicking on maps.
https://dashboard.cchealth.org/extensions/COVIDDashboard/CensusTractMap.html
You will see where the cases really are……
I am getting my virtual turkey ready for Thanksgiving.
@wcreaker
Covid 19 has a 99.79% survival rate. Think about it. People die from the flu every year. Just think about it. Open your 👀
Didn’t they force us to do this a couple times already? What’s changed? How is this going to help? What are the politicians really trying to do? Yeah let’s shut down the economy again for 4 weeks to stop the spread of “COVID”! Then what? How many businesses will survive another shutdown? How will our economy recover? Looks like the Democrats want to turn the US into a welfare country where the people are dependent on the government for everything. Who holds them accountable? The Governor broke his own rules by going to a birthday party at the French Laundry said he made a mistake, but where is the accountability? Unless they can show me what they have changes to help stop COVID I’m going to do what I want! Sick of being a prisoner to this face fear. You just cant keep telling people to stay at home to stop the spread when it is not working!
@ joker
You are right!!!
If the politicians crash the economy, we will be dependent on the government. This is the start of controlling the people (socialism/communism). Biden and Harris are not pro second amendment. Things are happening. People open your 👀
Im more afraid of having dinner in Walnut Creek and have a 100 morons start harassing us.
Actually when you say it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. I was thinking / worrying about the same thing, and if it is possible. But with so many of these radical left politicians now on the Democratic party it could be a possibility.
Hard to hunker down being an essential restaurant industry worker now reduced to outdoor dining and takeout. I have bills to pay.
Did Ms Roth change the gathering limit to 15 people to make Chairman Newsom look better for having a party of 12?
Can’t figure out why gathering for two hours only. What difference would one hour or four hours make? I guess we set timers to let everyone know to start running away when the buzzer goes off.
They want to limit the drinking which is also why they are considering a curfew.
I will be simultaneously hunkering down, chilling out and keeping it real.
KMA
Hunker down: from the old Norse huka { to squat } Listen to the experts! Truly, Anna Roth and friends know squat.
I’m waiting for Newscum’s Thanksgiving party invitation. That’s where the fun will be!
When they ban Protests and air travel people might listen
The uptick is from all the Halloween celebrations and protests in the streets!.
@Badge 1104
It’s already happening, the left is controlling everything. The madness is growing. We are becoming more and more lawless. I personally have lost confidence in law enforcement. Their hands are tied. I don’t trust the Soros sponsored DA Becton at all. She is a disgrace.
+99% survival rate. Wise up people, this is a hoax. Smoke and mirrors to take your attention away from the HUGE fraudulent election we just had.
In addition to that, I believe only about half of the population has said they would take the vaccine when it came out.
The point of driving the fear and pushing the lockdowns is to condition people into accepting the injection.
No you don’t.
@ five … I call your bluff
Depsite this announcement, this Friday’s racing event on Chilpancingo and Concord Ave is still on! PHPD is cooperating with us as we are expecting increased attendance from last week’s event. Come out and support the local organization.
I will not be changing my plans at all. I will have as many people over as feel comfortable attending. I will not be judging my perception of their guideline compliance in making decisions of who to invite. I will be having discussions with people about their risk category and letting them make their own decision.
Great game plan for idiocy. No wonder we are in such a deep spread of the virus. Hard to believe but it is people like yourself hurting our medical community as well. They are working tirelessly trying to save lives while the selfishness and arrogant people could care less if they cause more cases which is rampant and out of control. I think you are outrageously foolish and you are dangerous. You have no right to put everyone’s health at risk.
Popcorn, I doubt you’re invited to Amateur Teacher’s celebration. No worries.
Popcorn- if the democrats told you the sky is chartreuse with black and yellow checkerboards flying overhead every other Tuesday at 7:45am, you’d support it and insult everyone who disagrees- calling them haters.
Go throw your tantrum elsewhere.
You want to give up your freedom, go ahead.
This is not about a pandemic, it’s about control . Right before the holidays -and that idiot Newscum has a large indoor party at the French Laundry.
He apologizes? So what. He’s nothing more than a liberal liar.
But I repeat myself.
Now go ahead and call me a “hater”.
As if I give a $hit.
Everyone better HUNKER DOWN or Uncle Gavey is going to take us from timeout to grounding. Better cower in your hidey holes and wait for the all clear from big brother!
You are not free people. Free people do not live like this. Constant threat from your government is not how free people live. Is it really that hard to understand?
If we could figure out a way to control the cases in the nursing homes, then we would truly see that there was no need for this hysteria of closing everything down.
Also, It just seems strange to me that it is so rampant in nursing homes when these are controlled environments.
I wonder how many of the scared people on here are currently in a LTC facility? You make an excellent point. Using reason, which is rare currently, anyone can see that this is not as big of a deal that these folks are passing on, at least to our government doesn’t seem to notice.
Something smells fishy in all of this.
Be scared, stay home, unless you unfortunately live in a LTC facility, then you’re effed.
You think people actually voted for tax increases? Most likely a bit of vote counting shenanigans to flip the vote on tax increases.
Do you have a link for that?
Did you know some are saying the Great Reset is a hoax too?
Did you know some are saying widespread election fraud doesn’t exist?
Did you know some think Joe Biden is president elect?
Did you know some smell their own farts?
Your opinion means nothing. You got facts?
Define “Hunker”
I mean…. do they want me to squat or crouch down low?
Apply myself seriously to a task?
or…….
Take shelter in a defensive position?
Or maybe do all three at once?……… I need more definition!
In any case I’ll listen to this while I do it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG8WsPmyqOw