Weekly Roundup for Feb. 25, 2022

More than 1 million doses of COVID vaccine now have been administered in Sonoma County — an impressive milestone that everyone should take pride in. An average of 2,300 doses have been administered every day since the first shipments of vaccine arrived here 14 months ago. Two weeks ago, 80 percent of our eligible population became fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, Sonoma County residents who are unvaccinated remain 14.8 times more likely to be hospitalized if they get COVID and 10.8 times more likely to die.

Sonoma County is now aligned with the state on lifting universal mask requirements for most indoor public settings, and also lifted restrictions on large gatherings. However, local health officials remain concerned about the continued disproportionate impact of the virus on vulnerable residents and low-income communities of color who face the highest risk of infection because of their representation in the essential workforce, lack of sick leave and job protections, multigenerational households, use of shared transportation and other factors.

Latinx residents have accounted for more than half of all cases in the county despite making up 27.3 percent of the population. New case rates in the county for Pacific Islander and Latinx residents are 50 percent higher than for white and Asian residents. While 63 percent of eligible residents in the county have received a booster, just 47 percent of eligible Latinx residents have received one; 70 percent of eligible white and Asian residents have received booster shots. 

The county’s equity outreach team remains committed to working closely with our community-based organizations to engage with the pockets of our community that have lower vaccination and booster rates. Boosters offer a crucial level of protection from the worst outcomes as our immunity wanes over time. Such efforts take continued education, patience and perseverance. 

Today’s digest provides helpful and important updates on the following:

1. California formally shifts to endemic strategy
2. New law requires companies to provide paid sick leave for COVID
3. State urges people to donate blood, save a life
4. COVID vaccine & testing opportunities in Sonoma County

California Formally Shifts to Endemic Strategy

California recently became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with a revised plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns.

The strategy will treat the virus as a manageable risk rather than an emergency, including measures to promote vaccines, stockpile medical supplies, quickly spot surges or variants and mount an aggressive assault on disinformation.

In addition to loosened indoor mask requirements for fully vaccinated people, state health officials said they would reconsider school mask mandates at the end of February. A disease reaches the endemic stage when the virus still exists in a community but becomes manageable as immunity builds. 

The state is using an acronym for its new approach: SMARTER, which stands for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, a reference to improving treatments for COVID-19.

Details of the California SMARTER plan are available here:
https://covid19.ca.gov/smarter/

Questions and Answers on the California SMARTER Plan:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/smarter-plan-QA.aspx

New Law Requires Companies to Provide Paid Sick Leave for COVID

A new state law requires companies with more than 25 employees to give workers up to two weeks of paid time off if they get sick from the coronavirus. The law took effect Feb. 19, is retroactive to Jan. 1 and expires Sept. 30. 

The new law gives workers up to one week of paid time off if they get COVID or are caring for a sick family member. They can get a second week off only if they or their family members test positive. An employer may require a test after five days since the employee tested positive for COVID-19. 

If the employee fails to take such a test required by the employer, the employer may deny pay for any leave taken after the time the employer provides the test. Employers must pay for and provide the test. Workers can use the 40 hours of paid leave for a range of reasons, including COVID symptoms, quarantine and isolation and vaccine appointments.

Complete information can be found in the state’s FAQs here:
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/COVID19Resources/2022-SPSL-FAQs.html

State Urges People to Donate Blood, Save a Life

Blood centers have an urgent need for donations of all blood types right now. State health officials want to remind everyone that donating blood is a lifesaving resource for those who need it most, like accident victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer.

Individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are still eligible to donate blood. Donors who have recovered from COVID-19 and are symptom-free may also be eligible to donate after a specified period.

More information is available here:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/Communications-Toolkits/Give-Blood.aspx

Find a local blood donation center here:
https://www.aabb.org/for-donors-patients/give-blood

Local COVID-19 Vaccine & Testing Opportunities

Vaccination and testing clinics are being held throughout the county to serve people who do not have convenient or affordable access to healthcare providers. 

Visit the Sonoma County Office of Education to learn about clinics for students and families:
https://www.scoe.org/pub/htdocs/school_staff_immunization.html

View the county’s vaccine clinics and appointment page here:
https://socoemergency.org/emergency/novel-coronavirus/vaccine-information/clinics/

For details or appointments at COVID-19 testing clinics, including a pop-up testing calendar, please visit:
https://socoemergency.org/emergency/novel-coronavirus/testing-and-tracing/

Residents who test positive using an at-home antigen test are urged to report the result by calling the county’s COVID hotline at 707-565-4667 (4701 in Spanish). Anyone who needs help making a vaccination or testing appointment may also contact the hotline.