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Humboldt County Health Officer Dr Teresa Frankovich begins her latest media availability by noting that some of the people fleeing the California wildfires are heading here to Humboldt County – some are camping, others are staying with family or friends.
She advises people, where possible, that guests stay in a separate part of your home with separate bathrooms during the two-week incubation period. If this is not possible, other precautions, such as wearing masks, frequent hand washing, separate feeding and disinfecting common surfaces, can reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.
She is also responding to a rumor that a local skilled nursing facility has experienced an outbreak with numerous cases, hospitalizations and deaths. “I want to assure people that this is not the case,” Frankovich says. A few skilled nursing facility workers tested positive, but subsequent testing did not reveal any infected residents.
Below is a timestamped summary of today’s Q&A:
(3:15) How often should people wash their face covers?
The ideal is to wash off a mask after each use, says Frankovich. If you can’t do this, you should at least use hand sanitizer or wash your hands before putting the same mask back on your face. And at a minimum, you should wash a sheet mask every day.
(4:44) Question from a LoCO reader: “There are conflicting policies at local grocery stores regarding reusable bags and reusable containers for bulk items like oils and grains at the co-op and ENF. Could you clarify the current guidelines, as of today, of states and counties if they differ for this? I’m willing to cover up and fill my oil bottles, but I’m told no, and no one can give me the reason or a timeline for it to come back. A published rule or note on it can help everyone, customers and businesses alike, be on the same page. “
Shared containers pose a risk because people use the same spoon or touch the same surfaces, which creates a risk of cross-contamination, Frankovich says. This is the reason for the lack of bulk items these days.
(5:50) the Times-Standard wonders about the apparent gap between the rate of cases reported by the county scorecard per 100,000 population (265) and the rate reported by Frankovich in a recent media publication (60 per 100,000).
The figure of 236 reflects the number throughout the pandemic, while the figure of 60 corresponds to cases in the past 14 days, Frankovich explains.
(6:58) What is the recovery rate among 0-19 year olds?
The county has refrained from listing data on “recovered” cases because there is no common definition of the term. “Active cases” correspond to confirmed cases which are still isolated. People whose cases are no longer active “may still cough … [or] loss of taste and smell. But they are no longer considered infectious.
(8:27) The North Coast News asks, “What should schools do during a coronavirus outbreak?”
Schools and public health will try to prevent this, but if a student tests positive it can result in a classroom being quarantined while the rest of the school continues, Frankovich says. If there are multiple classes or chains of transmission involved, this may necessitate temporary school closures.
(9:33) The North Coast News asks: “President Trump announced on Sunday the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for patients with COVID-19. What do you think of the treatment? “
There is very limited data at this point, Frankovich says, and the supply is limited. Controlled studies are needed to understand how it should be used long term.
(10:48) Redwood News wants to know if Frankovich is concerned that returning students from HSU are quarantining themselves for 14 days as requested.
Frankovich says she hopes they will, just as she hopes the county residents follow health and safety protocols.
(12:02) Did young people who contracted COVID-19 generally have milder symptoms?
Nationally, yes, young people tend to have lesser symptoms or be asymptomatic, Frankovich says. The average age of hospitalizations locally is around 65, although four people under 40 have been hospitalized.
(13:18) KMUD News asks why public health can identify recent positive cases to HSU, but not identify them by specific cities and local regions.
Public health does not do this; HSU is, says Frankovich.
(13:50) KMUD News Asks, “According to County COVID Chart on Race, It Says Zero of Our Blacks members of the community have contracted the virus. Is it true?”
The county does not have self-reported race or ethnicity data on about half of the confirmed cases so far, Frankovich says. So there is no way to know for sure.
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