Merced County ICU bed capacity strained, as daily coronavirus cases reach record high
Merced County surged past its previous all-time record for new daily coronavirus cases Tuesday, as County Public Health confirmed the addition of 253 infections.
Formerly, the largest influx of new cases had been 181 reported on July 22.
The boost brought total known cases of novel coronavirus since the pandemic began to 3,763. Active infections — an estimate based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases within the last two weeks — hit 1,580. No new deaths were reported Tuesday, and the county’s total remains at 29 known fatalities.
As cases spike, a Tuesday update at the Board of Supervisors meeting by County Public Health showed cause for concern for local hospital care capacity.
Half of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the county are full with COVID-19 patients, County Supervising Epidemiologist and Operations Chief Dr. Kristynn Sullivan said. This doesn’t account for beds in use by patients suffering from non-coronavirus related maladies.
Six residents with COVID-19 are currently on ventilators — the highest level of medical intervention.
Increasing hospitalizations and limited ICU capacity due to COVID-19 are two of several unmet parameters that put Merced County on a state monitoring list along with nearly 40 other counties. Placement on the list means counties are limited in their ability to open businesses, churches and schools until local coronavirus data improves.
“We’ve been on this watch list for three and a half weeks, and unfortunately our numbers are going the wrong way,” Sullivan said.
Active hospitalizations among Merced County residents rose from 37 during County Public Health’s last update to the Board of Supervisors on July 14 to 72 hospitalizations on Tuesday. Of those, 51 residents are hospitalized in facilities within the county.
Sullivan said county hospitals are reporting difficulties transferring patients to sister locations because they are also highly impacted. The county and state are looking at alternative care sites to prepare for the possibility that area hospitals could become overwhelmed.
Hospital capacity is closely monitored because when it becomes overrun, it can lead to a dramatic increase in deaths, Sullivan said. Crisis care decisions must be made about what treatment certain patients receive amid limited resources.
Officials say locating additional beds for the sites as big of an issue as securing staff. This is especially true in Merced County, where it is difficult to recruit and retain healthcare professionals even during non-pandemic times, Sullivan said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that “strike teams” will be sent to eight Valley counties, including Merced, where COVID-19 transmission has exploded and strained local resources. About $52 million will go toward staffing hospitals, speeding up the persistent COVID-19 testing lag and help those who test positive quarantine before they don’t infect others.
Merced County’s average positive test rate rose to 19.8% Tuesday, while the state’s average is around 7.5%. The rate, which shows the percentage of individuals screened for COVID-19 who test positive, demonstrates that rising coronavirus numbers are due to increased transmission, not just more testing, Sullivan said.
While the growing number and severity of cases has not yet overran area hospitals, resident fatalities due to coronavirus still increased by 142% in the past two weeks.
“The most disheartening and important thing to highlight is we have more than doubled our deaths,” Sullivan said. “The biggest change in demographics is that nine of the deaths that we’re reporting are in individuals that are age less than 64,” she added, noting concerns about fatalities trending younger.
Sullivan warned that the notion of the pandemic having reached its second peak is a misconception. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases is part of the virus’s first wave, she said.
Coronavirus efforts through 2020
County Public Health Director Dr. Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp on Tuesday addressed the state’s ruling that Merced and the other counties still on the watch list will begin the school year this fall with remote classes.
Those on the list need a 14-day stabilization period with declining COVID-19 cases before they can consider reopening classroom for in-person education.
Newsom recently confirmed that superintendents may submit waiver requests to re-open elementary schools for in person or hybrid instruction. Approval would be determined by local health officers, like Dr. Salvador Sandoval in Merced County.
However, Nanyonjo-Kemp said the state of coronavirus locally makes the prospect of such a waiver being approved unlikely.
“We’re not super confident that we’re there yet as a county,” she said.
Also on Tuesday, the County Board of Supervisors approved a $180,000 contract with the Central Valley Opportunity Center (CVOC) that’s set to last through the year’s end.
The contract allows CVOC to provide daily outreach about coronavirus prevention and safety to local farm workers, labor contractors and migrant camp residents. Many such workers make up Merced County’s Latino population, which has been disproportionately affected by the virus.
Newsom said in his Monday address that the state is aiming to curb COVID-19’s spread among the Valley’s overly-impacted Latino population. An agricultural hub, the area is home to a large Latino population, many of whom are essential workers who have not been able to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak.
CVOC will prepare meals and go out into Merced County fields, using the meal distribution as an opportunity to provide education and personal protective equipment (PPE). The contract is paid for via federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.
Another upcoming impact of the virus is the Nov. 3 general election. The County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract with California Secretary of State to accept aid from the federal Help America Vote Act.
Funds will go toward costs associated with significantly expanded voting by mail, staffing, PPE and training.
The county is expected to receive over $332,000 to respond to the election amid coronavirus and almost $61,000 for education and outreach for vote by mail, Merced County Registrar of Voters Barbara Levey said.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 5:33 PM.
