Hospital staffing a concern in San Mateo County

Rogers said county officials have turned their focus to supporting medical and emergency services as COVID-19 related hospitalizations have spiked in recent days, surpassing 100 patients for the first time in roughly a year this week, according to the county’s COVID-19 dashboards. The dashboard had the number of hospitalizations at 126 confirmed Monday but that number dropped to 113 Tuesday.

County Health spokesperson Preston Merchant said the county’s figures account for both those who sought out treatment for COVID-19 symptoms and those who were found to have contracted the virus while seeking care for an unrelated issue.

Hospital emergency rooms have also seen an influx of traffic due to community members seeking testing while experiencing mild symptoms, Rogers said.

To relieve some of the stress hospital staff are under, Rogers said the county has been directing residents to large and community-based testing sites with hopes expanded capacity and hours would help. Residents with mild symptoms have also been requested to stay home, she said.

Despite hospitalizations being high, Rogers said the county is still seeing a relatively low number of patients admitted to intensive care units. Rather than stressing over having an adequate number of ICU beds available, Rogers said officials are focused on ensuring enough surge beds are staffed.

Medical facilities have responded to the demand by extending hours and hiring traveling nurses and other support staff. And Rogers told supervisors officials are “feeling very encouraged” by the state’s prioritization of hospital surge capacity.

Hospitals have yet to postpone elective surgeries, meaning another tool remains available to reduce pressure on resources if necessary, Rogers said.

“As unsettling as news of a positive test result or exposure can be and despite the challenges of the workforce disruptions, we are holding out optimism that the wall of immunity provided by our very high vaccination rate continues to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths,” Rogers said.

About 87% of the county’s entire population has received at least one vaccine dose and 80% is fully vaccinated, Dr. Anand Chabra, director of Family Health Services, said. To date, more than 325,000 eligible residents have received boosters, he added.

The county has continued to make progress in vaccinating children ages 5 to 11, the latest group to become eligible for a shot. As of Jan. 10, nearly 57% of children in that group had received at least one vaccine dose.

“We are really grateful for the resolve being mustered in so many ways as we work through these challenging weeks and continue to take heart in every story of progress,” Chabra said.

Like Rogers, County Manager Mike Callagy shared confidence in the county’s current management of the virus and the most recent surge in a press release.

Instead of instituting additional safety restrictions such as a shelter in place order or limitations on large gatherings, county officials are calling on the public to remain vigilant in practicing safety measures like masking, social distancing, sanitizing and testing.

The county is looking to continue its expansion of testing capacity after demand shocked the system in recent weeks. Officials will soon be distributing 50,000 rapid testing kits to underserved communities and are monitoring for access to additional kits, Deputy Chief of Health Srija Srinivasan said in the press release.

Nearly 17,800 residents have contracted the virus in the past 30 days and officials are unable to say when exactly cases will peak but they argued in the press release that the current approach balances public safety with economic stability and the need to keep schools open for students.

“We believe we have a sound strategy in place to help combat this winter surge from the omicron variant,” Callagy said in the press release. “That strategy relies on all of us doing the right thing: wearing our face masks indoors, getting tested if we have symptoms, getting our vaccines and our boosters, making smart choices about the risks we take.”

School districts across the county have reported record numbers of infections and, like hospital settings, are facing strained workforces. In response, administrators have had to cover a number of classes while holding out hope a change in isolation protocol from 10 days to five will help alleviate conditions.

County Superintendent Nancy Magee said the policy change, which came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was adopted by the California Department of Public Health, indicates the omicron variant produces milder symptoms and that officials are focused on returning the public to school and work.

To do so, Magee said districts have ramped up testing opportunities and masking protocol which complement existing social distancing and ventilation measures already in use. She also noted infections in school have been low with most contracting the virus in community and family settings.

“We in San Mateo County are 100% committed to keeping our schools open and providing instruction for all students and staff that can attend school,” Magee said. “One thing that is absolutely true is we are resilient, resourceful, creative and completely committed to the benefit of our children.”

Visit the County Health website at smchealth.org/coronavirus for more information on vaccination and testing opportunities.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106