Prepare for a 6-week stay-at-home order, Sacramento County Health officials say
Forum covered the state of the pandemic in Sacramento County, vaccine availability
Christopher Michel
A sign shown prompting San Francisco citizens to abide stay-at-home orders Friday, March 27, 2020. Sacramento County Director of Health Services Dr. Peter Beilenson and Public Health Director Dr. Olivia Kasirye discussed stay-at-home order and COVID-19 vaccine availability Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 over Zoom. “San Francisco under Quarantine” by Christopher.Michel is licensed under CC BY 2.0
December 4, 2020
While the newest regional stay home order is scheduled to last at least three weeks, Sacramento County Director of Health Services Dr. Peter Beilenson said everyone should prepare for the order to last for about six weeks in Sacramento County at a public health and COVID-19 forum Thursday.
The regional stay-at-home order will take effect as soon as the Greater Sacramento region is below 15% intensive care unit capacity, Beilenson said. He added that Sacramento County is at 16.1% ICU capacity as of Thursday and is expected to go below the 15% threshold within the next few days.
Sacramento County has 40,305 cases with a 8.4% positivity rate and have had 359 more hospitalizations than in July, including 76 in the intensive care unit, Beilenson said.
“This surge began when people gathered outside of their household on Halloween and continued to gather on Thanksgiving, but we aren’t anywhere near done with seeing the effects of Thanksgiving gathering yet,” Beilenson said regarding the increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
The data will still be evaluated after the three week period, Beilenson said.
Beilenson also said Sleep Train Arena can be used for non-severe cases of COVID-19 and other illnesses but all ICU patients must be at a hospital.
Under the new stay-at-home order, restaurants will only be able to offer take-out and delivery services and will not be allowed to offer outdoor or indoor dining. Other establishments such as indoor playgrounds, museums, zoos, aquariums, bars, movies, card rooms, indoor entertainment, etc. are to remain closed when the order takes effect.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are currently under review for FDA emergency use authorization, which could happen within the next three weeks.
Both vaccines are an mRNA vaccine, meaning the vaccine will use messenger RNA in your body to trigger your immune system to produce protective antibodies against COVID-19 without using pieces of the virus itself.
“The vaccines are coming and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to get there,” Beilenson said.
Sacramento County will take steps to make the vaccine available to the populations that have been hardest hit by the virus, Sacramento County Public Health Director Dr. Olivia Kasirye said.
“We are going to take special efforts to provide vaccines to minority groups and disadvantaged communities and we’ll look to work with our community testing sites to make the vaccine available to everybody,” Kasirye said.
Beilenson announced that the vaccine would be delivered in three phases:
- Phase 1: Available in a few weeks to frontline health care workers and nursing home patients
- Phase 2: Available in February, March and April to people over the age of 65 and those with underlying medical conditions
- Phase 3: Available in May, June and July to the general public and those who wish to get the vaccine
Vaccines will be available at hospitals, pharmacies, and doctor offices, Beilenson said.
Before ending the forum, Beilenson addressed the attendees about the effects of the pandemic.
“We now have over 275,000 people dead and 10%-30% of people who have had COVID-19 end up with long-term consequences no matter whether it was severe or not,” Beilenson said.
Sac County Public Health will hold another COVID-19 health forum Dec. 17.
Keele Z • Dec 6, 2020 at 10:08 am
The fact that they want to start the vaccinations to minority groups and disadvantaged communities is one of the reasons many like myself will not get vaccinated. Granted the numbers may be higher in those areas, but sounds to me like we’d be “the test rats”. Why not start out in Granite Bay and see how they respond to the vaccination.
Aaron Duncan • Dec 5, 2020 at 7:13 pm
Let us die.
It’s no better than we deserve.
Virginia Eger • Dec 5, 2020 at 7:04 pm
California, indeed most of America has been on some stage of lockdown for nearly a year. Neither our elected nor the press has figured out how to stop this virus. Why should they? They get their taxpayer supported income, exemption from following their own rules, and power to control everyone who yields to their false authority. Why should we continue to believe, or at least accept whatever plan they intend to initiate under the color of law?
Elected employees of We the People don’t really believe lockdown or masks or social distancing are necessary as a matter of life and death. If they did they wouldn’t be taking their families to Cabo, or having dinner with 20 of their closest friends or getting their hair done so they look good for the cameras. They continue in their lives as if there was no threat from covid19.
Think about it. Please, just think about it. Realize the trajectory we’re on financially, physically, spiritually, socially. Do you want to continue heading in this direction? You don’t have to. We don’t have to.
Nicole • Dec 5, 2020 at 6:12 pm
If there is anyone with a brain out there, please close the liquor and convenience stores down.. forever. Citizens are not smart enough to stay home so you must close the things drawing people out of their spaces
Jean Quellman • Dec 5, 2020 at 4:14 pm
Long term consequences can include long term tiredness / fatigue (]it doesn’t take much to tire you out – like showering, walking, cooking, cleaning -everyday activities), joint pain, headaches, heart beating fast, lack of focus/thinking, coughing. More severe conditions include blood clots leading to strokes, damage to heart or kidneys or lungs. They don’t know enough to say these are all possibilities or if these problems end up going away. Best to keep you and loved ones safe. Even those under 40 years old can have these problems long after you get over covid-19.
David barzelay • Dec 5, 2020 at 12:08 pm
I have a question this virus has been in the USA for a year or so and I am not a doctor but your body is very smart cause it knows that if it doesn’t make a antibody for the virus it’s game over for the body is than about right and I am just shared what I think cause like the flu virus shot you get at the beginning of the flu season
CHARLET NEWTON • Dec 5, 2020 at 11:13 am
SACRAMENTO COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES DR. PETER BEILENSON THANK YOU PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR DR. OLVIA KASIRYE THE WORK PROVIDED FROM YOU TWO ARE A++ INCREDIBLE AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, I WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU A HAPPY DIRECTORS DAY OF APPRECIATION, WE APPRECIATE YOUR STATUS, WE APPRECIATE YOUR LABOR, AND WE APPRECIATE THE WAY’S YOU TWO FOCUS ON HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR THE COUNTRY, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME WE THANK YOU, YOUR SERVICES ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED YOURS TRULY AKA CHARLETNEWTONBECAMETRIPLE9
Candida L Lopez • Dec 5, 2020 at 11:11 am
They started the same way back in march and look where we are now still with big pandemic isue,familys are lossing,their roof over their heads,tiene teenegers like mine,suffering big depresión,because of locking ouside activities, and financial family issues, and yet goverment, think that 1,200 dollars of stimulus,check is going to solve a olmos 1 year of strugle,thats RIDICULUS,please be realistic,at least give every family a loan base on each household basic needs a loan with low interst that each family can start payin after all this pandemic goles away please think on the poor not on whealthy thank you
Non Sheep • Dec 5, 2020 at 5:08 am
Oh, its all because of Halloween parties? If you believe this, then you truly are already under the control of the government. But its co if mayors and the gov go eat at fancy places, inside with no masks.
Rex • Dec 4, 2020 at 11:56 pm
I truly believe if I were president today I want to make sure that my people were looked out after first after all they are what voted me into office no one would have been worth $1,200 like they paid us everyone would have got 50,000 to $100,000 all Races and equal therefore we could have all stayed home for 6 months shopped online and then when the economy over back up everybody would had a ton of money to spend out there it just goes to show you that everybody in the white house doesn’t give a damn about us I think the vote for this year should have been to vote for nobody”
OMG, seriously? Wow, we’re in trouble folks! You voted for money? Where is the magic money tree?
Joshua K Lawless • Dec 4, 2020 at 9:30 pm
Good thing our sheriff isn’t following unconstitutional calls by Newsom.
Be free.
Maria gonzalez • Dec 4, 2020 at 8:53 pm
What donu mean when u say long term Consequences?
Deno dan • Dec 4, 2020 at 7:01 pm
I truly believe if I were president today I want to make sure that my people were looked out after first after all they are what voted me into office no one would have been worth $1,200 like they paid us everyone would have got 50,000 to $100,000 all Races and equal therefore we could have all stayed home for 6 months shopped online and then when the economy over back up everybody would had a ton of money to spend out there it just goes to show you that everybody in the white house doesn’t give a damn about us I think the vote for this year should have been to vote for nobody
Jeff Yonkus • Dec 4, 2020 at 6:51 pm
I hope I can continue to get rehab therapy for my stroke! I got blocked during a critical time in the spring. Keep critical therapy open?
GaryMuenk • Dec 4, 2020 at 5:31 pm
What about Indian Casinos?
I have heard. That the State of California has no jurisdiction over them. Is that true? I have seen big crowed there, and even when they require masks many people smoke and drink will playing.