COVID spreading rapidly in Sonoma Valley

COVID is spreading quickly throughout Sonoma Valley, resulting in some longer wait times for outpatient services such as rehabilitation and diagnostics as well as rescheduling of nonemergent care at Sonoma Valley Hospital.

“Very similar to January of this year, COVID is spreading rapidly through our community,” said John Hennelly, CEO of Sonoma Valley Hospital (SVH), in a community update released on June 29. “It is infecting and reinfecting residents at an alarming speed. Fortunately, the increased infection rate has not led to dramatic increases in hospitalizations.

“That is not to say we should let our guard down. While researchers continue to study the effects on the virus, there are indications that the virus impacts various systems of the body.”

Hennelly goes on to say that one of the most concerning issues is the potential effect on neurological systems. Several studies around the world have shown a connection between COVID and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and stroke.

“It may take time to validate these studies, but the data alone is concerning,” Hennelly said. “Given we don’t know the long-term impacts, avoidance is the best course of action.”

The COVID positivity rate in Sonoma County, which refers to the percentage of tests that come back positive, has ballooned from 2.1% on March 15 to 4.7% on April 15, to 16.3% on July 4.

“Our positivity rate has increased since April — we are seeing similar positivity rates to what the county is reporting,” said Kylie Cooper, RN, director of quality and risk for SVH.

Sonoma County deaths from COVID have remained stable, with none or one occurring every week from March 15 to June 16. Hospitalizations have risen from none on April 8 to 40 on July 1.

The case rate, which is the number of new cases of COVID that turn up each day per every 1,000 people, has fluctuated from 7.8 on March 31 to 46.7 on May 18, to 35.8 (58.8 unvaccinated and 33.2 vaccinated) on July 4.

State health officials have said, however, that the recent decline can be attributed in part to lower testing rates as more Californians decline to test or opt to use at-home rapid tests, which are not reported by the state. The number of conducted tests reported by Sonoma County have dropped from 9,469 (2,022 positive and 7,866 negative) on Jan. 10 to 2,409 (60 positive and 2,349 negative) on March 29, to 2,012 (409 positive and 1,603 negative) on June 22.

Due to the COVID surge in January, 35% of California hospitals experienced staffing shortages.

“(SVH) has been impacted in this surge, as well,” Hennelly said. “The wonderfully committed staff at SVH are working overtime to ensure you have access to the care you need.”

He said that SVH is informing patients of rescheduling needs and appointment changes with as much notice as possible.

“We can proudly say that your hospital is ready to receive you 24/7, despite the challenges,” Hennelly said. “Additionally, we continue to work very closely with other hospitals in the immediate area, including UCSF Health, to ensure the best care 24/7.”

Sonoma Valley Community Health Center is also seeing a rise in positive COVID cases. It did 370 tests in June, the most since February, and 45 came back positive, with 41 still pending test results.

“If you just look at the 329 tests with results, this would mean that 13.7% of them were positive — this is high for us,” said Cheryl Johnson, CEO of the health center. “What this does not include are those positive tests from home testing kits. I doubt there are accurate numbers for those.”

Johnson said that the increase in cases is impacting other services at SVCHC due to staffing issues.

“Our wait times are up slightly and there may be days when we are reducing appointments to match staffing levels,” she said. “For example, we were closed on July 2.

“I think everyone is experiencing staffing shortages. Since COVID, it is hard to fill open positions. This is compounded by staff who need time off to attend to various matters.”

The BA. 4 and BA. 5 variants are now the dominant strains in California and across the country and have been identified as “variants of concern” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as several European agencies. The variants are widely believed to be more transmissible than the other omicron strains.

“People who are testing positive have different symptoms than those with the other variants,” Johnson said. “They include mild headache, mild sore throat and mild runny nose, but no fever. Note that these are cold or allergy symptoms.

“The dominant variant is more virulent, with a shorter incubation period. The good news is that the illness is milder than with the other variants. The bad news is that sometimes we don’t know we have it when we go out and engage with the world.”

Sonoma’s Fourth of July celebrations pose some COVID risks, but Johnson said that it helps that most events will be held outdoors.

“Outdoor events tend to be safer than indoor ones, and a lot of the events associate with the Fourth of July are outdoor events,” she said. “The temperature being in the 70s definitely made staying outdoors more realistic.”

Johnson says people with new cold or allergy symptoms should take a home COVID test. If it is negative, she recommends wearing a mask and social distancing, and then repeating the test 12 to 24 hours later.

Also, SVCHC will be offering COVID rapid tests on Saturday, July 9, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments can be made at lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Walk-ins are also welcome at the health center, located at 19270 Sonoma Highway in Boyes Hot Springs.

Johnson encourages everyone to wear a mask at indoor gatherings.

“Masking has proven to work,” she said. “When the mask order was in place, both flu- and allergy-related illnesses were way down.”

Cooper provides some additional precautions.

“Wear your mask indoors and at large outdoor gatherings, wash your hands regularly, and if you are feeling symptomatic, isolate and be tested and encourage others to do the same,” she said. “These practices reduce the spread, keep hospitalizations low and offer protection to the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.