Today, Monday, June 15th, Governor Newsom provided a live update on the COVID-19 pandemic, as he noted following the protests, much attention is being paid to the uptick in positive tests for the virus in some states including increases in hospitalizations and ICU admissions, so he believed it was time to turn our attention back to our progress in managing the pandemic and sharing the most current trendlines. He stated it is important everyone realize “we are not out of the woods yet by any stretch of the imagination. We have a lot of work to still do.”
The Governor presented much of his content while following a slide presentation, which noted that California is the largest state in the nation and represents 10% of the nation’s population or that of 21 states. He noted this should give “Californians an idea of the magnitude of the state of California and the magnitude of our responsibility to make sure we approach our response in a way that addresses different parts of the state.” Stopping the spread of the virus, he stated, “comes from a bottom up orientation. Localism and regionalism are determinative. There are very different parts of the state and not one size fits all. Local health directors, in concert with elected officials determine WHEN a county is reopening parts of its economy. I’ve said this before, the state ONLY provide the HOW to reopen, the county determines WHEN to reopen the economy. This is not an on/off switch. This is more like a dimmer switch.”
The Governor made the point more than once that the stay-at-home order was never intended to be permanent. He reiterated the importance of decisions being made at the local level because only locals have the ability to know what their county needs, so localism should be the thrust and guide when it comes to moving through the various phases of reopening the economy—based on data and science—data the state also monitors. He reminded the audience California was the first state to institute a statewide stay-at-home order to avoid the spread of the virus, a spike in cases, and to buy time to build out the state’s physical assets and human capacity to make sure the state was ready to re-open the economy. “This was all done to save lives and prepare for a pandemic that still needs to run its course until we have immunity and until we have vaccines.” The Governor noted that a number of east coast states experienced significant spikes in their COVID-19 cases and as a consequence, they are experiencing a decline of that first peak in cases that California has not experienced because, he stated, “we bent that curve and bought time to develop resources to manage our way through this pandemic.”
The Governor went on to remind the audience, using slides, how the state has managed the pandemic. He began with pointing out the state’s foundational responsibility was for testing to get a better handle on the community understanding of the prevalence and spread of the disease. The Governor reiterated a point he has made many times, which is that the important rate to track is not the rate of positive tests, as officials expect that number to continue to grow as the number of people being tested continues to grow—rather it is the positivity rate. The positivity rate in the first 14 days averaged 48.8%, because in the early stages of the pandemic testing focused on those people who demonstrated symptoms, which led to the higher positivity rates in April. He noted testing did roll out a bit slower than he would have liked but noted he is very pleased with the progress. The state started out with an average of 2,000 tests per day and just this weekend saw 78,000 tests conducted on Saturday and 66,000 yesterday (Sunday). He believes the state is on track to hit the desired rate of 60,000 tests per day. The Governor again brought the point back to the positivity rate, by noting the state’s overall positivity rate has remained flat at 4.5% over a 14-day period. He did note it is possible the protest activities could lead to a higher overall positivity rate, but officials have not seen that occur at this point.
The Governor then moved on to discuss the “R” rate or the rate of spread of the virus (term state officials use). He noted this rate also remains stable. He noted people who were infected were spreading the disease at a modestly higher rate than you see in the last number of weeks.
Hospitalizations and ICU
Hospitalization and ICU admission rates are also flat. Over a 14-day period ICUs are flat with a .0% change. These trends extend over two important dates, May 8, which was when we began to modify in a significant way. Officials did expect an increase in the positivity rate, as people were out and moving about and we reopened the economy. The other important date was Memorial Day—he noted the trend line is relatively flat. The Governor reminded the audience these are only moments in time with the benefit of hindsight. “By no means does the past equal the future.” What was important, he noted, was building capacity to test, contact trace, quarantine and isolate, and building hospital bed and PPE capacity for a surge. The Governor provided a list of the bed capacity built for the system to meet any surge in cases. He noted the state now has 53,000 surge beds and a total of nearly 79,000 hospital beds overall. Of those beds, only 3,103 are in use for COVID-19 patients or only 6% of the state’s capacity. This means, if the numbers go up the state is prepared to meet the need, should it arise. He then turned to ICU capacity, noting the state has more than 11,000 staffed ICU beds around the state and 11,652 ventilators available. There are 1,053 patients in ICUs, which means the state is using less than 28% of its capacity. He reminded the audience California sent ventilators to other states and nearly all are returned. He stated he and other officials use these numbers to guide decision-making regarding resources and assistance for counties and other states.
The Governor stated he believes the state is hold strong in case rates, as California has not seen the spikes that other states on the east coast have experienced. He reminded the audience again the numbers he’s sharing are in the aggregate and “we do not live in the aggregate. California has many parts and we must recognize those many parts, and localism and the notion of regions and with attestations that they can meet certain needs, demands, and expectations. Fifty-two of the 58 counties in the state have put out attestations that they can address the needs of their counties, as they meet certain needs, they reopen their economies.”
He noted state officials monitor these data points and stated it is actually how he starts every day—by checking the dashboard to see the latest data. He stated these data drive decisions to engage counties where there are areas of concern. He presented a slide, which listed 13 counties of the 58 where state officials have targeted communication and action providing technical assistance, resources, and physical resources to assist the state with the issues they have in managing the pandemic and reopening the economy.
Governor Newsom introduced Dr. Mark Gahly, Secretary of Health, who covered many of the same points the Governor made putting emphasis on the point that state officials continue to work with counties to provide technical assistance. He noted there are many different variables, as the state is diverse, and these variables are all addressed to “make sure we are in lock step with each county’s leaders to lend the support they need.” Dr. Gahly reiterated the specific measures for reaching attestation:
- The number of tests should be 150 per every 100k in population
- No more than 25 per 100,000 cases
- Testing positivity rate below 8%
- Level of increase in hospitals with COVID patients below 10%
- Capacity of ICU beds and ventilators stay above a specific threshold.
He noted the dashboard information provides a snapshot of each county’s progress and illustrates visually where a county is meeting the measurers and when it is deficient. Dr. Gahly also pointed out concern over the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on some populations. Specifically, he pointed out Latinos have a much higher rate of positive tests and as a result, state officials are working with members of the Latino community to assist with contact tracing to make sure the system can support quarantine and isolation when necessary. He also noted in the Black community there is also a disproportionately higher death rate relative to the number of cases and even relative to the total population throughout the state. He noted this also requires officials to work carefully with the Black community to make sure African Americans are showing up to get tested early, as they are finding many seek testing after they have advanced through the illness to the point of needing hospitalization—when earlier intervention might help save lives.
Governor Newsom returned to the podium to speak more about data and how it guides all decisions. He stated, “we know not one size fits all. Providing support and technical assistance are critical.” He noted the state is edging very close to its goal of daily testing totals of 60,000. He also reminded the audience that besides the total hospital bed numbers her provided, there are also 1,509 alternative beds sites the state has secured and placed strategically in 10 counties, including Orange County, San Mateo, and Imperial County. “Supporting vulnerable populations is another foundational area of support. This includes those living in congregant settings, such as skilled nursing homes and the homeless. We do also care about those who are incarcerated in California’s jails and prisons. He noted the Project Room Key team was successful in securing 15,000 units and 82% of those who are in the system are asymptomatic. Over 10,000 rooms are occupied and not all by a single individual. Seventeen percent of the occupancy rate is for those who are positive for COVID-19. On the point of nursing homes, the rate of positive tests is 7%. The positivity rate, of a small sampling is 4%, so below the state rate, but again it is a small number sampled, so I am hesitant to point that out.”
PPE
The Governor noted the state has made great strides in PPE not only for frontline workers in the healthcare system but also for grocery workers, transit workers, truckers, agricultural workers, and educators. We have succeeded in securing 175 million procedure masks and 3.3 million N-95 masks over the weekend.
Contact Tracing
The Governor reminded the audience of the contact tracing program and the effort to train 7,000 new contract tracers to build a workforce of 10,000 tracers who can manage 3,600 new cases on any given day. Online 25 different counties are in the tracing and tracking platform, another 32 are working to come online. So, each county is using existing tracers and the newly trained tracers are joining their ranks.
The Governor noted all of this is important because the state is not out of the woods yet. He stated, “perhaps it’s amnesia, distraction, cabin fever, or just that our national attention and the national news have been focused on other issues, but the reality is we are turning our attention back to COVID and what we must do to stop the spread.” He noted other states are seeing an increase in cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions. He also noted it is expected California will see an increase in cases as the economy reopens, which is why all of the preparation the state has made is making a difference in the state’s positivity rate. He referenced a slide about the 1918 flu pandemic, noting the first wave of that disease was relatively modest, which is the phase we are currently working through. “It was the second wave where cases rose even higher, because people thought, ‘We got this. We can go back to life. No need to wear a mask.’ Let us be cautious. We do not want to experience a second wave as they did in the fall of 1918 and the Spring of 1919.” As we mix, as we are among others, the number of cases will increase. It is incumbent upon us to be smart wear a face covering, wash your hands. We can manifest the future we want. Be smart about physical distance, wear a face covering.” The Governor spoke of the online dashboard for each county where residents may track their county’s progress in meeting state guidelines and the status of not only their attestation but also their real time numbers for cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions.
The Governor then pivoted to discuss a program titled Care for the Caregivers, which is a partnership with Facebook that provides Visa debit cards, each with $500 on them for frontline healthcare workers who have needed a hotel room because they are too afraid to go home because they did not want to take the virus home to their families. He noted 50,000 of these cards have been and are being distributed and he expressed his sincere gratitude to the team that put this program together and to the frontline healthcare workers, especially the nurses who’ve put their lives at risk since the earliest days of the pandemic.
He closed by reminding the audience these are sober times that require people to do everything in their power to stop the spread of the virus. “Take personal responsibility. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your physical distance. Let’s keep working together to control this virus.”
Q&A
The first reporter asked if the state pushed the reopening of economy too soon and should it have started later. The Governor responded again with the point that the state does NOT prescribe or dictate the WHEN a county reopens and what Phase they are in—it only prescribes the HOW. Local county health directors make those decisions with involvement of local elected officials. He noted the state has stood ready to help counties with technical assistance, should they need it and in fact have already done so.
The second reporter asked about the status of the state budget and the fact that it looks as though the U.S. Senate will not move quickly on an aid package. The Governor responded while there has not been acknowledgment from the Senate, he has heard from some members of the Administration and he believes it’s a matter of timing and possible action will come after the July break.
Another reporter asked about a planned 2 p.m. rally (today) at the Tesla Plant regarding employee safety and not having appropriate PPE. The Governor noted the Department of Labor is handling PPE and distribution to employers, etc. and he has great confidence in the leadership of the Department to stay on top of the issues at hand.
Another reporter asked about reported shortages of contact tracers and some counties stating in interviews they are moving too fast to reopen the economy. The Governor again reiterated it is up to each county to decide when to reopen their economy.
State Variance Guidelines
As noted in previous briefings the Governor outlined next steps in California’s reopening of the economy, including dining-in restaurants, as part of Phase 2 and working though the state’s Roadmap to Recovery (read more here). In anticipation of more counties moving forward for Phase 2 variances, the state has made available guidelines for businesses seeking variances from their local county public health department. Of particular interest are the guidelines for dine-in restaurants where business across the state is down an estimated 93% (read more about dine-in guidelines here). The following are links to the guidelines for other business sectors (read the guidelines for office workspaces here), malls, including enclosed, outdoor and strip malls to open for pick-up only (read the retail guidelines here). Find additional guidelines for other businesses here).
Californians are urged to familiarize themselves with their county’s variances and requirements. Counties will report in real time their data related to testing, contact tracing, hospitalizations, and infection rates. The COVID-19 page will be updated regularly, so people are able to read about the current state of the stay-at-home order and Phase 2 progress for every county (read more about county guidelines here), including their self-certification and attestations.
Key milestones – COVID-19 numbers – as of today (6.15.20)
- 5,089 deaths, up by 26 or +.05%
- 151,452 positive cases +1.7% Officials are watching county trends, in light of protest activity and Phase 2 reopening and reports of increased positive cases from a number of counties, since entering further into Phase 2.
- 2,868,182 tests conducted. Over 66,000 tests conducted since Saturday.
- Latinos continue to have the highest percentage of positive cases at 56.3%; Caucasians 17.9%; Asians 7.8%, and Blacks 4.7%.
- Hospitalizations decreased by 11 to 3,103 up by .04%, since Saturday
- The majority of hospitalizations are in LA County 1,288, followed by Orange County 321; San Diego County at 282; Riverside 228; San Bernardino 206; Alameda 88; Kern 81; Imperial 79; Fresno 58;
San Joaquin 49; Stanislaus 44; Ventura 42; San Francisco 40. - ICU – 1,053- decreased by 23 or down by 2.1%.