San Benito County officials are reminding local residents to continue to shelter at home and practice social distancing guidelines as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads.
The county’s public health officer, Marty Fentersheib, ordered a “shelter in place” for all residents starting on March 18. The order will continue through April 7, with schools, public buildings and most businesses that serve large groups of people required to close.
The shelter at home order says residents may only leave their homes to conduct “essential business.” On March 28, the county sent out a reminder that the order is still in place, even during weekends.
Specifically, county health experts offer the following guidelines:
• Stay home, minimize travel;
• Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds;
• When using hand sanitizers, rub hands together until completely dry;
• Keep social distancing, at least 6 feet away from people while in public places;
• Avoid touching face, nose and mouth.
As of Monday morning, March 30, officials reported a total of 14 confirmed cases in San Benito County. Eleven of those cases remain active. One death related to COVID-19 was reported on March 16.
Of the 14 confirmed cases in San Benito County, two are travel related, five came from person-to-person transmission, three were from community transmission and four are under investigation.
A total of 184 Hazel Hawkins patients have been tested for the COVID-19 illness, as of March 30. According to the county’s COVID-19 online data dashboard, 121 test samples have come back negative and 35 are pending. The county’s site was last updated March 29.
Currently, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, the only hospital in San Benito County, does not have the capacity to test patients showing COVID-19 symptoms on site at local facilities. If a patient meets the criteria for COVID-19 testing, hospital staff or a doctor take a saliva sample and send it to a laboratory off-site for testing and analysis. Hazel Hawkins sends its specimens to three different labs: Monterey County Public Health Lab, Quest Diagnostics and Stanford, according to Hazel Hawkins spokeswoman Frankie Gallagher.
The lab then sends the results back to the hospital or doctor—a process that can take several days from sample to results.
However, that is expected to change in the next couple of weeks in San Benito County, as Hazel Hawkins will be able to test and analyze patients’ samples on site. Gallagher said federal authorities just last week authorized local health professionals to use “specific analyzers for COVID-19 testing.” The hospital already has the equipment to perform the testing.
“We are now looking for a supplier to get the test kids,” Gallagher said. She added, “Running tests in-house versus having to send them out enables us to get results more quickly, which, in turn, allows us to notify a positive patient much more quickly, hopefully limiting their exposure to others.”
Hazel Hawkins and other private medical practices throughout California test patients for COVID-19 chiefly in accordance with testing guidelines put forth by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These guidelines limit testing recommendations mostly to patients who require urgent care for symptoms common to the COVID-19 illness.
Hazel Hawkins earlier this month set up a COVID-19 triage tent outside the emergency room, where patients with novel coronavirus symptoms are assessed and evaluated for testing and further care.
When a patient tests positive for COVID-19, health professionals conduct a “background investigation” to determine where that person might have traveled and who they have come into contact in previous weeks, San Benito County Public Information Office David Westrick explained.
Holliser Mayor Ignacio Velazquez, in a March 25 Facebook video, advised residents to “call your doctor” if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, which include fever, coughing, headache and difficulty breathing. Residents who don’t have a doctor can call Hazel Hawkins at (831) 636-2664.
“Do not just show up to get tested,” Velazquez said.
The county’s COVID-19 data dashboard can be found online at https://cosb.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/1b049e2ea65043baafcf5361b5b07ddd
