To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.
Alison Stribling has learned a lot about infectious disease since she transferred onto Covid-19 response at the health department in Contra Costa County near San Francisco. One of her discoveries: How vital fax machines are to US pandemic response.
Across the country, labs and health providers report new Covid-19 cases to local health departments. At Contra Costa Health Services, officials use the data to start contact tracing or send extra help in certain cases, such as at a care home or to an infected health care worker.
On a typical day in Contra Costa, only around half of those reports arrive electronically; the rest, as many as hundreds, flow in via the fax line, creating a Sisyphean reading list. “It can be a very long day, especially during surges,” says Stribling, a public health program specialist. “It’s that feeling of ‘I can never get on top of this.’”
Scientists develop a real-time COVID-19 triage system to help contain its spread
A year on since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic first emerged, many lessons have been learned about the dynamics of its spread. Immediate isolation and contact tracing has played a pivotal role in containment strategies.
Though some countries have efficiently flattened the curve and effectively prevented sharp surges of COVID-19 cases, many still grapple with the pandemic. To date, there are more than 76.41 million cases and over 1.68 million deaths worldwide.
Having a cost-effective method of triaging patients and identifying possible cases is crucial in fighting against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
California To Receive 40% Less COVID Vaccines in Next Shipment The state is one of several to receive federal notice that there will be less doses of the vaccine delivered than originally estimated. It is unclear as to why there have been cutbacks. Dustin Gardiner, San Francisco Chronicle | December 18, 2020 | News
(TNS) California s second shipment of coronavirus vaccines, set to be delivered next week, will contain far fewer doses than initially expected, Gov. Gavin Newsom s office said Thursday.
Newsom estimated earlier this week that the state would receive an additional approximately 393,900 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the shipment. It will now receive 233,000 doses a decrease of 40 percent.
Coronavirus outbreak at Contra Costa County jails
By Lisa Fernandez
As of Wednesday, 36 inmates tested positive for the virus.
RICHMOND, Calif. - Contra Costa Health Services is investigating a COVID-19 outbreak among inmates at Martinez Detention Facility and West Contra Costa Detention Facility in Richmond, KTVU has learned.
As of Wednesday morning, 36 inmates tested positive for COVID-19. None of them required hospitalization, according to an email sent to KTVU by the health services department. Health officials are now working to determine whether all cases are related to a single outbreak.
This is the first recorded COVID-19 outbreak in Contra Costa County s jails, according to the health services department.
Health officials investigate coronavirus outbreak in two Contra Costa County jails
FacebookTwitterEmail
1of2
The West County Detention Facility in Richmond is one of two Contra Costa jails where inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. The other is the Martinez Detention Facility.Noah Berger / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of2
The main entrance of the Martinez Detention Facility.Gwendolyn WuShow MoreShow Less
Thirty-six inmates in two Contra Costa County jails have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday morning in the latest virus outbreak to hit detention facilities.
Contra Costa Health Services is investigating a coronavirus outbreak that has infected 36 inmates at the Martinez Detention Facility and the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, the health department said in a statement. Officials said none of these cases required hospitalization.