The county’s director of public health said Tuesday that COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ventura County are increasing but remain “manageable.”
“It’s not heavy on our health care system,” Rigoberto Vargas said in an update on the pandemic’s local effects at a county board of supervisors meeting.
Vargas said that as of Tuesday, 89 COVID-19 patients had been admitted to hospitals across the county from 80 patients a day earlier, but still far fewer than the previous surge. He said that many people hospitalized with COVID are being treated mainly for other conditions.
Increased admissions and high transmission rates have pushed Ventura and more than 30 other California counties into the highest COVID-19 risk level, as ranked by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rating has brought with it a recommendation that everyone wear masks indoors.
Los Angeles County officials have said they will reinstate an indoor mask mandate if the county enters the expected top risk level and stays there for two weeks.
Vargas said Ventura County would not require masks, but he would continue to recommend them.
More restrictions will be considered if hospitalization and ICU levels increase significantly, Vargas said.
Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme began an indoor masking mandate Friday in compliance With defense guidelines triggered by CDC rankings. CSU Channel Islands outside Camarillo begin requiring masks indoors Last week.
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Vargas said the county’s move to the high risk or red level about two weeks ago indicates that the COVID pandemic is still more than two years into the game. He urged people to get vaccinated and promoted and also tested if they develop symptoms or are at risk.
State data showed the COVID daily case rate averaged a high of 31.1 infections per 100,000 people, but had fallen from the peak last week. The rate is calculated at 8-day intervals and new infections appear to be increasing, suggesting that transmission is still on the rise.
More than 16% of people swabbed for COVID in PCR tests came back positive in the county, a rate Vargas called “very high”. Home tests are not included in the data.
“It could be better but we are not in the position we were in during the last surge, at least currently,” Vargas told the observers’ meeting.
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The majority of localized cases are likely caused by the highly infectious omicron BA.5 subvariant, believed to be more developed for antibodies from vaccines or natural immunity. Vargas said vaccines still reduce the chance of serious illness and death.
Although omicron subvariants cause less severe disease, more will be known about BA.5 as it continues to spread across the region, Vargas said.
“It’s still early with this,” he said.
Carmen Ramirez, chair of the board of supervisors, said she tested positive in early June and was eligible for treatment with Paxlovid tablets. She recovered quickly and survived with symptoms known as “paxlovid rebound.”
“I felt 100% in about 5 days or less,” she said.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Contact them at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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