March 8 COVID-19 Update

Across the State

COVID-19 in California by the Numbers (as of 7 a.m. Pacific Time):
114– Positive tests

24 – Cases of positive tests related to federal repatriation flights

90 – Cases not related to repatriation flights

• 37 - Travel-related

• 23 - Person to person

• 14 - Community transmission

• 16 – Under investigation

10,250+ – Number of people self-monitoring who returned to the U.S. through SFO or LAX
49 – Number of local health jurisdictions involved in self-monitoring
19 – Labs with test kits, 15 of which are already testing

How Can People Protect Themselves?
Every person has a role to play. So much of protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

• Washing hands with soap and water.

• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

• Following guidance from public health officials.

What to Do if You Think You're Sick:

Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19 or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

Source: California Department of Public Health

Countywide

There remains no evidence of an infection of COVID-19 in Tulare County, according to the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency. For updates from TCHHSA on the number of individuals in the county being self monitored, click HERE (site updated two times a week). The county has the ability to test locally; test results are typically available within 24-48.

At Kaweah Health

We have had requests from the community seeking COVID-19 testing at Kaweah Health. Individuals who are not experiencing life-threatening symptoms, should instead, call their doctor by phone, so that he/she can determine whether testing is required. At this point, we can only test individuals with approval of Tulare County’s Public Health Officer, who meet a combination of the following:

• Fever, cough, difficulty breathing
• Travel to an area in the past 14 days with a widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19
• Close contact within 14 days of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Those of us in healthcare know that this time of year, cold and flu season, is not only very busy, but dangerous – the CDC estimates that 56,000 people die from the flu or flu-like illness each year; to date, 14 people have died from COVID-19. We are in constant communication with Tulare County’s Public Health Officer and we’re constantly monitoring CDC for opportunities to improve our plan to keep our staff, patients and visitors safe. We will keep you posted as we know more.