CottageHealthSystem
Source: Cottage Health
Dear Community Members,
We write to you today with an update on the rapidly changing situation in our hospitals and community. We are concerned about the health of our community – the increasing spread of COVID-19 puts our community at risk, and the disease can cause serious illness in people of any age. Now is a critical time in determining our future in the fight against this virus.
At Cottage Health, our Incident Command Center continues to meet daily to ensure we are meeting today’s needs and preparing for future needs. Our hospitals have been steadily preparing even as we provide ongoing care for COVID and non-COVID related conditions.
COVID-19 is active in our community, and local case numbers are rising steeply. This virus spreads easily, and we are seeing growing numbers of people becoming very ill. The patients we are seeing have a variety of symptoms. We can’t let our guard down.
In the past few weeks, the number of laboratory tests ordered and collected by Cottage Health has remained steady at about 2,500 per week, while the weekly percent of positive results has grown from 3.9 to just over 6.2 percent, and yesterday’s positive results were 8.7 percent. This is the time for all of us to recommit to daily safety precautions.
The choices we make today and over this holiday weekend will impact our community – our family, friends, coworkers and neighbors – in the weeks and months ahead. Please stay away from crowded places. Avoid large gatherings, and keep at least a 6-foot distance from those outside your household. Wear a face mask when you need to leave your home.
As a community we are being challenged in many ways, social, psychological and economic. The past efforts of both our community and our employees have enabled us to look forward and adapt. Because of the collective commitment to safety and staying at home this spring, our hospitals were able to build supply inventory and plan for surge capacity needs. While continuing care for non-COVID conditions, Cottage currently has 35 ICU beds and 60 Medical-Surgical beds available for patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Our current COVID-19 inpatient census is just over 18 percent of that capacity.
Patients with COVID-19 receive care on a specialized unit away from other patients, and dedicated staff are trained to use the protective equipment and cleaning protocols needed to protect against the spread of germs. Our hospitals remain safe for ongoing care of non-COVID conditions. Seek medical care if you need it.
Now we are asking for your help again – to protect our community, our patients, and all of those who are essential workers. Please make safe and careful choices this holiday weekend to keep distance and respect and protect others. We can all do our part to prevent this virus from spreading. We often hear the word ‘surge’ in planning for this virus – but we are mindful of what it really means: more people who are seriously ill and fighting for their lives.
We can save lives with just these three proven protections: clean hands, physical distancing, and face coverings. Your partnership in doing these consistently is essential. Though it’s difficult not to be with friends for holidays and celebrations, during this pandemic it’s clear that not gathering with people outside your household could make the difference for our community, and it could save someone’s life.
Your safe choices can help keep the number of COVID cases down, keep our hospitals from reaching surge capacity, and keep our healthcare workers on the frontlines to provide safe care for COVID-19 and for other ongoing health needs.
Thank you for your continued support.
MTNDRIVER how do you know that? We regularly take rides down to the beach areas and it’s chock full of tourists at hotels, etc. While SM may have the majority of cases, the cases here in the city have spiked whereas before our numbers were pretty low, comparatively speaking. Not anymore.
MTNDRIVER how do you know that? We regularly take rides down to the beach areas and it’s chock full of tourists at hotels, etc. While SM may have the majority of cases, the cases here in the city have spiked whereas before our numbers were pretty low, comparatively speaking. Not anymore.
Santa Maria is not, and never has been a tourist attraction. Most traffic on vacation or Holiday drive by on their way to SF, LA Pismo, SB, SYV wine country, SLO. Even Paso Robles now that it has become a wine destination.
No source needed. Would you visit Santa Maria for fun?
Yes in fact. We’ve gone up there “for fun” many weekends – way more stores than here, it’s a nice drive, Los Alamos is a cute town to stop in and there are more options for food and everything else if you just want something simple, fun, nostalgic versus overpriced fancy schmancy stuff. We enjoy going there. Now of course we don’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that the city of SB now has more cases than before, way more. Tourists are part of that.
Yes in fact. We’ve gone up there “for fun” many weekends – way more stores than here, it’s a nice drive, Los Alamos is a cute town to stop in and there are more options for food and everything else if you just want something simple, fun, nostalgic versus overpriced fancy schmancy stuff. We enjoy going there. Now of course we don’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that the city of SB now has more cases than before, way more. Tourists are part of that.
A temp travel ban has been thrashed about on previous threads. It would be completely ineffective unless there were National Guard troops at every off-ramp demanding your papers. That’s not going to happen unless we’re in an End of the World scenario. Best bet for yourself is to stay home when you can until this wave sweeps past.
People are trying to get out of Santa Maria, not visit it.
Aside from spread due to reopening and the protests I also am of the opinion that much of what we are seeing here is from visitors from LA, SF and other larger cities/areas with higher case numbers. I don’t know why officials aren’t implementing mini travel bans into and out of areas with large community spread/higher case numbers. A temporary travel ban for a few weeks would probably go a long way to stemming this.
Commenter at 11:28–The fact that most of the cases here are in Santa Maria contradicts your assumption. Not too many people from those big cities spending time there.
“Not too many people from those big cities spending time there.” Source?
Some diseases disproportionally hit different ethnic groups, for instance, Sickle-Cell Anemia and Tay-Sachs. I’ve read that one’s blood-type (A, AB, B, or O) may give additional protection or susceptibility, so is that another factor in the differing infection rates of different ethnic groups?
There is no widespread testing and no contact tracing. Testing should be made readily available. Quarantine the sick or ones who test positive. Assuming everyone has covid-19 is what wrecked the economy. Fauci needs to go. He makes us feel like it’s our fault even though we’re wearing the masks.
County & City don’t enforce public health orders. Bars are open! Live music on State St. No social distancing on State St and elsewhere. Newsom should not give the County any economic aid if it won’t enforce our public health orders.
There are articles discussing how one person may impact more based upon where they work and how many people they pass by in a day. For example a care giver at a senior living is around many at risk people or a bus driver who has many people passing close by all day.
There are also articles that discuss lower income areas are affected more because housing is tighter and more people living under one roof and an individual can’t as easily self quarantine in those situations as well as they are more likely to goto work even if they have symptoms because they need to provide for their families and don’t get paid time off.
It appears there still a lot that is unknown about transmission and who exactly is affected the most. But it seems to make sense like in NYC where everyone RBI’s on top of each other and in public transportation that transmission is higher in those instances. It also makes sense that one person could infect many depending on where they work.
Again a lot of unknowns and speculation from the scientific community.
If the City & County pulled together and helped those lower income people self isolate when sick and offer sick pay it might help areas like Santa Maria. Just thinking of ways to help, any ideas?
We’re wearing the masks? You mean the 60% of us? Not enough to provide herd immunity which might help.