The coronavirus epidemic in Sacramento has found a new and alarming nesting ground – inside family homes.
A week-long surge in coronavirus cases culminated with 267 new cases Friday through Sunday, the biggest three-day increase by far since COVID-19 hit the region three months ago.
But to the surprise of health officials, most of the spread is not happening at newly reopened nail salons, restaurants and barbers, or at previously hard-hit nursing and assisted care living centers. The surge also does not appear to be related to police brutality protests held in the earlier this month.
Instead, virus trackers are finding the recent surge is happening inside homes, often among extended families and friends during events such as graduation parties. While much of the infection spread in Sacramento is among whites, recent data show an increase among Latinos as well.
That caused county officials on Monday to say they are reassessing their community outreach efforts, which formerly focused on group care facilities that were the epicenter of the pandemic locally and statewide during its early weeks.
Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento’s health officer, said the theory is that some people are finally giving up on the hard work of social distancing that many have done for months. Others have mistakenly assumed the worst of the pandemic is over, given that government has given shopping malls, farmer’s markets and other public-gathering spots the OK to reopen.
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“We have a lot of concern about individuals gathering in homes,” she said. “One problem is it is hard to do social distancing and people are not careful about wearing face coverings.”
Kasirye’s associate, Dr. Peter Beilenson, the county health chief, said the county needs to get a more blunt message out:
“These gatherings absolutely must not occur. People are spreading the disease among family members.”
Much of the county’s understanding of the changing dynamics of the pandemic stem from phone calls made by county “contact tracers” who interview infected people to find out where they might have gotten the infection, and who they’ve associated with closely in the days since then.
At a recent family funeral, Kasirye said, younger members of the family attended the funeral, caught the virus and then passed it on to their parents, both of whom are in their 60s and more susceptible to serious cases.
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The percentage of cases among people under age 50 also is on the rise. Younger people are still less likely to get hit with a serious infection, though some have gotten very sick. But health officials say the increase in COVID-19 among younger people prompts another concern: Those who are asymptomatic pose a risk to others, notably older people, if they get together.
IN-HOME GATHERINGS PROHIBITED
Although many of the social restrictions imposed in March have since been relaxed, the county emergency health order continues to prohibit in-home gatherings. That ban, however, is not enforced. It is up to individuals to voluntarily agree to abide by it.
Beilenson said he believes it is relatively safe for people to gather in small groups, as long as it’s outdoors and people wear masks. He was part of a group this weekend of six people who sat apart outdoors wearing masks, each of whom brought their own food and drinks.
The recent spike in cases in Sacramento and around the state is partly due to the fact that more people are being tested. But Sacramento County disease data show that the disease is also spreading more widely to a higher percentage of people:
During the first week of June, only 1.65 percent of people tested in Sacramento County for the virus had an active infection. As of Monday, that percentage had increased to 2.3 percent.
That is a notable and worrisome data point, health officials say. It means that the virus is on the move and spreading again, and has begun to put Sacramento County’s group of 30 contact tracers under increasing pressure.
The tracers’ task is to call and sequester people who may be infected. The county is fast-tracking hiring training for another 30 tracers this week, some of whom have already begun making calls to potentially infected people.
“This pace is difficult,” Kasirye said. “We do need to increase the tracers. We need to work hard to keep up. We don’t want it to get to the point where we were before.”
The county is not, however, considering shutting down any of the businesses that have recently reopened.
In fact, if there is good news in the new data, it’s that restaurants and retail outlets seem so far to be dealing well with virus safety steps, especially since Gov. Gavin Newsom last week ordered people to wear masks when going into public places.
Notably, as well, so far in Sacramento only four people who have tested positive say they attended one of the many local police brutality protests held in the region in the past three weeks.
That could increase over time, though. “We can’t come to any conclusions yet,” Kasirye said.