Local ICU full of COVID patients over the holiday

Although total COVID-19 related patient counts for Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley have dropped, the hospital’s intensive care unit was packed again as the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend began.

Cases in the 93561 ZIP code (Tehachapi) have been creeping up since the lockdown ended in mid-June. According to data from Kern County Public Health, more than 28 percent of total cases since the pandemic shut things down 21 months ago have been recorded during the last four months.

In Facebook posts on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24, the hospital reported all four of its ICU beds were filled with COVID-19 patients, all of them unvaccinated. The total patient count related to the virus was nine on the 22nd and 10 on the 24th. Only one patient on each day was fully vaccinated.

The total count is down from a high of 21 total virus-related patients on Nov. 2 and Nov. 4 when the most recent surge seems to

have peaked. The hospital has 25 beds, including the four-bed ICU.

According to data from the state COVID-19 tracking website, there were only 22 ICU beds available in Kern County on Nov. 26, a 15.4 percent decrease from the previous day. However, countywide, there were two fewer ICU patients than the previous day.

TEHACHAPI CASES

ZIP code-specific information from the Kern County Public Health Department provides evidence of the recent surge, as well. As of Nov. 26, Kern County reported 5,673 cases in the 93561 ZIP code. That’s 1,619 new cases since Aug. 2 when Tehachapi News last reported the county’s total as 4,054.

Michelle Corson, public information officer for the county’s public health department, said that the 93561 ZIP code reporting includes people incarcerated at the California Correctional Institution.

However, data available from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Nov. 26 showed no active cases among the incarcerated population currently or within the 14 previous days. However, there have been 1,530 cases logged since the beginning of the pandemic with 63 cases active at the time inmates were released and a total of four inmate deaths.

Among staff at CCI, however, CDCR data updated on Nov. 24 showed five new cases within the last 14 days with all currently active. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the department reported 867 cumulative staff cases at CCI with 862 staff returned to work and three staff deaths.

Kern County does not report COVID-19 related deaths by ZIP code. It did report the total COVID-19 related deaths in the county as of Nov. 24 as 1,781.

“The publicly available data related to COVID-19 deaths is what is on our dashboard in accordance with our HIPAA statistician to ensure patient privacy,” Corson said.

TEEN DEATHS IN RIDGECREST

Tehachapi is not alone among eastern Kern County communities feeling the recent surge. In mid-October, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital reported rising positivity rates in the community and noted that since the onset of the pandemic more than 100 people have been hospitalized there, often putting the hospital at or over capacity.

On Nov. 24, The Daily Independent in Ridgecrest reported that the Sierra Sands Unified School District is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases and that the district reported that two high school students there recently died from the virus.

Although most deaths related to COVID-19 have been among people 50 and older, with more than 36 percent of California deaths in the 80-plus age range, as of Nov. 23, the state reported 12 deaths in the 5-and-under age group and 27 among those ages 5-17.

Nov. 24 data from the state showed more than 700,000 confirmed cases statewide among people 17

and under.

Tehachapi Unified School Superintendent Stacey Larson-Everson reported results from district testing at a meeting of the school board on Nov. 16. She said the district performed 5,150 tests to date, with 501 positive tests, indicating a 10.08 positive test rate. Her data as of Nov. 7 showed 274 student cases, 83 staff cases, 1,855 close contacts and nine classroom quarantines.

PREVENTION

Data from the Centers for Disease Control continues to show Kern County as having high community transmission. In addition

to recommending vaccination, the CDC now advises everyone to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas where there is high community transmission.

On Nov. 24, the state Department of Public Health noted that cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations, noting:

Unvaccinated people were 7.2 times more likely to get COVID-19 (data from Nov. 7 to Nov. 13).

Unvaccinated people were 13.1 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 (data from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6).

Unvaccinated people were 15.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 (data from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30).

According to state data, as of Nov. 13, about 40 percent of the population of Tehachapi (93561) ages 5 and up were fully vaccinated. About 45 percent had at least one dose of a vaccine.

The state is no longer reporting the vaccination rate of adults on its data dashboard.

At CCI, the CDCR reported as of Nov. 26 that 81 percent of inmates and 52 percent of staff were fully vaccinated.