People getting together in Marin for parties and family gatherings are fueling the spread of the coronavirus, according to the county’s public health officer.
“Many of us are missing our friends and feeling like this has been going on for a long time and maybe getting a little bit too relaxed,” Dr. Matt Willis said in a teleconference forum this week. “But our contact tracers do find that that is one of the additional sources of infections in Marin.”
The same is true in Sonoma County. About 15% of infections there have been traced back to gatherings, said Sonoma County Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase.
“We’re seeing cases in small friend and family gatherings like barbecues, dinners, holiday gatherings like Fourth of July and Father’s Day, large residential parties, funerals,” Mase said.
“Maybe it’s extended family. Maybe it’s neighbors,” she said. “It’s important to only really do things with household members at this time.”
Marin’s stay-at-home order has allowed people to gather in “social bubbles” since mid-June, but Willis has urged people to stick to a strict set of safety protocols when getting together with groups.
The bubbles should consist of “a stable group of 12 people or fewer who have collectively agreed to limit their in-person social activities to only each other for at least three weeks,” according to the county’s public health department. Health officials said members of a bubble who do not live together are encouraged to wear masks, stay outdoors and keep 6 feet apart when getting together.
Willis said the parties that are triggering coronavirus spread are in many cases illegal get-togethers.
“It’s gatherings, sleepovers, indoor parties where we’ve been clear that that’s not safe to engage in yet,” he said. “It’s actually not allowed under the order and it’s against the law.”
The other main drivers of coronavirus spread in Marin are people becoming infected at work and outbreaks at senior homes, Willis said.
Senior home residents account for about 80% of the coronavirus-related deaths in Marin, but only 8% of coronavirus infections. Young adults are testing positive for the virus at higher rates than any other age group, according to county data.
About a third of the Marin residents who have tested positive for the virus are between the ages of 19 and 34, county data show. A quarter are between the ages of 35 and 49 and 15% are between 50 and 64. Children age 18 and younger make up 14% of cases and people over the age of 65 make up 12%.
Similar trends have been observed throughout the state, according to Dr. Timothy Brewer, a UCLA infectious disease specialist.
“It’s young adults that are driving this infection right now in California,” he said.
Brewer noted that California’s Latino population is contracting the virus at higher rates than other demographics. Latinos make up 39% of the state’s population but account for 58% of coronavirus cases, he said.
In Marin, Latinos have been testing positive at even higher rates. Latinos account for 16% of the county’s population and 75% of its coronavirus cases.
According to Willis, one in five Marin residents have now been tested for the virus. Just over 1% of the county’s population has tested positive, county data show.
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August 08, 2020 at 05:44AM
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Marin coronavirus chief: Social gatherings fueling contagion - Marin Independent Journal
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