While the daily number of COVID-19 cases reported by Kern County Public Health continued to drop Wednesday, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates Kern is still experiencing community levels considered high.
Kern County Public Health reported 69 new cases Wednesday and six deaths. That marked the first time Kern County Public Health’s daily number of reported COVID-19 cases dipped into double digits this year, according to The Californian’s previous reporting.
However, data from the CDC shows Kern is one of 12 counties categorized as having high COVID-19 community levels out of California’s 58 counties based on its seven-day case rate and other factors. The CDC’s ranking system ranks counties throughout the United States as either low, medium or high by factoring hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of COVID-19 cases in a region.
In fact, Kern County has a seven-day case rate of 393.69 per 100,000 people, the highest rate in all of California, per data on the CDC website as of Tuesday, the most recent numbers available.
The Kern County Public Health Department reported 664 cases Monday from over the weekend, and 162 cases Tuesday.
“(This is a) dramatic improvement over where we were a month ago,” said Dr. Glenn Goldis, chief medical officer of Kern Medical. “We are seeing … fewer tests turning positive out of our lab each day. So it’s been much, much better.”
Michelle Corson, the county’s Public Health spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday the CDC updated its framework because widespread population immunity has decreased the overall risk of severe disease.
“Although Kern currently falls in the high community transmission category according to this new framework, our daily cases and hospitalizations continue to decline following the omicron surge,” Corson said.
In total, 2,173 people in Kern have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began and 240,530 people have been infected, according to county Public Health data. There are 2,022 cases identified as the omicron variant and 2,872 cases identified as the delta variant.
The state’s Department of Public Health data also indicates 77 people were hospitalized as of Tuesday, the most recent figure available, which is six patients fewer than Monday.
Despite a decrease in COVID-19-infected patients, Goldis said residents should not completely disregard donning a face mask or other COVID-related precautions. He also recommended wearing a face shield indoors and in crowded settings.
“Think of all these precautions and measures that we take to limit infection like an umbrella in the umbrella stand,” Goldis said. “You don’t have to use (the umbrella) everyday. But, when it rains, you pull it out, and when it stops, you put it back.”
Goldis said the omicron-fueled wave deviated from previous surges because the infections soared to new heights but then dramatically decreased. He attributes this to the contagious nature of the new variant.
And while fewer COVID-19 cases are being reported daily, patients are still flooding into Kern Medical, Goldis said. The facility has a “high volume and high census” from individuals seeking care for ailments unrelated to COVID-19. These illnesses worsened over time as patients postponed visiting hospitals over the past two years, he said.
Goldis gave an example of a person who left heart disease untreated. Because the heart is damaged, fluid can accumulate in the lungs and legs, which can cause swelling, he said.
Normal checkups during a doctor’s appointment for those with heart disease include monitoring weight, adjusting the medicine dosage and ensuring salt intake is proper, he said. By foregoing visits to a doctor, these factors go unexamined and the heart failure can worsen, he added.
Goldis recommends getting “tuned up” and following up on preventative measures. A mammogram and colonoscopy are key to detecting cancers early, Goldis said.
“It’s a great time to come in,” Goldis said.
