COVID-19 Status Update for 01/27/2023

Marin County COVID-19 Status Update for January 27, 2023 includes: COVID-sniffing Dogs Back; CDC Reveals Bivalent Booster Effectiveness; Optum Serve/LHI Testing Sites Closing February 4th; and updated local COVID-19 data.

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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is published weekly and as needed to share important news and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. We remain here for you.

COVID-19 Sniffing Dogs Back at Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)

Last week, a long-term care facility in Marin that was experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak received support from an unusual source – COVID-19 sniffing dogs. This week, they are back! A team of retrievers trained to detect COVID-19 infection helped screen potentially infected residents. The yellow labs (Scarlett and Rizzo) have been trained in a laboratory setting to detect smells specific to COVID-19. During 2021 and 2022 the dogs helped detect COVID-19 infections among students in elementary schools.

Now, for the first time, dogs are being brought into skilled nursing facilities to support COVID-19 detection among individuals at high-risk of serious disease. Staff and residents were delighted to watch the energetic and friendly dogs at work. After the dogs checked them for COVID-19, residents were excited to be able to pet and interact with the sweet canines.

“Our hope is to get the dogs used to working safely and efficiently in this new environment where they can make a big difference helping with early disease detection in high-risk settings.” Says Dr. Lael Duncan, Deputy Health Officer. “Witnessing the joy they bring to facility staff and residents is a bonus for everyone.”

CDC Reveals Bivalent Booster Effective Against Circulating COVID-19 Variants

The CDC has confirmed results showing that a bivalent mRNA booster dose provided additional protection against symptomatic infection from the COVID-19 Omicron subvariants XBB/XBB.1.5 for at least the first three months after vaccination in people who had previously received 2-4 monovalent vaccine doses. Report details can be found at Early Estimates of Bivalent mRNA Booster Dose Vaccine Effectiveness.

Optum Serve/LHI Testing Sites Closing February 4, 2023

Optum Serve/LHI offers FREE testing for uninsured and insured Marin residents. The last day for testing at Optum Serve/LHI sites is February 4, 2023. Appointments are required. Book an appointment online. For more information, visit COVID-19 Testing or call (888) 634-1123. If you prefer to test at home, the deadline to receive free at-home COVID-19 tests is approaching. Order COVID-19 Home Tests | USPS while supplies are still available.

Know your COVID-19 Community Level

The CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels are a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in Marin or other community in which you live, work or visit.

Location	Todays’ COVID-19 Community Level:	Suggested Prevention Steps:
Marin County	LOW	Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses. Maintain ventilation improvements. Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19. If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions

People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.

COVID-19 Data Update:

Below is just a snapshot of local COVID-19 data. Find a more in-depth analysis of COVID-19 trends on the Marin Data & Surveillance webpage, our Data FAQ, or Marin County's Open Data Portal.

Data sets updated weekly (published on Fridays) include:

COVID-19 vaccination rates
COVID-19 cases & deaths among facility staff and residents
Weekly/Cumulative count of COVID-19 deaths among Marin residents
State COVID-19 Data

Status updates are now published weekly on Fridays. “Change from Last Status Update” accounts for 7 days of data, unless noted otherwise (view past status updates).

COVID-19 Case Data	Today’s Report	Change from Last Status Update on January 20, 2023
Total Confirmed Cumulative Cases	44,366	+ 69
“Active Cases” (Confirmed in Past 10 Days)	92	- 27
Total Cumulative Deaths	273	+ 0*
Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations	19	- 3
Current COVID-19 ICU Patient Census	2	- 1

* Change from last Friday.

COVID-19 Vaccination Data	Today’s Report	Change from Last Week
Percent of Marin residents vaccinated with at least one dose	98%**	N/A**
Percent of Marin population who have completed vaccine series.	93.4%*	+ 0.1%
Percent of Marin residents who have received a Booster/3rd Dose	69.6%*	+ 0.1%

* * As population estimates may not be precise, the proportion of vaccinated people in any group will be displayed up to, but not higher than 98%.

* Note that this percentage is out of all Marin residents including children younger than 6 months.

Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 data:	Today’s Report	Change from Last Week
Positive Patients at Facilities cumulative	2,469	+ 0
Positive Patients at Facilities current	13	+ 0
Positive Staff at Facilities current	4	+ 0
Facility Patient Deaths	172	+ 0
Facility Patient Deaths as percentage of all COVID+ deaths	63%	+ 0.0%

State COVID-19 data:	Today’s Report	Change from Last Week
California Confirmed Cases	11,016,379	+ 19,936
California Deaths	99,130	+ 330

Resource Link Library

What to do if...

You’ve tested Positive | You’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19

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Public Health Status Update for 04/19/2024