The status update for August 26, 2020 includes a state effort to expand testing; the state’s rejection of new CDC testing guidelines; ensuring safety on local transit; updated COVID-19 activity; and a quick summary of other major events from the day.
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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is now publishing five days a week (Monday through Friday) and as needed, in order to share important news and resources in our battle against COVID-19 and to keep our economy running. We remain here for you.
Governor Announces Plans to Double State’s Testing Capacity
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new State contract with PerkinElmer that will allow California to process up to an additional 150,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests a day. The goal is to begin processing the additional tests November 1 and run at full capacity by March 1, 2021.
Testing is one of the top tools -- along with contact tracing and isolation/quarantine -- we have for preventing COVID-19 infections across the state. While it’s currently unknown how Marin will benefit from the state’s new initiative, creating a larger testing capacity will allow the state to increase testing in communities at high risk for contracting COVID-19, like essential workers, those in congregate settings and communities of color. [Read More]
State Testing Task Force Rejects CDC’s Change in Testing Guidance
In a news conference earlier today, Governor Gavin Newsom addressed new testing guidelines released earlier this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stating he does not agree with the guidance, nor will it be adopted in California. As a result, the Governor’s Testing Task Force does not have plans to change California’s current testing guidance.
The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) testing guidance focuses on testing hospitalized individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and people being tested as part of the investigation and management of outbreaks, including contact tracing. The testing guidance also prioritizes individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and individuals without symptoms who fall into high-risk categories, including people who live and work in nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons, healthcare workers, and patients in hospitals. The guidance ensures that Californians who most need tests get them even if there are limited supplies due to national supply chain challenges.
CDPH’s four testing priority areas are reflected in Marin County’s testing prioritization. As testing has expanded over the past four months, both CDPH and Marin Public Health have learned much about COVID-19 and which populations and communities it impacts disproportionately. Prioritizing testing helps ensure those patients with the highest risk of infection are quickly identified and can isolate, especially when testing and lab processing are in high demand. Getting test results more quickly in areas of potential outbreak is important to the Marin’s ability to contain the spread.
Visit our testing webpage for more information about who should get tested in Marin County. Or, learn more about COVID-19 testing by visiting the State’s testing and treatment webpage.
Marin Transit Increases Buses on Routes to Keep Riders Safe
This month, Marin Transit added more bus service to certain routes in Marin County to allow for physical distancing on busses to protect drivers and riders from potential spread of COVID-19 while ensuring riders continue to arrive at their destinations quickly and safely. The supplemental routes operate Monday-Saturday.
COVID-19 Data Update:
Below is a summary of today’s data now available on Marin Data & Surveillance webpage. View the page for a broader range of data, plus interactive graphs for confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Data analysis is available by age range, gender, race and city/town/geographic region. Questions about the data? See our Data FAQ or contact us.
COVID-19 activity in Marin:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from Last Status Update* |
|
Total Confirmed Cases |
3,763 |
+34 |
|
Total Recovered (14 days post-diagnosis) |
3,471 |
+40 |
|
Total Deaths |
69 |
0 |
|
Current Hospitalizations |
14 |
+2 |
|
Total / Cumulative Hospitalizations |
131 |
+1 |
|
Tests Completed in Marin |
67,196 |
+196 |
* The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is published Monday – Friday. Monday editions of the status update include data from Monday plus Saturday and Sunday of the previous weekend. Therefore, data shown under the “change from last update” heading will always be larger on Mondays and differ from what is published on the Coronavirus in Marin homepage, which is updated 7 days per week.
Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 activity:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from Last Status Update |
|
Positive Patients at Facilities cumulative |
349 |
+8 |
|
Positive Patients at Facilities current |
23 |
+5 |
|
Positive Staff at Facilities current |
16 |
+3 |
|
Facility Patient Deaths |
51 |
0 |
|
Facility Patient Deaths as percentage of all COVID+ deaths |
74% |
0% |
State COVID-19 activity:
DATA TYPE |
Today’s Report |
Change from Last Status Update |
|
California Confirmed Cases |
679,099 |
+6,004 |
|
California Deaths |
12,407 |
+150 |
San Quentin State Prison COVID-19 activity:
We have seen an improvement in the COVID-19 outbreak situation at San Quentin, including no new cases reported for more than seven days. Marin Public Health will continue to monitor the situation at San Quentin, but at this point, we believe the outbreak of June 2020 is largely over. Therefore, as of 8/24/2020 we will no longer report San Quentin numbers in this status report (or on our surveillance page). However, you can continue to track all of San Quentin data at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website which is the source of our data.
In Other News… (Non-COVID Updates)
While the following is not related to COVID, it is news from Marin County's Emergency Operations Center that we thought you should know about.
Woodward Fire Update
The Woodward Fire continues to burn in Point Reyes National Seashore. To date, it has burned 2,739 acres of dense vegetation in a sparsely populated area of Marin County and 5% contained. So far 259 personnel have been brought in to fight the Woodward Fire, consisting of seven crews, plus 20 engines, five helicopters and two water-scooping planes.
A portion of West Marin (Silverhills Road, Fox Drive and Norden Way south of Inverness Park) was evacuated yesterday. In addition, the previous evacuation warning area was expanded to include areas from Sir Francis Drake Blvd to the top of Olema Hill - everything north of Sir Francis Drake, as well as everything between the above intersections to the east to Olema Hill and west of Highway 1.
Please avoid the West Marin area. Public safety officials ask that coastal traffic be limited to local traffic only. There are very few evacuation routes from West Marin and there are multiple fire resources utilizing the roadways. It is imperative that roadways remain open in the event of an evacuation order.
Woodward Fire Information Resources:
- Woodward Fire Incident page
- Fire Public Information Line: (415) 473-7191
- Marin County Fire Twitter Account (frequent updates)
- Archive of daily video briefings (in English & Spanish)
Stay Informed
Follow the County of Marin on Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor or subscribe to our status updates. Visit MarinHHS.org/coronavirus for resources to stay connected on the issue.
Helpful Links and Online Resources:
- Frequently Asked Questions
- COVID-19 Test Information
- Face Covering & Mask Information
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Donation Options
- Business Reopening Guidelines
- Business Reopening Status
- Archive of past status updates
Contact Us. We Are Here For You.
Have questions? We are here to help. Our call center is available Monday through Friday, from 9:30am to 12-noon and 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Please feel free to connect with us for general information and resources by calling (415) 473-7191. We are also available online! As a reminder, please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
Reporting Businesses in Violation of Public Health Orders
We know this is a challenging time. Those wishing to report a public health order violation by a business can submit their concerns to SIPViolation@marincounty.org. Please include the business name, address, and as much detail as possible regarding the perceived health order violation. Photos and other documentation welcome, too. Reports will be forwarded to the appropriate governing agency for review and investigation.
Visit Marin Recovers Status list for information on business openings and guidelines and the current health order for information on face covering requirements, shelter-in-place and more. Keep in mind that the goal of the order is to educate and keep our community safe. While violations of the public health order are misdemeanors, making arrests continues to remain a measure of last resort for local law enforcement. It will only be considered after all education and voluntary compliance efforts have failed.
Be a role model and follow the order while encouraging others to do the same. If you see a business out of compliance, you can speak directly to the owner, and offer the link or a copy of the COVID-19 Site-Specific Protection Plan as well as information about the Marin Recovers website. We’re all in this together and we all need to do our part.