COVID-19 Status Update for 12/17/2020

Marin County COVID-19 Status Update for December 17 includes new COVID-19 testing options coming to Marin, a video update from our COVID-19 Vaccine team; a reminder for Friday’s community conversation event, and an updated snapshot of local COVID-19 data.

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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is published daily to share important news and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep the local economy running. We remain here for you.

More Free COVID-19 Testing Is On The Way To Marin

Free COVID-19 testing by oral swab is coming to Marin County. Five rotating locations will offer coronavirus testing by online appointment for anybody, whether insured or not, as early as December 21.

The County of Marin has partnered with Curative, which offers a novel coronavirus test that has a higher clinical sensitivity than nasal cavity swab tests. The simple, painless test is self-collected, and results are returned within 48 hours by email or text. To date, Curative has distributed more than 5 million test results nationwide and is processing about 70,000 test kits per day with plenty of capacity.

Local test collection locations will rotate around Marin County, and online appointments via the Curative website will be available beginning four days before opening day at each location.

Here’s the schedule:

• Mondays, starting December 21: Bolinas Fire Station, 100 Mesa Road, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; San Geronimo Valley Community Center, 6350 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, 2-4 p.m.
• Tuesdays, starting December 22: United Market, 100 Red Hill Avenue, San Anselmo, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesdays, starting January 5: Sausalito City Hall, 420 Litho Street, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursdays, starting January 6: Piper Park, 250 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Fridays, starting January 7: Novato Library, 1720 Novato Boulevard, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Curative’s test involves having a person cough first, releasing the aerosols from the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The patient swabs saliva from the inside of the cheek and the roof of the mouth, then seals the swab in a secure container and returns it to a medical professional to be sent to a lab. The test is done without the test recipient coming into close contact with others, eliminating the need for frequent personal protective equipment (PPE) changes.  

In addition to the new Curative testing locations, you can access testing through offices of health care providers, dedicated test sites, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved home testing kits. Mail-in home testing options are gaining in popularity as a convenient alternative to traveling to a testing site. Families with returning college-aged students can have a test waiting at home. Residents should be aware of their options for testing as case counts rise. An updated list of local testing locations is on the Marin County Public Health website.

Anyone seeking a COVID-19 test should first contact a health care provider. Most providers now offer testing for their patients and are required to do so under California public health regulations.

First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Administered at Marin Hospitals and Skilled Nursing Facilities

Just yesterday, the first 1,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Marin County, and today, several hundred vaccines have already been administered to our frontline healthcare workers at local hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.  Here is a glimpse of vaccine operations at two skilled nursing facilities earlier today.

You’re Invited: Stay-Home Order -themed Community Conversation Event

Please join us for another virtual Community Conversation event, this Friday, December 18 at 2:00pm. Similar to the event we held last week, Dr. Matt Willis and Max Korten will be providing a brief update on ICU capacity, our status under the Stay Home Order, and what all of this means for our community.  Live Q&A will take place and the event will be held in English with live Spanish interpretation accessible through the Zoom platform. 

How to participate:

Zoom:  Meeting ID: 956 2661 1169, Attendee ID: #, Password: 074775

• Online:  Zoom.us/join
• Phone:  (669) 900-6833

Facebook: watch live at facebook.com/CountyOfMarin

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:

*The last status update was issued Wednesday, December 16.

Current Hospitalization Data:

Note on hospitalization data: Marin Health and Human Services, in consultation with our local hospitals, is using an internal calculation for ICU availability that includes consideration for full staffing capacity. This methodology currently differs from the calculations used by state and reported on the Blueprint website.

Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 activity:

State COVID-19 activity:

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 Tests
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• Face Coverings & Masks
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Donation Options
• Business Reopening Guidelines
• Archive of past status updates

Contact Us. We Are Here for You.

Have questions?  We are here to help: contact our COVID-19 Response Team. As a reminder, please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.

Spread the word: How your friends and family can receive these updates:

• Text "MARIN COVID" to 468311 to receive text message notifications      
• Subscribe online to receive email notifications
• Tweet & share this update with your friends on Twitter!