September 18, 2020

Watch: Health Officer's September 18 Update.

In this week's briefing, Dr. Luu discusses the long-term effects from COVID-19 experienced by some people, and how we can get from the purple tier to the red tier.

September 1, 2020

September 1, 2020

The State of California announced Friday that hair salons and barbershops can reopen in all counties effective Monday, regardless of the Monitoring List. Retail stores and malls can also reopen indoors at 25 percent capacity.

At a noontime press conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom also unveiled new tiered stages based on a county’s average case count in a 7-day period. Both Yuba and Sutter counties are included – along with 36 other counties – in the most restrictive (purple) tier with more than seven new cases per 100,000 population over a 7-day period. In this current tier, while indoor hair cutting and styling services and partial indoor retail can reopen, all other sectors remain in their current status. The state utilizes case count calculations from August 18th to calculate the case counts. The reason for this two week look-back is to ensure that all data reconciliation has occurred prior to the finalization of the counts.

Under the new guidance, elementary schools can apply for an in-person schooling waiver when the average case rate is less than 14 new cases per 100,000 population daily, which is essentially equivalent to the previous metric that used a formula based on a two-week average count of 200 new cases per 100,000. Once a county qualifiesd for the next step – the red tier – it must maintain the lower count for at least two weeks and not revert back to purple tier levels, in order for all in-person schooling to continue.

“While Yuba-Sutter is in the most restrictive tier currently, both counties are improving and we do expect to drop to a lower tier in the coming weeks,” Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said. “However, with five new deaths in the past week, we must remain diligent in doing our part to not get sick in the first place, and not infect those around us.”

The state indicated that the new case rates to determine which tier a county is placed on now includes an adjustment factor for counties testing above the state average, which addresses concerns that increased testing works against counties trying to get off of the state Monitoring List.

The four tiers and the activities allowed in each are outline (add a “d” to make it outlined instead of outline) on the revised state website: covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy . Counties must remain in a single tier for at least 21 days before moving to the next tier, according to the State. A county can only go from one tier to the next.

The red tier includes counties with an average of 4 to 7 new cases in a 7-day period; the orange tier will include Counties with an average of 1 to 3.9 new cases in a 7-day period; and the yellow tier is for Counties with an average of less than one new case in a 7-day period.

Yuba and Sutter public health officials stress the importance of continuing to practice the following tenets to help break the chain of transmission: social distance of 6 feet or more from people you don’t live with; wear a facial covering when in public and around people you don’t live with; do not host or attend social gatherings; practice good hand hygiene; and stay home when sick.

If you choose to gather with others, consider making a pact to mingle only with one or two other households, in an attempt to lessen the spread of the virus to other households.

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

California has a blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities.

September 1, 2020

Where can you go locally to get your flu shot?

The time is now to get a flu shot.

August 26, 2020

Watch: The numbers are improving, but the virus is still dangerous

Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu outlines the encouraging indications coming form the local COVID-19 stats, but she implores everyone to remain diligent. Recent lives lost underscore that the virus is still deadly. She also talks about the "Twindemic" -- a time when we will see flu season and COVID-19 season overlap.

In this video, Dr. Luu mentions two recent virus-related deaths. Just a few minutes after this video was filmed, we got word of another local person who died as a result of COVID-19.

August 19, 2020

Watch: Dr. Luu Discusses Her Own Struggles In This Season of COVID-19

Many are doing what is necessary to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, but we must also pay attention to our mental and emotional health. Dr. Luu talks about how important it is to first acknowledge such struggles in our lives and then address them.

Watch: Dr. Luu Discusses Her Own Struggles In This Season of COVID-19 Many are doing what is necessary to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, but we must also pay attention to our mental and emotional health. Dr. Luu talks about how important it is to first acknowledge such struggles in our lives and then address them. Local Mental Health Resources

August 13, 2020

Watch: Yuba-Sutter OptumServe Testing Sites

COVID-19 test result turnaround times have greatly improved and now take about 3-4 days. If you have any symptoms, even if mild, register for testing at LHI.care/COVIDtesting or call 888-634-1123. Walk-ins are also welcome.

August 12, 2020

Watch: Health Officer's August 12 Update. Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Luu talks about case counts and testing.

Dr. Luu encourages diligence, as positive case counts lean the wrong direction. On a better note, the state data glitch is fixed and turnaround time on testing has improved.

August 11, 2020

Watch: How the state data glitch impacts the COVID-19 numbers....not a lot.

Sutter County Epidemiologist Dr. Robert Herrick explains how redundancies built into reporting of positive tests is keeping the state data glitch from adding too many "old" cases.

August 10, 2020

Watch: Are people who test positive for COVID-19 multiple times counted on the Dashboard as new cases? No.

Sutter County Epidemiologist Dr. Robert Herrick answers a popular misconception about the Yuba-Sutter Public Health COVID-19 Dashboard.

August 5, 2020

Watch: Health Officer's August 5 Update. Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu details the state data glitch related to COVID-19 counts

About a week and a half ago, two key state computer systems involved in counting and tracking some COVID-19 positive and negative test results stopped communicating with each other. This glitch is impacting all California counties, and Dr. Luu describes what it means in terms of local numbers.



Also, if you get a call from one of our health team members who is following up on a positive test result, please talk to them. They are simply working to give you good information and to prevent any further spread of the virus.

July 30, 2020

Watch: Whether calculated by mortality rate or case fatality rate, Y-S doing better with COVID than state.

Sutter County epidemiologist explains the difference between "mortality rate" and "case fatality rate" and how whether you use one or the other, both indicators show Yuba-Sutter is outperforming the state of California when it comes to controlling spread of COVID-19 and protecting the public.

July 29, 2020

Watch: Dr. Luu discusses the recent lives lost to COVID-19. She also busts the myth that there is a "cure."

The deaths this week are sad reminders of the dangers of COVID-19. Also, Dr. Luu addresses claims about supposed curing powers of chloroquine and hydrozychloroquine. Nope... no established benefit.

July 24, 2020

July 23, 2020