Dr. Frankovich Talks About Changes in Local COVID Testing, Says Humboldt is Not In The Red But Urges Caution with Gatherings
Humboldt County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich has been answering questions since the stay-at-home orders were instituted on a two question per media outlet roughly one or two times a week basis. The Emergency Operations Center takes the questions, and staff reads them on camera for their response. The resulting video, called a Media Availability, is then provided to news outlets at the end of the day.
Here are some of the main points covered in the August 21st Media Availability session with a summary of answers from Dr. Teresa Frankovich, followed by questions we would have liked to ask in response if appropriate.
Question by North Coast News: Do you believe regular testing of school employees and/or students should be done, and who would be responsible for the cost?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, people may be aware that the that CDPH did put out guidance with their school document about recommending some surveillance testing. At that time they were recommending testing about 50 of school staff every month, so 100 every two months. Testing of this sort it has become a little controversial and I think the reasoning for that is because, you can imagine, that if an employee is being tested once every two months the odds that you’re going to catch them at the moment they have an infection is lower than if you’re testing either more frequently or specific to symptoms or exposures. All that being said, I think there is some value to doing surveillance testing and we do have the capacity to do that and we can do that free of charge. So we have certainly made the schools aware of that and we’ve helped through our Optum site to bring testing to some places so that staff could be tested. There is no requirement to do so at this time. But I certainly believe that as we develop our own collection system and our own testing strategy locally, our capacity will only increase and I’m hoping that the schools will avail themselves of that, just like I’m encouraging everyone in our community to get tested on a regular basis so we have that information. And if we do detect someone positive, we can respond to that promptly.
1 mins 45 sec in:
Question by North Coast News: After contact tracing was done, which age group (0-9 or 10-19) appeared to show a higher rate of virus spread, and can you talk about each group’s symptoms and recovery?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
So, that’s an interesting question. I would say just offhand, that, in the majority of our cases that have been pediatric, the child has not been the initial case. So, most typically, there has been an adult contact who has been positive and the child has subsequently been exposed and become infected, and is detected typically through case investigation. Children, as we all know, have tended to be more likely to be asymptomatic or have very few symptoms relative to older individuals. And so if it were not for those case investigations we might not identify some of these cases at all because the children wouldn’t necessarily come to medical attention. So, we have had no hospitalizations to date in an individual under the age of 20.
2 mins 55 sec in:
Question by KMUD News: Dr Frankovich can you share an update on testing?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, we’re continuing to work with our North Coast Testing partnership on developing this regional test strategy. Things are going really well. Again, what we’re planning is to establish our own collection entity for both Humboldt County and also in Del Norte ensuring that we’re serving our Tribal partners, as well. We are pulling that framework together at the same time that the laboratory piece is being put together, as well. We have been receiving the Perkin-Elmer equipment into the laboratory setting at UIHS. I think we’re waiting for the last couple of pieces and putting all the other instruments set up together. I’m sure people can imagine, it’s a pretty complicated process – both that we have to put the laboratory testing capacity in place, the collection capacity and then we also have to have the information system to support it. So we have to have a platform where people are able to schedule their appointment, and where they’re able to access their results, and in a timely way and to be able to get the other information that they need. So basically the team’s been meeting frequently to put all of this together and we’re still looking to have this operational this Fall.
4 mins 10 sec in:
Question by KMUD News: Is there any information you can share on the recent deaths in Humboldt County related to covid-19?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, I think we put the information out at the time that these were individuals over the age of 65 and that’s really the information we have to share at this time.
4 mins 30 sec in:
Question by KMUD News: Are you concerned about a coronavirus outbreak among firefighters?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, I’m always concerned when we pull people together, and in any venue, and certainly when we’re pulling together firefighters from many different areas, both other states as well as within the state. So, yes, it’s a concern. At the same time I know that CAL FIRE and other entities have really worked hard on protocols about how to do this as safely as possible, both in terms of how firefighters are lodged, how they are managed if they become ill and how we can expedite testing to help out in that scenario. So I think we’re operating as safely as possible under the circumstances.
5 mins 15 sec in:
Question by The Two Rivers Tribune: By crunching numbers and the county begins to understand the impacts the virus has delivered to Humboldt County what would you say our overall report card grade would be?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, I think we’re doing really well, you know. That being said, we’re in the Orange Tier and that’s compared to many of our counties in California. From that standpoint we’re doing very well. Those in the Red and the Purple Tier obviously are having to be more restrictive in what they can do and they’re dealing with a lot more in terms of outbreak in case numbers. So I feel fortunate in that.
At the same time,I would like us to be in the less restrictive tier. I’d like us to be in Yellow. I think it’s important to let people know the state was releasing data today. Again, every week on Tuesday they’re going to release data on what tier you would fall in based on that week. And so our numbers actually for this reporting period, which ended on the 12th of September, so the state data lags behind, that would put us at a case rate of 4.3 per 100 000, which would actually have put us in the Red Tier by that metric. In order to actually move into the Red Tier, you have to be there for at least two weeks. Fortunately for us, our data for last week, the week ending the 19th, looks better, at least right now. Additional test results do get added into the state reporting system over time, so we’re never completely certain until the report date. But right now, it looks good.
So, I don’t expect that we’ll be moving into the Red Tier anytime soon. But I do think we need all need to note that and take, you know, the appropriate steps, which is: if we want to maintain where we are or even, best case, improve we have to embrace all those measures that we’ve been talking about so that we can really keep our business community vibrant and so that we’re able to have children in school.
7 mins 15 sec in:
Question by The Two Rivers Tribune: As numbers continue to slowly climb, what do you feel is the biggest threat of transmission as people know more now than in the beginning, how to protect themselves and others?
Answer by Dr. Frankovich:
Well, I think we are learning as we go and I think that the evidence has really been accumulating about the importance and the effectiveness of the use of facial coverings. And I regret that at the beginning we didn’t understand that well, and we weren’t embracing that or encouraging it. And I think that did make it difficult for people because I still hear people saying: well, at the beginning everyone said – don’t use them. And I just want to point out that we’re learning about this virus in real time.
We are watching what happens, and in the best scientific manner, we’re actually trying things, watching what successes people have had with different measures, and then implementing the things that make the most sense. That’s what we do. And I think what we’ve learned is that the use of facial coverings actually is really helpful. So, I’m really encouraged by seeing the number of people that have really embraced that here, and I think we can do better on that front, and I think that will help us. I also think again: travel and gatherings. And I hear this when I’m on health officer calls, as well. It’s a driver of infection in the state, andI think that we really need to, as much as the social piece of this is challenging, we really need to try and reduce that gathering. Because those really do impact what’s happening in our community.
We spoke previously about a large gathering of about 50 people, andI thinkI had mentioned at the time, we reported it that we had about 22 subsequent cases related to that case. That number is now over 30. And so it just speaks to the issue that you can’t predict in advance which gatherings are going to turn out to be that sort of super spreader kind of event. And so the safest thing is not to hold them at all. AndI would encourage people, if they really are going to get together with others, that again, it’s a small group.
Again, talking maybe six people, not 20 people, and that it’s outdoors, and that people are distanced and that they are not sharing food. So pulling people together, a small group in your backyard, outdoors, distanced is obviously much safer than having people inside your home, sharing a meal around a table where it is much more likely you’re going to spread infection. If anyone attending is ill and doesn’t know it.
Community members with questions or concerns are encouraged to call 441-5000 for additional information.
For the most recent state and national COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov.
Local information is available at the Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard, on Facebook @HumCoCOVID19, Instagram @HumCoCOVID19, Twitter @HumCoCOVID19, and Humboldt Health Alert humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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“ we didn’t know masks work at first we are learning in real time “
Oh you didn’t know germs were spread through saliva and coughing and sneezing?
What a crock of shit all of this is
She resigned, WTF!!! Beyond sick of her and her BULLSHIT. Lady you just need to fucking leave.
https://kymkemp.com/2020/09/10/dr-frankovich-talks-about-air-quality-and-covid-fire-evacuees-wild-west-of-testing-and-more/
Hey look shes wearing a mask again. I guess the science for compliance is different for “experts and politicians”.
“I think that the evidence has really been accumulating about the importance and the effectiveness of the use of facial coverings. And I regret that at the beginning we didn’t understand that well, and we weren’t embracing that or encouraging it. And I think that did make it difficult for people because I still hear people saying: well, at the beginning everyone said – don’t use them. And I just want to point out that we’re learning about this virus in real time. ”
https://youtu.be/1d-HccCyjj8
Next time any of us are inside a store with no one immediately around us i guess we can follow ol’ fankovich’s example and not wear an old face rag. Thanks doctah
Wow, what did Dr. Frankovich do to all of you talking about her “crock of shit” and “bullshit?” And to the person pointing out she wasn’t wearing a mask in a video… what is your point? Does that video indicate in some way that she opposes masks or isn’t practicing social/physical distancing measures during the period of time she is on camera informing the public as part of her public service position? And the Biden video, yeah that was dumb of them to get close like that, I would guess Dr. Frankovich would agree with me. Just because she isn’t wearing a mask in a video meant to inform the public, doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to go mask-free in a store when no one is around. People aren’t going to be picking up and eating the items in front of Dr. Frankovich in this video, but they might in whatever store you are in. Are you aware that these two scenarios are not the same?
Seems to me this woman is doing the best she can. She is even continuing to do the job she quit because it’s so incredibly time consuming and stressful to have to manage a pandemic essentially on-the-fly. Doesn’t that show you that she genuinley cares about our community’s well being? She could have left us with no one and we would all be much less informed about the current state of our county’s public health.
I understand that Americans were not prepared for the current situation we are in, so I appreciate people like Dr. Frankovich, Dr. Fauci and all the other people who are trying to keep us infomed of the moving target that is controlling a pandemic. It doesn’t make sense to me to be mad at these public health officials. If you want to be mad about what got us here, be mad at the leadership that didn’t think the pandemic warranted concern and proper containment measures. There are countries on this planet who are almost, if not entirely, coronavirus-free. We had 800 deaths YESTERDAY. Leadership on the highest levels are to blame for the lack of nationally universal protections that were required to control the pandemic. If you think it’s Dr. Frankovich’s fault that we are here, you are simply not seeing the bigger picture.
Some of us were. But not to rock the boat too much, this pandemic is not the worse likely to come. If we can’t be sensible about a disease that is harmful but not often fatal, then what have we learned to save ourselves from a disease with, say, a 25٪ fatality rate? We don’t control our borders so have zero chance of doing as New Zealand or South Korea has when they isolated their country and refused to be moved by the plight of social agendas. We can’t do as Sweden does to implement restrictions that can be maintained because we are too busy being intolerant of our fellow citizens to find even that much agreement. And we believe that we will be saved by technology so we don’t have to deal with the reality . We can’t even do as the PRC does of keeping an economy going by selling crap to the frightened because we don’t even make crap anymore. We made choices based on social causes and constant blaming and we are stuck with it.
I dont think its unfair to point out the hypocrisy in people giving directives to the population and propagating this “new normal”. Arent you interested in what used to be called normal? Have you forgotten already? What number of tests and number of deaths is acceptable to end this soft martial law. I promise it is not so soft for the millions that are now and will soon be starving. So why is their death rate not as important as the almighty corona’s? Notice not one of these “leaders” talk about what used to be normal. That is because that is now for you to tell the next generation about. It is gone, forfeit by the easily cowed modern public.
People in more blatant dictatorships and police states know that the glowing screens are propaganda and little else. We americans still believe the talking screen men/women have our best interests at heart.
Id post links to articles about suicide, depression, joblessness, homelessness/evictions , mental health, “3rd world country” starvation, children suffering more from lockdowns etc but putting links seems to delay comments ln this site, sometimes for half a day or more. So youll have to search yourself. Or maybe illpost as seprate reply. Anyway, not like it matters, corona is public enemy number one and we must wage this war against viruses all else be damned. Now will someone please shoot some experimental class of vaccines into me please, i have too much wrongthink.
Anyone who beLIEves anything coming out of the mouth of this lady needs to have their heads checked. Get her out of here already. She is a total quack!!!
Why do you think she is a quack? What has she done to warrant your insult? I want to know what everyone’s beef with her is, because I just don’t understand it.
It’s a case of killing the messenger. If people object to the message, then the ones that deserve the anger are not even the ones sending the message but the ones acting on the message in naive acceptance.
I suppose “don’t kill the messenger” is a saying for a reason. Should have realized it could be that simple.
Acting on any message with naive acceptance is generally problematic. A message, especially one requiring action, should be carefully considered and it’s reasoning/intent questioned before accepting it.
I don’t believe many of the people objecting to this particular message have critically thought about it’s purpose and reasoning. Maybe there just are more people who don’t care about their fellow citizens health and safety, nor understand how their fellow citizens’ health and safety impacts them personally, than I thought (or wanted to believe).
I knew it.
I did it.
Vilifying the good doctor is pretty unhelpful and petty.
HOW THE FEW CAN CONTROL THE MANY.