ICU Projections Behind Decision To Lift Stay-At-Home Order In Sacramento Region
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he state is "starting to see some stabilization both in ICU's and stabilization in our positivity rate."
The governor calls it the "light at the end of the tunnel," but Sacramento and Placer counties are seeing record COVID-19 patients. Placer has just four ICU beds available, and the Greater Sacramento Region's ICU capacity is still below the 15% threshold.
Dr. Rod Oldham, Health and Human Services Director for Placer County, spoke to the Board of Supervisors, Tuesday.
"I think it's safe to say our ICUs, in particular, are stretched as much as they've ever been with no immediate relief in sight," Dr. Oldham said.
But the state's models do see relief, in the "four-week projections." They look at current cases and historical numbers of how many patients end up in the ICU. The models show a steady decline in ICU cases for the Greater Sacramento Region through Feb. 12.
By contrast, the same models show little change for the overwhelmed hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area and Southern California. Health officers hope the projections for the Greater Sacramento region are correct.
Jenny Tan with the Yolo County Health Department said, "No one can write the future, right? We think we know what's going to happen and something else comes up. There's definitely a level of anxiety, not distrust, but a level of the unknown."
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