REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 11, 2022
FROM
LEONARD X. HERNANDEZ, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Report on Novel Coronavirus
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Receive report providing information and updates on Novel Coronavirus.
2. Provide direction as needed on topics resulting from report.
(Presenter: Leonard X. Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer, 387-5417)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not require the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
COVID-19 originated in late 2019 and began spreading, initially, within China and then to other countries. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a “public health emergency of international concern”. This was followed on January 31, 2020 by the United States Human Services Secretary declaring a public health emergency.
On March 4, 2020, the State of California declared a state of emergency as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak due to the rising number of confirmed cases and anticipated complications for those infected, including potential deaths. On March 10, 2020, the County Public Health Officer declared a local health emergency to help ensure county government and the public were prepared for the possibility that COVID-19 will appear within the county. On March 10, 2020 (Item No. 75), the Board of Supervisors (Board) proclaimed the existence of a local emergency within San Bernardino County (County) resulting from COVID-19, which causes infectious disease resulting in symptoms of fever, coughing and shortness of breath with outcomes ranging from mild to severe illness and in some cases, death.
Throughout the pandemic, the County has made significant progress toward minimizing the impacts and spread of COVID-19. The County continues to focus on vaccination and booster efforts with an increased focus on individuals living in hardest-hit communities that represent the lowest healthy places index quartile zip codes, in addition to senior and homeless communities, and by collaborating with community partners to host vaccination pop-up sites and mobile clinics throughout the County. Recently, the spread of variants and an uptick in cases has led to concerns regarding the need for renewed efforts to monitor and reduce further spread of the virus. To address these concerns, the County has expanded testing strategies including the launch of an Antigen Over-the-Counter (OTC) testing program and increased capacity at County operated testing sites and State-provided OptumServe testing sites to ensure that the community has access to a variety of testing resources. The County has also mobilized a team to provide education and outreach specializing on strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With the recent arrival of COVID-19 therapeutics, the County has deployed these resources to support the vulnerable populations who need it most. As progress is made, the County remains vigilant.
This report will include information on COVID-19, including updates on the virus and actions taken by County departments in response to COVID-19. Recommendation No. 2 will allow the Board to provide direction to staff as needed.
PROCUREMENT
Not Applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 6, 2022; Finance (Stephenie Shea, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on January 6, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on January 6, 2022.