Dear AltaMed Leaders and Staff,
First, I would like to applaud every person working at AltaMed throughout this pandemic. Your hard work and dedication to our mission has helped us overcome significant odds and arrive at a place where we have collected more than 90,000 COVID-19 tests and given over 65,000 COVID-19 vaccines. We now have 80% of our AltaMed staff fully vaccinated, 87% of PACE participants fully vaccinated, and 47% of our DVL patients fully vaccinated.
As many of you have seen in the news, cases are, unfortunately, again on the rise in Orange and Los Angeles counties from the historic lows we were seeing in mid-June. Most of the new cases we are seeing are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated. Most of the new cases are also related to the circulation of the more contagious delta variant.
Our weekly patient testing positivity rate has also increased, going from a low of 0% the week of May 23, to 5% in the last two weeks. Daily upper respiratory tract infection encounters have remained steady at around 200 encounters per day for the last four months, but I do anticipate a rise in patients seeking advice for upper respiratory tract symptoms or desiring COVID-19 testing.
I want to reassure you that we are watching these numbers very closely and will continue to evaluate any need to reactivate our different surge tiers to respond to new patient demands. We will continue to keep you updated of any changes if needed to meet the needs of our patients and staff members at AltaMed.
As always, patient and staff safety remain our highest priority. A reminder that universal mask usage is still required in all AltaMed facilities at all times regardless of vaccine status. Exceptions being when actively eating or drinking during breaks or if alone in a private office with the door closed.
Vaccination is the single best intervention one can make to prevent acquiring or spreading COVID-19 to oneself or to others. It is never too late to be vaccinated, and those who missed second doses can still be vaccinated through Employee Health.
Please contact them directly.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Medical Director, Infection Prevention
