MARIN, Calif. (KRON) – The Marin County Health Department has released new data showing a steep drop off of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes following the distribution of second vaccine doses.
“This is exactly what we are hoping to see for the rest of the county,” Dr. Lisa Santora said.
Marin County’s deputy health officer says the first doses of the vaccine went into the arms of those working and living at skilled nursing and residential care facilities just as the winter surge was upon us.
A graph shows the daily active COVID-19 cases starting in mid-December. As the second doses began rolling out, the graph shows a dramatic drop in cases.
In January, there was a monthly average of 60 active daily cases among this population. In February, that average is down to 4.
Dr. Lisa Santora says this is a concrete example of the 95% effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine.
“We see our future in a sense. We see the success that vaccination has had on protecting this population and now as we march forward and more vaccine supply comes, we will just see a continued reduction in hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19,” Dr. Santora said.
88-year-old Bob Crockett got his second shot Monday, which means he will be able to see his kids in person again soon.
“Over Zoom, you can have conversations but you can’t have communication. You really need to sit down with a person and talk to him and things come out that would never come out otherwise, so it’s the separation between humans that have really affected us the most,” Bob Crockett said.
Right now, the number of Marin County long term care experiencing a coronavirus outbreak is zero.