Covid-19 Surge Hits Elk Grove Hard; 95624 Has Highest Number of New Covid Cases In Sacramento County
The post-holiday Covid-19 surge is hitting home hard here in Elk Grove. There are more than 800 new cases of Covid in zip code 95624 alone. According to the Sacramento County Office of Public Health, Elk Grove as a whole has some of the highest concentration of positive cases (greater than 450 per zip code) in all of Sacramento county. You can see their map of Covid-19 cases for the county here: https://sac-epidemiology.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e11bc926165742ab99f834079f618dad
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Parents Are Concerned
Naturally, this has many parents very concerned. One Elk Grove preschool has seen half of their classrooms shut down due to Covid-19 cases. Elk Grove Unified School District is providing testing kits for every enrolled student. Many school sites are also doing drive-through testing. They are not moving to virtual learning at this time. EGUSD continues to follow the guidelines they outlined in their revised Covid-19 Safety Plan (12/8/21):
“If your child is fully vaccinated and has no symptoms, they may continue to attend school, they do not have to be quarantined and they do not need to be tested. Parent/guardian may provide or send either a printed copy or an electronic copy of their child’s COVID vaccine record to the school site. Students and staff who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and live in the same household as an individual who tests positive must quarantine at home. Students and staff who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are asymptomatic, do not have to quarantine at home even if they live with an individual who tests positive for COVID-19.”
Elk Grove Unified School District
Spike In Covid Cases Concerns All
Even for residents unaffected by school closures, the spike is still concerning. Virtually every employer has some form of quarantine requirements in place to prevent the spread of the disease in the workplace. Being in the middle of cold and flu season is only complicating the county’s attempt at getting this surge under control further. The Omicron variant is especially tricky to detect, as its symptoms can be extremely mild or nonexistent in vaccinated people. Important to note, many people report feeling as if they had only a minor cold. Acquiring home testing kits has been incredibly difficult, as the need for them has largely overwhelmed local supplies. This has forced many people to seek testing kits via Elk Grove social media groups. This extreme spike in cases has many healthcare officials worried. New quarantine guidelines are shortening the quarantine period for asymptomatic people. However, please note that you can be contagious even if you do not have any symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control are monitoring the spread and severity of the Omicron variant:
“More data are needed to know if Omicron infections, and especially reinfections and breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated, cause more severe illness or death than infection with other variants.”
CDC
Vaccination Rates of Elk Grove
Of the total population of the zip code 95624, about 80.88% have gotten plus one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 75.06% (46,757 people) have been fully vaccinated. This zip code is 40% white, 8% Black, 26% Asian, 0% American Indian/Alaska Native, 3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 17% Latino.
Of the total population of the zip code 95757, about 91.3% have gotten plus one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 84.71% (40,338 people) have been fully vaccinated. This zip code is 28% white, 12% Black, 34% Asian, 0% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 18% Latino.
Of the total population of the zip code 95758, about 80.54% have gotten plus one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 75% (46,084 people) have been fully vaccinated. This zip code is 32% white, 13% Black, 27% Asian, 0% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 21% Latino.
Take Precautions
It is especially important at this time to follow state, county, and city guidelines for masking while indoors, washing your hands, and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces. Furthermore, you should always stay home from work, school, and gatherings if you’re feeling ill. These measures not only prevent the spread of Covid-19, but cold and flu viruses as well. Elk Grove Tribune will continue to bring you the latest news regarding this pandemic. Stay healthy, Elk Grove!
