{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"KZYX News","title":"Board of Supervisors discusses covid, other disasters","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":389,"description":"December 9, 2020 — The Board of Supervisors spent the whole morning yesterday on the novel coronavirus update, with reports from Dr. Coren and Dr. Doohan, high-level hospital staff, and the CEO of Redwood Community Services, who reported on the outbreak at Building Bridges, the homeless shelter and day program in Ukiah. Yesterday, 37 new cases were reported countywide, and the day before, another covid patient died on the South Coast, bringing the death count up to 24. \r\nJason Wells, the president of Adventist Health in Mendocino County, assured the board that, with cross-trained staff and ventilators, the hospital could bring its current sixteen ICU beds up to 45. The state is only counting sixteen beds in its calculations of the county’s contribution to regional ICU capacity. Currently, 10% of the hospital’s workforce is out on medical leave, but Wells is confident that the 23-hospital system could rely on highly trained National Guard personnel if the surge demanded it. The best case scenario is that vaccines will arrive in the county in a week or two. Adventist Health Medical Officer Dr. Bessant Parker told the board that healthcare personnel caring for covid patients in the emergency department would be first in line for the new vaccine, followed by ICU staff, then those on the regular medical and surgical wards. Coren said the county has purchased one deep freezer that will be suitable for storing the Pfizer vaccine, but that there may be a delay in the delivery. In the meantime, he said the hospital is willing to share its refrigeration capacity with the county. \r\nVictoria Kelly, the CEO of Redwood Community Services, reported that staff and clients of Building Bridges are in quarantine or isolation. Eight clients who tested positive are isolating hotel rooms. Everyone else who was on the premises when the outbreak started has been determined to be a close contact, and has been quarantining on site since Thursday. Public health conducted PCR tests...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpAumwbhFUpJUYcwaQ1-q6snzOyqAm13l7cW6AWPCM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMzkz/NjAwNjc2OWMyZmFk/YWY2YTdmYjI5M2Mz/YWMxNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}