After 3 years of COVID-19, Stanislaus is better prepared for deadly viruses, report says

On Tuesday, Stanislaus County public health officials delivered to county leaders what they said was the last quarterly report on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, in this update, there wasn’t much to report in terms of viral activity.

Dr. Thea Papasozomenos, county public health officer, said people still are being hospitalized for COVID-19, but the private health system and pharmacies have taken over most responsibility for dealing with the contagious illness and protecting the vulnerable.

California ended its COVID state of emergency in February, serving to close local testing sites. The federal government is scheduled to end the national emergency May 11.

President Joe Biden’s administration has promised to make sure COVID vaccines and treatments are accessible and covered by health insurance and government programs. Medicaid will cover COVID treatments like Paxlovid without a co-pay through September 2024. Out-of-pocket costs for certain treatments will depend on a person’s insurance plan.

For families or individuals who may need a test, the county is giving away COVID test kits at seven locations including the city halls in Ceres, Turlock, Patterson and Waterford, the Modesto and Salida libraries and El Concilio.

Heather Duvall, county public health director, said the public health division is in a better position to respond to contagious diseases after three years of responding to COVID-19.

When the Mpox virus was detected in Stanislaus County in July 2022, trained medical investigators were ready to respond to the new public health threat. Mobile clinics were used for vaccinations.

Public health staff have partnerships with medical facilities and community groups and hold monthly meetings with schools.

The county has wastewater surveillance today to watch for new viruses that may endanger the public. It also has better systems for data collection and analysis.

Supervisor Vito Chiesa said the pandemic served to amplify the work of the county public health system, which previously was less understood by county residents.

According to Tuesday’s report, COVID-19 is evolving from pandemic status to something that’s managed as an endemic illness. Going forward, the coronavirus will be one of the contagious diseases for discussion in an annual public health update.