Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 UPDATE
Cambrian School District, March 3, 2020
Dear Cambrian Families,
The Novel Coronavirus now known as COVID-19 continues to evolve and is a rapidly changing situation day by day. We continue to be in daily communication with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department confirms a total number of eleven COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County. At this time, of the total confirmed cases in the county, only two have been determined to be community transmission; four are travel-related; three are close contacts to known cases, and the two new cases remain under investigation.
The County of Santa Clara is working closely with a team from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that is onsite with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. “It is important to remember that, for about 80% of the population, this disease will be mild. While many people in our community may get sick, the vast majority will recover. The added measures are being used to protect those in our community who are likely at greatest risk for having severe disease,” said Dr. George Han, Deputy Health Officer for the County of Santa Clara.
Who is at higher risk?
Information about risk factors for COVID-19 infection is evolving, but the best evidence currently available makes clear that the risk of severe illness begins to increase at age 50 for those who contract COVID-19, and increases with age (i.e., an 80-year-old person is at greater risk than a 70-year-old person). The highest risk group is persons age 80 and over. People with underlying medical problems also are at higher risk for severe disease, including persons with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or chronic lung diseases like COPD, as well as those who are immunocompromised.
What should I do if I am at higher risk?
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department is recommending that persons at higher risk avoid mass gatherings such as parades, sporting events, and concerts where large numbers of people are within arm’s length of one another. This would not include typical office environments, grocery stores, or shopping centers, where it is unusual for large numbers of people to be within arm’s length of one another.
Dr. Cody has been working closely with public agencies and school districts to keep us informed on what we can do during this time as the Santa Clara County Public Health Department continues to monitor and investigate cases daily. Santa Clara County Public Health Department has released an update on the COVID-19 as of March 3, 2020.
What you need to know:
Currently, the health risk to the general public in Santa Clara County from Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 remains low, and schools are being asked to take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department has a webpage dedicated to Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 at sccphd.org/coronavirus.
If you have more questions about the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19, please contact the Santa Clara County Department of Health at (408) 885-3980 M-F, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department has recently issued new guidance for schools and school districts, which Cambrian is actively following. Following are specific areas on what is advised, what we are doing so far and what we need to do next. These hygiene practices will undoubtedly help slow down the spread of COVID-19 and other influenza strains.
Public Health Department recommendations:
Keep your hands clean by washing them frequently, especially after you touch common surfaces such as doorknobs, elevator buttons, handrails, light switches, countertops, and tables. It is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Always cover your cough and stay home when you are sick.
Stay away from people who are sick and stay home if you are sick.
Work on not touching your face because one-way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes. If you do need to touch your own mouth, nose or eyes, wash your hands before you do so.
. What is happening and what we can do next:
Our Cambrian custodial team is disinfecting all commonly touched objects and surfaces. Specific cleaning attention before or after the instructional day is being given to areas such as sinks, door handles, and light switches.
The District has ordered antibacterial hand sanitizer for all learning environments that do not have access to handwashing stations. We readily accept your donations of hand sanitizers during this high-use time.
We reinforce hygiene practices such as washing hands and advise students to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Of course, there be flexibility with the instructional time given the increase in the time needed for students to wash hands.
At home, you can encourage, promote, and schedule times for students to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. You may use this video.
As always, we will update you as we receive information from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Thank you for working together to support the Cambrian community during these unique times.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Carrie Andrews
CAMBRIAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Email: foremand@cambriansd.com
Website: www.cambriansd.org
Location: 4115 Jacksol Drive, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: (408) 377-2103
Facebook: facebook.com/CambrianSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @Supt_Andrews