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BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Sacramento County, including among those who live in Natomas.
Just this week Sacramento County has seen what Public Health Officer Olivia Kasirye described as a “steep” increase in cases from 8 per 100,000 people to 10 per 100,000 people. That’s compared to a case rate of 3.8 per 100,000 people less than a month ago.
Due to the recent day-over-day case rate increases of COVID-19, Kasirye today issued a recommendation that everyone — even those who have been vaccinated — wear face coverings while indoors.
Between July 6 and July 12, new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Natomas zip codes 95833, 95834 and 95835 numbered 87, up from 70 cases logged for the previous reporting period, according to data released this week by the county.
Zip code 95835 reported 30 new cases, a 76% increase over the previous week while zip code 95834 logged 31 new cases, a 50% increase. Zip code 95833 saw a 21% decrease with 26 new cases reported.
“The majority of the cases we are getting are among people who are not vaccinated,” Kasirye said. “So we’re continuing with our efforts to get people vaccinated, especially focusing on the zip codes and neighborhoods where we’re still seeing relatively low vaccination rates.”
The countywide vaccination rate is about 47%, according to the data.
Contrary to published media reports Natomas is not among the zip codes with the lowest vaccination rates. Nearly 48% of residents in zip code 95833 are at least partially vaccinated. In zip code 95835 nearly 60% are at least partially vaccinated and in zip code 95834 about 62% are at least partially vaccinated.
Areas with the lowest vaccination rates in Sacramento County include Rio Linda, North Highlands and Citrus Heights, the county’s epidemiology program manager Jamie White reported today.
Sacramento County health officials said an increasing number of COVID-19 cases are from the highly infectious Delta variant.
According to White, of the nearly 600 documented “breakthrough” COVID-19 cases in the county, 26 of those were a variant of the virus and 10 were the Delta variant. A breakthrough case is when someone who has been fully vaccinated tests positive for COVID-19. Currently, in Sacramento County known breakthrough cases are checked for variants as well as cases linked to outbreaks and those with the virus who are hospitalized.
Data is not available by zip codes for breakthrough cases or variants.
“It is important to note our way out of this is vaccination,” Kasirye said. “We are hoping we can bend the curve quickly.”
Natomas is estimated to have a population of 110,000, according to data on the U.S. Census Bureau website.
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