OCEA participates in Supervisor Katrina Foley COVID press briefing
Dear OCEA member,
Speakers at Monday’s Coronavirus press briefing held by 2nd District Supervisor Katrina Foley included County Health Officer and HCA Director Dr. Clayton Chau and public school teacher Sarah Auwarter. Supervisor Foley asked me to provide OCEA’s perspective as General Manager of the County’s largest public sector union. The topic: The rising infection rates among County workers reported by Orange County Register on Saturday.
Last January, County workers experienced a peak in COVID-19 infection rates of 1,000 cases. Public health mask mandates, lockdowns and vaccine availability contributed to a low of just 10 cases in June. But in July, the case count jumped to 90 and this monthhas seen 94 cases as of Aug. 11.
The rise in cases extends across the entire County, with 933 new cases of the virus reported this month through last Friday. You can read the OC Register story here.
In her remarks, Supervisor Foley stressed the importance of wearing masks and getting vaccinated. More than 65% of County residents have received at least one vaccine dose, according to Dr. Chau. That number remains far below the level of vaccinations required to fully immunize the County. Both Dr. Chau and Supervisor Foley made pleas to the public to get vaccinated and use masks in any crowded indoor or outdoor setting.
Dr. Chau also stressed that policies for County of Orange workers “follow the law” as reflected in orders from the California Department of Public Health. OCEA takes issue with that statement. We have heard a different story from you and your co-workers across dozens and dozens of County job classifications. The reality on the ground is that the County’s decentralized authority results in widely varied and inconsistent workplace policies, even among departments that do the same type of work. From day one of the pandemic, it has been OCEA’s position that workplace safety protocols be applied both fairly and consistently.
As cases rise, some workers are denied telecommuting options while others are not. I made sure Supervisor Foley and the press were aware of these facts. I appreciate the consideration shown by the Supervisor for OCEA members as a resource and asa partner in developing solutions.
We know the most recent CDC guidelines from July 27 added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. You can review those recommendations here. The CDC points out that even fully vaccinated people might choose to mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in their household is unvaccinated. People who are at increased risk for severe disease include older adults and those who have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, overweight or obesity, and heart conditions.
It’s true that infectionsoccur in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others.
For the health and safety of all OCEA members and your families in the coming weeks and months OCEA strongly urges you, fully vaccinated or not, to mask up in public indoor settings.
Case numbers, hospitalizations, and the loss of loved ones to COVID-19 will continue. The much more contagious Delta Variant may put our children at greater risk just as they return to school. More personal sacrifice and inconvenience will be required.
Yet it is by standing together, protecting each other, we will get through this latest pandemic surge.
In Solidarity,
Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager
Publication Date: August 17, 2021
