Dear KGI Community,

The KGI COVID-19 Task Force met this morning to review the most recent updates by the White House, State of California and Los Angeles County.

Please take a moment to read these essential updates:

  • We reviewed the White House released “gating protocols.” We also reviewed “California’s Roadmap to Modify the Stay-at-Home Orders”.
  • It was determined that both updates do not provide enough information to advise our planning of a return to campus. We will continue to monitor the announcements by both entities and will follow both the state and county’s recommendations when they are released. There is an expected announcement on preliminary reopening guidance from the county that should be released by the end of the week.
  • All previous self-reported employee presumptive cases received negative test results.
  • The COVID-19 Task Force meets every Monday at 9:00 am. If you would like to send any questions or suggestions to the group, please email Kelly by Friday of the week prior.
  • The KGI Coronavirus webpage has all previous messages archived, and additional resources for faculty, staff, and students.

L.A. Department of Public Health/County of Los Angeles Updates:

Location
Confirmed/Reported Cases
Deaths
United States
786,413
42,048
California
31,930
1,185
Los Angeles County
13,816
617
Claremont
16
0
  • 89% of deaths had underlying health conditions
  • We now have ethnicity results for 544 death cases as follows:
    • 16% African American
    • 17% Asian
    • 16% Latinx
    • 28% White
    • 3% Other
  • Large test results received over the weekend (4/7 through 4/18), as result numbers are skewed higher than typical (1,491 new cases were reported today which includes 1,098 backlogged cases with 293 new cases.
  • 3,645 confirmed cases have been hospitalized to date; 25% of total cases hospitalized.
  • Over 70,000 people tested, 13% reporting positive.
  • Preliminary serology study results were shared (be advised that these results are not yet rigorously validated):
    • 863 LA County adults tested between 4/10/20 and 4/14/20 (random sampling)
    • Tested to see if they were ever positive for COVID-19 regardless of known symptoms or official diagnosis.
    • The test looks for antibodies in the blood. Because antibodies are unique to a particular pathogen, their presence is proof the person was infected by the coronavirus and mounted an immune response. The hope is that the presence of the antibodies is an indication that the person is protected from another infection.
    • Overall, the study estimates a prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in the county to be 4.1% with a range that could be as low as 2.8% and as high as 5.6%.
    • Being positive for COVID-19 antibodies does not mean that a person is immune or that a person is not able to be re-infected. More research is needed to understand what protection people have who have already been infected with COVID-19.
    • Findings show that we are very early in the epidemic. As numbers rise so will infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
    • Initial results of who is most likely to be infected:
      • Men 6% more than women 2%
      • 7% of African Americans, 6% of whites, 4.2% of Asians and 2.5% of people who were Latinx who were tested were found to be positive for COVID-19
      • 2.4% of people who were between the ages of 18-34 were positive
      • 5.6% were between 35 and 54
      • 4.3% who were 55 and older tested positive
  • On Wednesday, the number of people who died from the virus in L.A. County was nearly 49% of all fatalities recorded in California, according to data from public health officials. To put that in perspective, the county holds just 25.5% of the state population, according to Census projections.
  • The L.A. County face-covering order, effective for all 10 million people who live in Los Angeles County, does not require mask-wearing while in the backyard or while on a solitary run or walk. Dr. Ferrer (Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health), reminded that wearing face coverings protects other people from your germs in case you’re infected and don’t realize it.
  • Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN the city will likely not host large public gatherings — from concerts to Dodgers games — until 2021.
  • The University of California had $558 million in unanticipated costs in March alone due to coronavirus, as students canceled housing and dining contracts, medical centers paused elective surgeries and campus costs soared for online learning.
  • Good sources for tracking data. These are updated a couple of times of day:

White House/National Updates

  • The number of deaths across the U.S. has been multiplying in recent days. According to the New York Times database, deaths have exceeded 2,000 on three different days of the past week.
  • President announced a three-phase plan for the gradual reopening of businesses and schools.
  • In phase one, the plan recommends strict social distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided and nonessential travel is discouraged.
  • In phase two, people are encouraged to maximize social distancing where possible and limit gatherings to no more than 50 people unless precautionary measures are taken. Travel could resume.
  • Phase three envisions a return to normalcy for most Americans, with a focus on the identification and isolation of any new infections.
  • The guidelines also include general recommendations to businesses as they plan for potential re-openings, suggesting temperature-taking, rapid COVID-19 testing and widespread disinfection efforts in workplaces.
  • Those most susceptible to the respiratory disease are advised to remain sheltered in place until their area enters the final phase — and even then, are encouraged to take precautions to avoid close contact with other people.
  • Trump told governors during the call that despite the three-phase plan “you’re all going to call your own shots in your states.”

Be well,

Kelly Esperias
Vice President of Institutional Development

 

Back to kgi.edu/coronavirus page