Sonoma County officials have been forced to reopen a temporary homeless shelter at a Healdsburg hotel after nearly five dozen people at a Santa Rosa shelter tested positive for COVID-19.
The Best Western Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg has now been reopened to allow homeless people who tested positive for COVID-19 to quarantine separately as they recover. Of the 59 Samuel L. Jones Hall residents who tested positive, 28 were fully vaccinated, according to Sonoma County health officer Dr. Sundari Mase.
More than two dozen tests are still pending.
Dr. Mase told reporters on Wednesday that close quarters of the shelter and the number of unvaccinated residents made it possible for vaccinated shelter residents to test positive for COVID-19.
"The fact is that the virus is more likely to spread in congregate settings, like homeless shelters," Dr. Mase said. "Vaccinated people are more likely to experience a breakthrough case of (COVID-19) if they're with a group of unvaccinated individuals who test positive."
The majority of the nine people hospitalized were unvaccinated.
"This also is a very vulnerable population," Dr. Mase continued. "They're older, and they have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk to be a case, even if fully vaccinated."
Sonoma County and Santa Rosa officials now believe the outbreak is under control, thanks in large part to the hotel reopening.
Vaccinations started early at Jones Hall and have continued, but officials said even more people might want to sign up now following this outbreak.
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