Three weeks ago, the Yountville Veterans Home had a reported eight cases of the coronavirus, according to Napa County spokesperson Janet Upton. The latest numbers showed there were 24 cases reported at the facility. The County reran the 24 tests out of caution; partial results show the impact isn’t as widely spread, with 14 of those tests coming back negative. Eight test results are still pending and are expected within the next few days. It is unclear why the initial test results may have delivered false-positive results for at least 14 people, and these results are being investigated by the state laboratory and the state infectious disease experts.
Upton said the state defines an outbreak at a living facility as two reported cases within a two-week period. This reported outbreak ultimately caused Napa County to remain in the Red Tier for reopening. However, the County is optimistic to enter into the less restrictive orange tier in the coming weeks, pending the tests’ results.
Fortunately, Upton said Napa County might also be eligible to move to the orange tier based on the state’s Healthy Places Index, prioritizing the vaccine for low-income areas. She said the state has given out 3.3 million vaccines in low-income zip codes. When the state hits 4 million vaccines administered, counties can move up a tier regardless of their coronavirus metrics.