Don't fumble the downward trend of Covid-19 cases by gathering for the Super Bowl.

After an intense surge of Covid-19 cases after the holidays, Monterey County's numbers are falling and hospitals are seeing a decrease in patients. Today an official from Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital urged residents to stay on course by not gathering for Super Bowl parties on Sunday.

"We're in a good place and we can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel as we stand here today," Carla Spencer, SVMH associate chief nursing officer and the Covid operations section chief, told reporters in a video call. "We want to keep that going and we need everybody's help."

During the surge experienced in November, December and January, SVMH was seeing as many as 80 patients in four Covid units, some in isolation and some in recovery, Spencer said. They were admitting between 10-18 patients a day. 

Now they're admitting three to six patients a day. They've closed two Covid units out of the four.

Spencer said it was common to hear from patients how they gathered with extended family over the holidays prior to developing symptoms.

"We urge people to just be in your home with your (household), maybe do something virtual to share in the fun but not to lose our vigilance to not be at any gatherings on Sunday," she said.

If people do gather, she recommended taking advantage of the weekend's good weather by celebrating outside, distanced and with masks. Anything to stop droplets of virus from spreading and infecting others. Cheering and screaming are prime candidates for spreading the virus.

People who have been vaccinated should not let their guard down. They can still contract the virus and spread it to others, especially the many who have not been vaccinated yet.