Public Health has been urging residents who are not experiencing symptoms to sign up to get tested free of charge at a mobile testing site set up at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds. (People experiencing symptoms should contact a healthcare provider, officials say.) Asymptomatic individuals can make an appointment to be tested by visiting https://Lhi.care/covidtesting or calling (888) 634-1123. Tests will be administered free of charge, whether or not people have health insurance.

Basics of COVID-19

The California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control, state that symptoms of novel coronavirus include cough and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or at least two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell.

Emergency warning signs needing immediate medical attention include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to awaken, and bluish lips or face. In an emergency situation: Call ahead to the emergency room or inform the 911 operator of the possibility of a COVID-19 infection and, if possible, put on a face mask.

Symptoms or possible exposure:

In the case of a possible exposure with symptoms — fever and cough or shortness of breath — contact your doctor’s office or the county Department of Health and Human Services, which has a hotline that can be reached during business hours at covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or at (707) 441-5000. Residents seeking medical advice or questions about testing are asked to contact Public Health at hhsphb@co.humbldt.ca.us or at (707) 445-6200.

St. Joseph Health has also set up a virtual assessment tool as an aid to assess risk factors for contracting the illness, which can be found at here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has started a rumor-control webpage that can be found here.

For the Journal's latest COVID stories, updates and information resources, click here.

Read the Public Health release below:

Humboldt County’s COVID-19 case count stands at 105 as no new cases were confirmed today.

Two previous cases that had been under investigation were determined to be acquired through community transmission. Humboldt County has seen three new cases attributed to community transmission this month alone.

“These are individuals without a history of travel or exposure to a known case,” Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said. “This just points to the fact that virus is circulating in our community and will increase as we ease out of shelter in place and become more interactive again. Prevention measures will become increasingly important.”

For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.

New confirmed COVID-19 cases: 0

Total confirmed cases: 105

Total recovered cases: 93

Total deaths: 4

Total hospitalizations: 13

Transmission information for all known cases
Contact to a Known Case: 61
Travel-Acquired: 24
Community Transmission: 20
Under Investigation: 0

Number of tests run since last report
Public Health Laboratory: 32
OptumServe public testing site: 118

Total tests run to date
Public Health Laboratory: 3,519
OptumServe public testing site: 3,055

Public Health Laboratory testing Information
Supply capacity: Approximately 2,000 tests
Testing capacity: 60 samples per day
Turnaround time: 48 to 72 hours

For the most recent information about COVID-19, visit CDC.gov or CDPH.ca.gov. For local information, visit humboldtgov.org, call 707-441-5000 or email covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us.