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Today's tally makes 60 cases recorded locally so far this month and continues a spike that saw a total of 100 new cases confirmed in July after just 32 in June. Two new hospitalizations were reported yesterday, bringing the total to date to 19.
In a press release, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich took the opportunity to remind the community that a stocked emergency kit can be an important tool to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic, which can force people to quarantine or self-isolate with little notice.
“Many of the supplies that are recommended to keep on hand for unexpected emergencies, such as earthquakes and power outages, can be just as useful during a pandemic,” Frankovich said in the release. “Keeping a store of non-perishable food and extra prescription medications can come in handy if someone in your home becomes ill with COVID-19 and everyone needs to stay put during quarantine.”
A rapid rise in cases this month prompted public health to raise the "Effectiveness of Disease Control" to level three on the county’s Alert Level Assessment Tool but the county's overall COVID alert level — which runs on a scale of 1 to 4 — remains at 3. Level 3 is described as: "High risk — many cases with conditions for community spread, with many undetected cases likely. Limit everyday activities to increase safety."In a press release, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich took the opportunity to remind the community that a stocked emergency kit can be an important tool to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic, which can force people to quarantine or self-isolate with little notice.
“Many of the supplies that are recommended to keep on hand for unexpected emergencies, such as earthquakes and power outages, can be just as useful during a pandemic,” Frankovich said in the release. “Keeping a store of non-perishable food and extra prescription medications can come in handy if someone in your home becomes ill with COVID-19 and everyone needs to stay put during quarantine.”
To date, the county has seen 19 hospitalizations and four fatalities, all of them residents at Alder Bay Assisted Living. Today's results include 347 new test and 233 of county's the cases are considered recovered. Fifty-six cases remain classified as active.
Nationally, more than 5 million cases have been officially confirmed to date with 162,407 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those include 561,911 cases — up 7,751 from yesterday — and 10,359 deaths in California, according to the Department of Public Health.
Humboldt County Public Health is urging residents who aren't experiencing symptoms to get tested free of charge at the mobile testing site 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 county's release below and view its case dashboard here:
Humboldt County’s total number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 now stands at 293, after seven new cases were reported today.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich reminds the community that a stocked emergency kit is important to have on hand for all kinds of events, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many of the supplies that are recommended to keep on hand for unexpected emergencies such as earthquakes and power outages can be just as useful during a pandemic,” Dr. Frankovich said. “Keeping a store of non-perishable food and extra prescription medications can come in handy if someone in your home becomes ill with COVID-19 and everyone needs to stay put during quarantine.”
Visit ready.gov/pandemic to access preparedness information in English and www.listo.gov/es for information in Spanish.
Today’s alert level stands at three or level orange. Visit humboldtgov.org/dashboard to view the county’s Alert Level Assessment tool.
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.
Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard,
Follow us on Facebook: @HumCoCOVID19,
Instagram: @HumCoCOVID19,
Twitter: @HumCoCOVID19, and
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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