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Today's tally makes 66 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 Monday, bringing the total to date to 19.
In a press release, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said it can be difficult for a person who contracts the virus to remember every person or place they came in contact with in the last 10 days, how long their interaction lasted, at what distance and whether masks were worn the whole time.
“All of this is important information to have in investigations so that we can work to limit spread of COVID in our community,” she said. “Staying home as much as possible, avoiding gathering with those who live outside of your household, distancing and using facial coverings continue to be important ways to limit spread of COVID.”
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 said it can be difficult for a person who contracts the virus to remember every person or place they came in contact with in the last 10 days, how long their interaction lasted, at what distance and whether masks were worn the whole time.
“All of this is important information to have in investigations so that we can work to limit spread of COVID in our community,” she said. “Staying home as much as possible, avoiding gathering with those who live outside of your household, distancing and using facial coverings continue to be important ways to limit spread of COVID.”
To date, the county has seen 19 hospitalizations and four fatalities, all of them residents at Alder Bay Assisted Living. With today's results — which come after 187 samples were tested — the county reported that 233 of local cases are classified as recovered, which means 62 remain active.
Nationally, more than 5 million cases have been officially confirmed as of yesterday, with 162,407 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those included 561,911 cases 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 [email protected] or at (707) 441-5000. Residents seeking medical advice or questions about testing are asked to contact Public Health at [email protected] 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:
August 12, 2020 - Six New Cases Reported Today
707-441-5000 ; [email protected] ; Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm Opens in new window
Six additional cases of COVID-19 were reported today, bringing to 299 the total number of Humboldt County residents who have contracted the virus.
Of the 299 confirmed cases, 161 were contracted through contact with a known case, 70 were acquired through travel and 43 were community transmission. The means of transmission for 25 remaining cases are still under investigation by Public Health’s contact tracing teams. That process often requires interviews with many people in an effort to identify how the virus was acquired and if no source is found, they are considered community-acquired.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said it can be difficult for a person who contracts the virus to remember every person or place they came in contact with in the last ten days, how long their interaction lasted, at what distance and whether masks were worn the whole time. “All of this is important information to have in investigations so that we can work to limit spread of COVID in our community,” she said. “Staying home as much as possible, avoiding gathering with those who live outside of your household, distancing and using facial coverings continue to be important ways to limit spread of COVID.”
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 [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.
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