Humboldt County Public Health confirmed six new COVID-19 cases today, making 41 this week and bringing the countywide total to 409.

According to today's release, large gatherings with people outside of one’s household continue to be a significant driver of local COVID-19 cases and with the holiday weekend, Humboldt County Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich is urging county residents to avoid large gatherings and celebrate safely.

“It is vital that we keep our case counts down, both to keep our community safe and to keep our businesses open and operating,” Dr. Frankovich said. “We’ve seen cases rise across the state in the weeks following holidays, so I would ask everyone to remain committed to those safety measures that, when used together, really do give us our best chance of limiting the spread of COVID.”
The Humboldt County Joint Information Center and the COVID-19 helpline will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Humboldt is currently in the “moderate” category under the state's new four-tiered system, with local numbers at about 3.6 cases per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of 1.8 percent, putting it between the “substantial” and “minimal” risk tiers.

To date, Humboldt County has only seen 22 COVID-19 hospitalizations and four deaths that were all residents of the Alder Bay Assisted Living Facility.

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.

Sept. 4, 2020 - Six New Cases Reported Today

Six additional cases of COVID-19 were reported today, bringing to 409 the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus.

Gathering with people outside of one’s household continues to be a significant driver of local COVID-19 cases. With the upcoming Labor Day weekend, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich urges county residents to celebrate safely.

“It is vital that we keep our case counts down, both to keep our community safe and to keep our businesses open and operating,” Dr. Frankovich said. “We’ve seen cases rise across the state in the weeks following holidays, so I would ask everyone to remain committed to those safety measures that, when used together, really do give us our best chance of limiting spread of COVID.”

The Humboldt County Joint Information Center will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The Humboldt County Data Dashboard and humboldtgov.org homepage will be updated on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Today’s alert level stands at two or level yellow. 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.