Humboldt County has recorded its eighth COVID-19 related death after a resident in their 80s died at an out-of-county hospital, Public Health announced today. There were also seven new confirmed cases since Friday and an additional hospitalization.

“Our thoughts are with friends and family members who are feeling this loss,” County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said in a news release.

Humboldt County remains in the “moderate” category under the state's four-tiered system, with a test positivity rate of 2.5 percent and 4.3 cases per 100,000 individuals, according to the state's data, which will be updated Tuesday. The statewide level is 6.4 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of 3.6 percent.

The state's "substantial" risk tier — which includes counties averaging between 4 and seven new cases a day per 100,000 residents or test positivity rates of 5 to 8 percent — brings tighter restrictions, including further limiting indoor restaurant and gym capacities and closing some "non-essential indoor business operations," like office. If the county were to move into the "substantial risk" tier, it would then need to record numbers in the "moderate" tier for 21 consecutive days before the state would loosen the added restrictions.
To date, Humboldt County has seen 508 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 31 hospitalizations and eight deaths.

Today's results include the processing of 525 samples, with the county at a positivity rate of 1.4 percent over the last week.

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.