Humboldt County Public Health confirmed three new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county's total to 512. The county also reported one new hospitalization, bringing the to-date total to 32.

Humboldt County remains in the “moderate” category under the state's four-tiered system, with a test positivity rate of 0.7 percent and 1.2 cases per 100,000 individuals, according to the state's data, which was updated Sept. 29. The statewide level is 7 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of 3.4 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 32 hospitalizations and eight deaths, including two over the past week. Nationwide, 7.2 million COVID-19 have been confirmed with 205,372 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control, including 810,625 cases and 15,792 deaths in California.

Today's Humboldt County results included the processing of 227 samples, with a positivity rate of 1.3 percent.


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.