News

Humboldt County Public Health has confirmed a third case of COVID-19 locally, this one in a resident who had recently returned from international travel but not to a country that had been flagged as high risk.

“Really, there is no international travel that can be considered safe right now,” Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said in a press release, adding that the individual in question had been traveling with a group.

“Health officials are reaching out to all members of the group and conducting a comprehensive investigation of possible contacts,” the press release states. “Symptomatic members of the group will be tested and isolated while results are pending. Asymptomatic travel partners will be quarantined.”

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal stressed in the release the importance of abiding by the county’s shelter-in-place order and staying home.

The positive test came from one of the two commercial labs — LabCorp and Quest — that are processing local samples along with the local Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory. The recent positive sample was taken locally on March 20, with Public Health notified of the results today.

Basics of COVID-19 
The California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control, state that symptoms of novel coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

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. St. Joseph and Redwood Memorial hospitals have opened tents on their campuses to begin screening patients who have “significant” symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus. The general hours of operation for the tents is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. but that is subject to change.

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 www.providence.org/patients-and-visitors/coronavirus-advisory.


For the Journal's latest COVID stories, updates and information resources, click here.

See the full press release copied below:

Third Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in Humboldt County

Local health officials confirmed today a third resident has tested positive for novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said the individual had recently traveled internationally but not to a country that had been flagged as high risk. “Really, there is no international travel that can be considered safe right now,” Frankovich said, adding that the individual was traveling with a group.

Health officials are reaching out to all members of the group and conducting a comprehensive investigation of possible contacts. Symptomatic members of the group will be tested and isolated while results are pending. Asymptomatic travel partners will be quarantined.

“We’re thinking good thoughts for this person and wishing them a full recovery,” the doctor said.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said the case reaffirms the importance of the shelter-in-place order issued last week. “Go home and stay home. I can’t say that often enough,” Honsal said. “It isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely necessary. It’s how we get through this together.”

This marks the first local COVID-19 patient whose testing was conducted by a commercial laboratory. The sample was submitted March 20 and results provided to the Public Health Branch on March 24.

Humboldt County confirmed two previous cases of the virus, one on Feb. 20 and the second on March 20.

For current information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by emailing [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.