News

Public health reported two new confirmed COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county’s total to 233, with 100 of those in July alone.

"The good news is that we are in a good position to substantially slow transmission of this virus in our community by avoiding contact with those who aren’t a part of our household and limiting non-essential travel as much as possible,” County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said in a release. “If we all commit to taking these actions together, we can make a huge difference in health outcomes for Humboldt County.”

The county raised its overall COVID alert level — which runs on a scale of 1 to 4 — to 3 last week, where it remains. 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."

To date, the county has seen 17 hospitalizations and four fatalities, all of them residents at Alder Bay Assisted Living. One hundred and eight-four of the cases are considered recovered, while the rest remain active.

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:

In the 131 days from Feb. 20 to June 30 of this year, the county totaled 133 cases but has added 100 cases in the month of July alone.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said, “The good news is that we are in a good position to substantially slow transmission of this virus in our community by avoiding contact with those who aren’t a part of our household and limiting non-essential travel as much as possible. If we all commit to taking these actions together, we can make a huge difference in health outcomes for Humboldt County.”

Today’s alert level stands at a 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.