Friday, August 14, 2020
Public Health Announces Seven New COVID-19 Cases
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Fri, Aug 14, 2020 at 5:01 PM
Humboldt County Public Health announces seven new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 309.
Public Health also reported one more COVID-19 related hospitalization, making three this week and a total of 20 for the county.
In today's release, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich emphasized the need for all county residents, businesses and organizations to work together to limit the spread of the virus, especially with the recent rate of infections and new hospitalizations.
“Early on, the impact of this virus was much higher in heavily populated areas but we are now clearly beginning to see an increasing impact in rural America, including Humboldt County,” Dr. Frankovich said. “Public Health, the Emergency Operations Center and all community partners continue their work to increase testing capacity, expand contact tracing and support the health care system, but ultimately Humboldt County residents are really the most critical response team for this pandemic. Everyone doing their part to limit spread will help to keep transmission rates manageable and protect our community.”
Today's new reported cases make 76 cases since the beginning of the month and continues a spike that saw a total of 100 new cases confirmed in July after just 32 in June.
The increasing number of cases this month has prompted public health to raise the "Effectiveness of Disease Control" to level three on the county’s Alert Level Assessment Tool.
Nationally, more than 5 million COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed to date with 166,317 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those include 601,075 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths in California, according to the Department of Public Health.
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 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.
Public Health also reported one more COVID-19 related hospitalization, making three this week and a total of 20 for the county.
In today's release, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich emphasized the need for all county residents, businesses and organizations to work together to limit the spread of the virus, especially with the recent rate of infections and new hospitalizations.
“Early on, the impact of this virus was much higher in heavily populated areas but we are now clearly beginning to see an increasing impact in rural America, including Humboldt County,” Dr. Frankovich said. “Public Health, the Emergency Operations Center and all community partners continue their work to increase testing capacity, expand contact tracing and support the health care system, but ultimately Humboldt County residents are really the most critical response team for this pandemic. Everyone doing their part to limit spread will help to keep transmission rates manageable and protect our community.”
Today's new reported cases make 76 cases since the beginning of the month and continues a spike that saw a total of 100 new cases confirmed in July after just 32 in June.
The increasing number of cases this month has prompted public health to raise the "Effectiveness of Disease Control" to level three on the county’s Alert Level Assessment Tool.
Nationally, more than 5 million COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed to date with 166,317 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those include 601,075 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths in California, according to the Department of Public Health.
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 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.
August 14, 2020 - Seven Additional Cases Reported Today
Seven new cases of COVID-19 were reported today, bringing to 309 the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus.
The county has recorded 76 new cases since Aug. 1, and three new hospitalizations this week. Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said the recent rate of infections and new hospitalizations emphasize the need for all county residents, businesses and organizations to work together to limit spread of COVID-19.
“Early on, the impact of this virus was much higher in heavily populated areas but we are now clearly beginning to see an increasing impact in rural America, including Humboldt County,” Dr. Frankovich said. “Public Health, the Emergency Operations Center and all community partners continue their work to increase testing capacity, expand contact tracing and support the health care system, but ultimately Humboldt County residents are really the most critical response team for this pandemic. Everyone doing their part to limit spread will help to keep transmission rates manageable and protect our community.”
Today’s alert level stands at 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 covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.
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About The Author
Iridian Casarez
Bio:
Iridian Casarez was a staff writer at the North Coast Journal from 2019-2023.
Iridian Casarez was a staff writer at the North Coast Journal from 2019-2023.
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