Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Public Health Confirms Five New COVID-19 Cases
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 6:19 PM
Humboldt County Public Health has confirmed five new COVID-19 cases, bringing the countywide total to 325.
Today's report includes results from the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory and all other labs reported into the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange or CalREDIE, including some initial HSU samples.
HSU reopened this weekend and began their move-in process for some students despite Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich advising the school to delay their reopening process for safety reasons. Since the school reopened one new student arrival has tested positive for the virus.
“We’re doing this testing to identify any cases among new students arriving to their dorm. Early detection is important because even a small number coming into a congregate setting can initiate wider transmission, especially since young people tend to have few or no symptoms and go undetected. Since we have a large number of people arriving in a very short period of time, testing is challenging but is important to all of us in limiting spread," Dr. Fankovish said in the release.
Today's confirmed cases make 92 COVID-19 cases this month after the county saw 100 cases last month. To date, the county has seen 325 cases, with 20 hospitalizations and four deaths.
Yesterday public health stated that young adults 20-29 represent the largest proportion of local cases, representing about 22 percent of local infections, or one in every five confirmed to date. Frankovich said in yesterday's release that this age group plays an important role in limiting the spread of the disease.
“Young adults are an important part of our workforce in health care, food service, retail and other industries that our entire community relies on,” she said. “If you feel ill, stay home and call your provider or call the Joint Information Center to find out about testing options. It truly takes every one of us to keep our community as safe as possible.”
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 5.4 million COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed to date with 169,870 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those include 632,667 cases and 11,342 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.
Five new cases were reported today, bringing to 325 the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus.
Today's report includes results from the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory and all other labs reported into the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange or CalREDIE, including some initial HSU samples.
HSU reopened this weekend and began their move-in process for some students despite Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich advising the school to delay their reopening process for safety reasons. Since the school reopened one new student arrival has tested positive for the virus.
“We’re doing this testing to identify any cases among new students arriving to their dorm. Early detection is important because even a small number coming into a congregate setting can initiate wider transmission, especially since young people tend to have few or no symptoms and go undetected. Since we have a large number of people arriving in a very short period of time, testing is challenging but is important to all of us in limiting spread," Dr. Fankovish said in the release.
Today's confirmed cases make 92 COVID-19 cases this month after the county saw 100 cases last month. To date, the county has seen 325 cases, with 20 hospitalizations and four deaths.
Yesterday public health stated that young adults 20-29 represent the largest proportion of local cases, representing about 22 percent of local infections, or one in every five confirmed to date. Frankovich said in yesterday's release that this age group plays an important role in limiting the spread of the disease.
“Young adults are an important part of our workforce in health care, food service, retail and other industries that our entire community relies on,” she said. “If you feel ill, stay home and call your provider or call the Joint Information Center to find out about testing options. It truly takes every one of us to keep our community as safe as possible.”
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 5.4 million COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed to date with 169,870 fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Those include 632,667 cases and 11,342 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.
Five new cases were reported today, bringing to 325 the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus.
A total of 303 tests were reported since yesterday, which includes results from the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory and all other labs reported into the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange or CalREDIE. Some initial HSU samples are included in this report.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said, “We’re doing this testing to identify any cases among new students arriving to their dorm. Early detection is important because even a small number coming into a congregate setting can initiate wider transmission, especially since young people tend to have few or no symptoms and go undetected. Since we have a large number of people arriving in a very short period of time, testing is challenging but is important to all of us in limiting spread.”
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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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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