Friday, November 6, 2020
COVID-19 Cases Surpass 600 in Humboldt as Week's Spike Continues
Posted By Thadeus Greenson @ThadeusGreenson on Fri, Nov 6, 2020 at 12:09 PM
Public Health reported today that the countywide COVID-19 case count has surpassed 600 as this week's case spike continued, with six new cases confirmed today, making 34 this week.
That's the most cases reported locally in a single week since the 35 reported the week ending Sept. 18. Nine cases were reported last week, and 59 in the entirety of October.
Today's cases were reported after laboratories processed 271 samples with a test positivity rate of 2.2 percent.
Yesterday, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich urged residents to get tested as soon as possible if they show any symptoms of the virus. Those without a provider can call the county's Joint Information Center at 441-5000 for assistance.
That's the most cases reported locally in a single week since the 35 reported the week ending Sept. 18. Nine cases were reported last week, and 59 in the entirety of October.
Today's cases were reported after laboratories processed 271 samples with a test positivity rate of 2.2 percent.
Yesterday, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich urged residents to get tested as soon as possible if they show any symptoms of the virus. Those without a provider can call the county's Joint Information Center at 441-5000 for assistance.
To date, Humboldt County has seen 605 cases, 37 people hospitalized at some point in their COVID-19 care and 10 COVID-related deaths. A state database indicates two local residents are currently hospitalized with the disease.
Read the county release below:
California Department of Public Health data released this week under the state's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" risk-ranking system has Humboldt marking its fourth week in the minimal tier, with a positivity rate of 0.7 percent and an adjusted case rate of 1.1 per 100,000 residents.
Meanwhile, the state has an overall test positivity rate of 3.3 and case rate of 7.7 per 100,000 in population. Nationwide, an average of 28.4 new cases have been reported daily per 100,000 in population over the last week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 9.6 million people have tested positive for the virus, with 234,264 COVID-related deaths, including 117,988 new cases confirmed and 1,135 deaths reported yesterday. Statewide, 944,576 cases have been confirmed — including 4,566 yesterday — with 17,815 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Right now, under the lower risk category, most indoor businesses — including bars — can reopen but the county can put further restrictions in place, according to the state. Read more about what it means here.
The Humboldt County Data Dashboard was recently updated to include hospitalization rates by age group, death rates by age group and case totals by ZIP code, the latter of which are reported in "a range of 0 to 5 for case count until the area surpasses 5 total cases," according to a county news release.
After that threshold has been reached in a ZIP code, the exact number will be included.
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
Meanwhile, the state has an overall test positivity rate of 3.3 and case rate of 7.7 per 100,000 in population. Nationwide, an average of 28.4 new cases have been reported daily per 100,000 in population over the last week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 9.6 million people have tested positive for the virus, with 234,264 COVID-related deaths, including 117,988 new cases confirmed and 1,135 deaths reported yesterday. Statewide, 944,576 cases have been confirmed — including 4,566 yesterday — with 17,815 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Right now, under the lower risk category, most indoor businesses — including bars — can reopen but the county can put further restrictions in place, according to the state. Read more about what it means here.
The Humboldt County Data Dashboard was recently updated to include hospitalization rates by age group, death rates by age group and case totals by ZIP code, the latter of which are reported in "a range of 0 to 5 for case count until the area surpasses 5 total cases," according to a county news release.
After that threshold has been reached in a ZIP code, the exact number will be included.
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
Read the county release below:
Nov. 6, 2020 - Six New Cases Reported Today
707-441-5000 ; [email protected] ; Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm Opens in new window
Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported today, bringing to 605 the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus.
Please note that the Humboldt County Joint Information Center will be closed from noon to 5 p.m. Friday for systems maintenance. Normal business hours are set to resume at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.
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.
Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard,
Follow us on Facebook: @HumCoCOVID19,
Instagram: @HumCoCOVID19,
Twitter: @HumCoCOVID19, and
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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About The Author
Thadeus Greenson
Bio:
Thadeus Greenson is the news editor of the North Coast Journal.
Thadeus Greenson is the news editor of the North Coast Journal.
