News

A state database shows 13 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, with three under intensive care. The local hospital census peaked Sept. 3 with 42 COVID-19 patients.

The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized boosters for all eligible adults who are at least six months past their second shot of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines and two months past their shot of Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

The FDA also recently authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for children 5 to 11 years old and local pharmacies and pediatricians have begun making appointments, while Public Health announced it will hold several pediatric and family vaccination clinics. Appointments will be required and can be made at www.vaccines.gov. Boosters will not be available at these clinics.

Public Health reported Nov. 19 that Humboldt's seven-day average case rate is currently at 15.8, meaning that for every 100,000 residents, 15.8 residents tested positive for the virus daily over the last seven days. But the case rate varies by vaccination status.

The seven-day average case rate for fully vaccinated individuals was nine per 100,000 residents per day, while the average daily case rate for unvaccinated individuals is 16 per 100,000 residents. View a more detailed depiction of the case rate graph here.


The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently published a study indicating unvaccinated individuals are 11 times more likely to die of COVID-19 and 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than their fully vaccinated counterparts.

The county's OptumServe’s main testing site at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka and its mobile testing site in Hoopa will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 25, for Thanksgiving. The Wharfinger Building and OptumServe’s mobile testing site in Arcata will be closed Friday, Nov. 26.

The COVID-19 Joint Information Center (441-5000) will also be closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday. English and Spanish speaking call takers will resume regular operations on Monday to answer questions related to COVID-19 vaccination, testing and preventive measures. Questions emailed to [email protected] over the holiday will also be responded to on Monday.

Public Health’s testing and vaccination clinics will be closed for Thanksgiving and through the weekend and will resume on Monday. Here is the county's vaccine clinic schedule for next week: 

Eureka Family Clinic— Thursday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m
Jefferson Community Center (1000 B St.)
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka— Friday, Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
Wharfinger Building (1 Marina Way).
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka Family Clinic – Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Eureka High School Cafeteria (1915 J St.)
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Fortuna Family Clinic – Sunday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fortuna Resource Center (2089 Newburg Road).
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka — Monday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Clinic appointments full.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
Appointment required. No testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.

Willow Creek — Tuesday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Public Health Office (77 Walnut Way)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Redway — Wednesday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
DHHS Office (3156 Redwood Drive)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.

Today's confirmed cases bring the county's total to 10,259 with 453 hospitalizations and 119 COVID-19 related deaths.

Nationwide, more than 48.4 million cases have been confirmed with 780,131 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Of those, 4.8 million cases and 73,822 related deaths have been confirmed in California, according to the Department of Public Health.

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 assessing risk factors for contracting the illness, which can be found 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.

Watch the county's COVID-19 update and read the JIC's report below.

Dec. 1, 2021 - 2 Hospitalizations, 23 New Cases Reported
Humboldt County Public Health reported today 23 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 10,123 the total number of residents who have tested positive for the virus. Two hospitalizations were also reported, a resident in their 50s and one aged 80 or older.

The first known case of the new Omicron variant in the U.S. was confirmed today in San Francisco, Calif. as health officials throughout the state stepped up surveillance testing and contact tracing to identify and control its spread.

While there are not yet any known cases in Humboldt County, health officials are requesting doctors to ask their patients about their travel history so that they can identify and test those who may have been exposed.

Residents who test positive on at-home tests and have travelled internationally in the past 14 days are asked to call the Joint Information Center at 1-707-441-5000 to report their results to Public Health.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reminds residents that the best way to protect themselves from COVID-19 and variants like Omicron is by getting vaccinated, wearing masks indoors and in crowded places, getting tested immediately regardless of vaccination status if any cold- or flu-like symptoms develop, and staying home when sick.

As of Tuesday, Public Health and other local vaccinators have administered a total of 164,080 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Local vaccination data has been updated on the Humboldt County Data Dashboard (humboldtgov.org/dashboard). Highlights include:

Since the last weekly report, 2,068 vaccine doses have been administered, and 144 additional residents have completed their vaccine series.
A total of 81,367 residents, or approximately 68% of the county’s population aged 5 and older, are fully vaccinated. About 9,600 residents, or approximately 8% of the population aged 5 and older, are partially vaccinated as of Tuesday.
Public Health is continuing to urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and is offering family clinics this week that give priority to children aged 5 to 11 and provides family members a convenient way to get first or second doses and boosters.

All eligible adults aged 18 and older are encouraged to get a booster. Health officials also stress that those who are partially vaccinated should complete their vaccination series. Someone who is fully vaccinated is half as likely to pass on the infection as someone who is unvaccinated. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an unvaccinated person is nearly six times more likely to get COVID-19 and 14 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than a vaccinated person.

Vaccines, including boosters, are available at local pharmacies. To check the availability of a specific vaccine, visit the vaccines.gov page, or text a ZIP code to 438829 to locate a nearby pharmacy offering vaccines.

Humboldt County’s vaccination and testing services are available free of charge. Although walk-ins are allowed at most regular Public Health clinics and many pharmacy vaccination sites, a sharp increase in demand for boosters has caused delays at some locations. As a result, appointments are required for pediatric clinics and for clinics at Public Health’s main office. Appointments are strongly recommended for all other clinics and are the best way to ensure a shot is available during your visit. Appointments can be made at MyTurn.ca.gov.

See the schedule below for specific Public Health vaccination and testing clinic dates, times, locations and available services:

Eureka Family Clinic— Thursday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Jefferson Community Center (1000 B St.)
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka— Friday, Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
Wharfinger Building (1 Marina Way).
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
No rapid testing available at this clinic. PCR testing offered through OptumServe on the lower floor of the Wharfinger Building.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka Family Clinic – Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Eureka High School Cafeteria (1915 J St.)
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Fortuna Family Clinic – Sunday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fortuna Resource Center (2089 Newburg Road).
Ages 5-18 and family members. No boosters.
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka — Monday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Clinic appointments full.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
Appointment required. No testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.
Appointments required.

Willow Creek — Tuesday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Public Health Office (77 Walnut Way)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Redway — Wednesday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
DHHS Office (3156 Redwood Drive)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
PCR and rapid testing available.
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose.

View the Data Dashboard online at humboldtgov.org/dashboard, or go to humboldtgov.org/DashboardArchives to download data from a previous time.

For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or by contacting [email protected] or calling 1-707-441-5000.

Sign up for COVID-19 vaccination: MyTurn.ca.gov
Check for vaccine availability at a local pharmacy: Vaccines.gov
Local COVID-19 vaccine information: humboldtgov.org/VaccineInfo
Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/Dashboard
Follow us on Facebook: @HumCoCOVID19
Instagram: @HumCoCOVID19
Twitter: @HumCoCOVID19
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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