News

Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 107 new cases today — making 781 so far this week — as well as two new hospitalizations.

Today's cases —which came after a single day record reported Tuesday, which came after 400 cases were reported Monday as having been confirmed since Dec. 30 — come amid news the highly contagious Omicron variant has been confirmed to be circulating in Humboldt County. For context, more than 6.6 percent of the cumulative cases the county has confirmed since its first recorded positive test 684 days ago have now come since Dec. 30.

Public Health, meanwhile, reported yesterday it is modifying local quarantine and isolation requirements for asymptomatic individuals, reducing it from 10 days to five under specific conditions. (The full guidance can be found here.) Yesterday, California also extended a statewide indoor mask mandate in public settings, though one has remained in place in Humboldt County for months.

Health Officer Ian Hoffman said in a press release Tuesday that he believes Delta is still the dominant strain locally but monitoring is ongoing to determine to what degree Omicron is circulating locally.

"We hope to know more by the end of the week but this is likely the beginning of a surge," he said.

Monday, the county reported that genomic sequencing on two samples taken between Dec. 19 and Dec. 21 were determined to be Omicron, meaning the variant has likely been circulating in the county for at least a couple of weeks. For more on the Omicron variant and what it means for Humboldt, read this week's Journal cover story here.

Hoffman urged local residents to protect themselves and their families from all variants by masking in public settings and getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible.

A state database shows 18 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally — twice as many as were hospitalized locally eight days ago — with two under intensive care. The local hospital census peaked Sept. 3 with 42 COVID-19 patients.

The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized boosters for everyone age 16 and older 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.

Public Health reported Thursday that Humboldt's seven-day average case rate is approximately 15, meaning that for every 100,000 residents, 15 residents tested positive for the virus daily over the last seven days. But the case rate varies by vaccination status, with the unvaccinated seeing an average case rate of 20 per 100,000 residents compared to 16 for the fully vaccinated.

The CDC 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.

National, state and local health officials advise that vaccination remains incredibly safe and effective protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19, and the county has a host of no-cost clinics scheduled over the next week. With the upcoming holidays and high demand for testing and vaccine, Public Health highly recommends scheduling an appointment for either.  

Fortuna — Wednesday, Jan. 5, noon to 6 p.m.
Fortuna River Lodge (1800 Riverwalk Drive)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
PCR and rapid testing available
Appointments strongly recommended.

Trinidad — Thursday, Jan. 6, 2 to 7 p.m.
Trinidad Town Hall (409 Trinity St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
PCR and rapid testing available
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka— Friday, Jan. 7, 1. to 8 p.m
Wharfinger Building (1 Marina Way)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna.
No rapid testing available at this clinic. PCR testing offered through OptumServe by appointment on the lower floor of the Wharfinger Building.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka Family Clinic— Saturday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m. to 4 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 — Monday, Jan. 10, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No testing available
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
Appointments required.

Eureka — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Ages 16 and older
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No testing available
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
Appointments required.

Eureka Pediatric Clinic — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Ages 5 to 11
Pfizer only
No testing available
Appointments required.

Willow Creek — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 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.

Fortuna — Wednesday, Jan. 12, noon to 6 p.m.
Fortuna River Lodge (1800 Riverwalk Drive)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No rapid testing available at this clinic. PCR testing offered through OptumServe by appointment only at the Fortuna River Lodge
Appointments strongly recommended.

Today's confirmed cases bring the county's total to 11,733 with 482 hospitalizations and 124 COVID-19 related deaths.

Nationwide, more than 57.1 million cases have been confirmed with 827,879
deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Of those, 5.5 million cases and 76,049 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.

Read the JIC's report below.

Jan. 6, 2022 - 2 New Hospitalizations, 107 New Cases Reported
Humboldt County Public Health reported today 107 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 11,733 the total number of residents who have tested positive for the virus. Two new hospitalizations, two residents in their 60s, were also reported.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced yesterday it extended the statewide indoor mask mandate for an additional month for all public settings, regardless of vaccine status. The mask requirement will continue through Feb. 15, 2022, and is intended as an added layer of protection against the Omicron variant rapidly spreading through the state.

Effective Wednesday, the quarantine and isolation guidance for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people with improving symptoms has been reduced from 10 to five days under specific conditions. The move aligns the county with the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and the CDPH isolation and quarantine guidance.

The Omicron variant was detected locally among two samples taken in December and has been known to be circulating in Humboldt County for several weeks. Health officials are continuing to monitor to determine to what extent the recent increase in cases are Omicron.

Public Health officials continue to stress that residents, especially those who are unvaccinated, continue to protect themselves and their families from all COVID-19 variants by following mask requirements in public settings, socially distancing and getting vaccinated or boosted when eligible to do so.

As always, 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, an 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.

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

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

Trinidad — Thursday, Jan. 6, 2 to 7 p.m.
Trinidad Town Hall (409 Trinity St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
PCR and rapid testing available
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka Family Clinic — Saturday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m. to 4 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 — Monday, Jan. 10, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No testing available
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
Appointments required.

Eureka — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Ages 16 and older
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No testing available
$25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
Appointments required.

Eureka Pediatric Clinic — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
Ages 5 to 11
Pfizer only
No testing available
Appointments required.

Willow Creek — Tuesday, Jan. 11, 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.

Fortuna — Wednesday, Jan. 12, noon to 6 p.m.
Fortuna River Lodge (1800 Riverwalk Drive)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
No rapid testing available at this clinic. PCR testing offered through OptumServe by appointment only at the Fortuna River Lodge.
Appointments strongly recommended.

Eureka — Thursday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
College of the Redwoods Gym Lobby (7351 Tompkins Hill Road)
Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
PCR and rapid testing available
Appointments strongly recommended.

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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