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Press release from the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:

Routine testing of staff led to discovery of COVID-19 cases at Granada Rehabilitation & Wellness Center in Eureka. Thirty people in the facility have tested positive, including one staff person and 29 residents. 

Skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities are required by the state to test all staff on a weekly basis. A positive result from that routine testing activates a set of responses outlined by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). 

Following the initial positive result from the most recent round of routine testing, Humboldt County Public Health expanded testing this week to every person in the facility, which has so far turned up 29 additional cases in residents. Experts in infection control from Public Health and CDPH are assisting the facility in containing the outbreak, including on-site support. Public Health will provide ongoing testing of all staff and residents and additional expertise as needed.  

Humboldt County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Josh Ennis said this outbreak demonstrates the difficulty in keeping the vulnerable safe from COVID infection once community transmission is so widespread.

“We have a level of disease circulating right now that compromises our ability to conserve our hospital beds and ultimately protect the vulnerable,” he said. 

“These residents are beloved community members, family of somebody you may know, often with deep roots in Humboldt, and our thoughts are with them right now,” Dr. Ennis said. “It’s time for all of us to step up and connect our everyday actions to life real-life consequences. Mask, distance, wash hands and don’t gather.”  

Administrators at Granada are following recommended containment strategies and are working closely with Public Health and CDPH to closely monitor residents’ health. 

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.