Department of Health and Human Services Director Sofia Pereira issued a video statement today, reflecting on the enormity of the pandemic as Humboldt nears the milestone of 10,000 total confirmed COVID-19 cases.

As of today, Humboldt County has recorded a total of 9,963 cases, 117 deaths and 443 hospitalizations.

“As we prepare to gather this week with family and friends, we are seeing the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Humboldt County nearing a grim statistic — nearly 10,000 positive cases,” Pereira said. “Given the recent meteoric rise in the use of at-home tests, we know that the true number is much higher than that.”

In her statement, Pereira also discussed the progress the county has made since COVID-19 vaccines were first made available to the public.

“I’m so grateful that we now have a way to dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death in our community,” she said. “This is saving lives and I’m so grateful for that ability.”

In the last year, more than 160,000 vaccine doses have been administered to nearly 81,000 Humboldt County residents.

Watch Pereira’s full statement in the video embedded at the top of this story.