Press release from the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:

Humboldt County’s total COVID-19 case count rose to 64, as three additional cases were confirmed today.

Follow-up testing at Alder Bay Assisted Living in Eureka determined that one additional resident had become positive for COVID-19. All residents and staff will be tested on a regular basis for the near future.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Frankovich noted the incubation period between exposure and illness can last up to 14 days, so individuals may develop symptoms or test positive at any point in that time. “For this reason, Alder Bay staff are carefully monitoring both patients and staff,” Frankovich said, “and Public Health Communicable Disease nurses were back on site today collecting new specimens for testing. Doing repeat testing during the incubation period is important in identifying any new cases early.”

Dr. Frankovich added, “We are all thinking about the residents and families of Alder Bay. We know this is a difficult time.”

The other two cases appear unrelated to Alder Bay Assisted Living and are under investigation.