Press release from the Humboldt County Public Health Division:

A Humboldt County resident in their 60s has died with COVID-19, bringing to 62 the number of residents who have died with the virus. The staff of the Department Operations Center extends their condolences to the person’s family, friends and caregivers.

One hundred two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the county since Friday. The total number of residents who have tested positive for the virus now stands at 6,529. Four new hospitalizations were also reported, including one person in their 20s, one in their 40s and two in their 80s.

Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals age 16 and older, citing data that showed the vaccine to be 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection among more than 40,000 clinical trial participants. According to the FDA’s statement, “The public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.”

Humboldt County Public Health Director Sofia Pereira applauded the move, saying, “For all those who were waiting for full approval of the vaccine, that day has arrived. Please get vaccinated as soon as you can.” Pereira pointed to a recent survey from the Kaiser Foundation that found three out of 10 unvaccinated adults would be likely to get vaccinated if a COVID-19 vaccine received full FDA approval.

The Pfizer vaccine continues to be approved for children 12 to 15 years old under the FDA’s emergency use authorization. More than 204 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recently recommended a third dose for some immunocompromised individuals. 

Vaccine remains broadly available at this time and is the most effective way to prevent COVID-19. While breakthrough cases do occur, all available vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from the virus. 

Vaccine is available at Public Health clinics located throughout the county, and walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment in advance, go to MyTurn.ca.gov. Most local pharmacies also offer COVID-19 vaccines, and many allow walk-ins. Visit vaccines.gov to check availability, or text a ZIP code to 438829 to find a participating pharmacy nearby.

See the schedule of upcoming Public Health clinics below: 

Eureka – Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
     Housing Authority (735 W. Everding St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Eureka – Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.
     Highland Park (High St. Parking Area)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Fortuna – Thursday, Aug. 26, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
     Dollar General (650 S. Fortuna Blvd.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Petrolia – Friday, Aug. 27, from 10:30 to noon
     Mattole Valley Resource Center (167 Sherman St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Honeydew – Friday, Aug. 27, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
     Honeydew Elementary School (1 Wilder Ridge Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Redway – Sunday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     Redwoods Rural Health Center (101 W. Coast Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson

Full protection from vaccination is achieved two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose series or two weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for those 18 and older. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

To improve the efficiency of data reporting and allow staff to focus on vaccination efforts, Public Health has automated some collection of case data. The California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) currently shows hundreds of cases assigned to Humboldt County that still need to be reviewed locally. Today’s count of confirmed cases is likely to be much higher than 102 and should not be interpreted as a decrease in disease transmission. Public Health expects to report large numbers of new cases each day this week as data is processed.

Beginning this week, the weekly data section of the Humboldt County Data Dashboard will be updated on Fridays. View the Data Dashboard online at humboldtgov.org/dashboard, or go to humboldtgov.org/DashboardArchives to download today’s data.