Press release from the Humboldt County Public Health Division:

Humboldt County Public Health reported today the death of a resident aged 80 or older due to COVID-19. Staff in the Department Operations Center extend their condolences to all who have lost a loved one to the virus.

An additional 223 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing to 12,506 the total number of residents who have tested positive for the virus. Two new hospitalizations, a resident in their 20s and another in their 60s, were also reported.

The California Department of Public Health has updated its guidance on isolation and quarantine for workplace settings aimed at allowing certain vaccinated people to stay working in specific situations if they have been exposed to the virus and don’t develop symptoms.

In workplace settings, employees who are vaccinated and booster-eligible but have not yet received their booster dose and are exposed to someone with COVID can continue to go to work as long as:

• A negative diagnostic test is obtained within three to five days after the last exposure
• The employee wears a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days
• The employee continues to have no symptoms.

When not at work, those employees should stay at home and quarantine.

State health officials have expanded booster eligibility to children aged 12 to 15 if it has been at least five months since they completed their primary vaccination series. Appointments can be made on the state’s updated vaccination portal My Turn.

Public Health continues to monitor the surging case counts that officials say suggest the highly transmissible Omicron variant is rapidly increasing in Humboldt County.

Health officials are continuing to say that hospitalizations, rather than positive case numbers, are the best indicator of how the county is being impacted in the most recent surge of cases. Vaccines and boosters provide an increased level of protection from Omicron, Delta and other variants.

Those individuals who are fully vaccinated or boosted typically develop milder symptoms, shorter illness duration and have fewer hospitalizations and less severe outcomes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rates of hospitalizations by vaccination status, unvaccinated adults are more than 8 times more likely to be hospitalized than those adults who are fully vaccinated. Locally, that number is currently 17 times higher.

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. Questions about clinic services can be directed to the Joint Information Center at 1-707-441-5000.

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 for vaccinations 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 on a first-come first-served basis
     Appointments for vaccinations strongly recommended.

Petrolia — Friday, Jan. 14, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
     Mattole Valley Resource Center (167 Sherman St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing available on a first-come first-served basis
     Appointments for vaccinations strongly recommended.

Honeydew — Friday, Jan. 14, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
     Honeydew Elementary School (1 Wilder Ridge Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing available on a first-come first-served basis
     Appointments for vaccinations strongly recommended.

Redway — Saturday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
     Healy Senior Center (456 Briceland Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing available on a first-come first-served basis
     Appointments for vaccinations strongly recommended.

Eureka — Tuesday, Jan. 18, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
     Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
     Ages 12 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. 18, 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. 18, 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 on a first-come first-served basis
     $25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
     Appointments for vaccinations 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 covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us 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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… and from the Providence-St. Joseph Health Care System:

At Providence, safety will always be our priority for our patients, our caregivers and visitors. Due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant and increased disruption to hospital staffing, Providence is reminding the public that emergency departments are NOT Covid-19 testing or vaccination sites.

Information about testing sites can be found at Testing - Coronavirus COVID-19 Response (ca.gov) and vaccines are readily available at local pharmacies. For patients needing emergency care, please continue to access our emergency departments to meet your emergency care needs.