Press release from the Humboldt County Public Health Division:

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

Two new hospitalizations were reported, a resident in their 40s and another aged 80 or older. An additional 62 new positive cases were also reported for the period between Tuesday, March 15, and Tuesday, March 22, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 20,002.

Seven hospitalizations and three deaths that were previously reported have been removed from the count after they were determined to be from another jurisdiction or were not COVID-related.

As of Tuesday, Public Health and other local vaccinators have administered a total of 176,551 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Humboldt County residents. The number of total doses administered has decreased for the reporting period because some local vaccinations were removed from the count and assigned to another jurisdiction by the state. Local vaccination data has been updated on the Humboldt County Data Dashboard. Highlights include:

• Since the last weekly report on March 16, 81 additional residents completed their vaccine series.
• Approximately 65% of the county’s total population was fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.
• A total of 88,412 eligible residents, or nearly 69% of the county’s population aged 5 and older, were fully vaccinated. Just over 6% of the county’s total population has been partially vaccinated as of this reporting period.

Severe outcomes from COVID-19 continue to be more frequent among unvaccinated individuals. The graphs below depict average weekly case rates and weekly hospitalizations and deaths in unvaccinated and fully vaccinated local residents.

As depicted in the graph above for the period from May 30, 2021, to March 13, 2022, 21 deaths of fully vaccinated Humboldt County residents from COVID-19 were reported. The average age of those deaths was 80. During that same period, 60 deaths of unvaccinated residents were reported. The average age of those deaths was 68. During that same period, 76 fully vaccinated residents were hospitalized with an average age of 73. An additional 282 unvaccinated individuals were hospitalized with an average age of 59. View a more detailed depiction of the hospitalization and death rates graph here.

The current seven-day average case rate in Humboldt County is approximately six, meaning that for every 100,000 residents, approximately six tested positive daily over the last seven days. Case rates vary considerably by vaccination status, as illustrated in the graph below, which depicts average weekly case rates since January 2021 in unvaccinated and fully vaccinated residents.

In the graph depicted above for the most recent reporting period ending March 13, the seven-day average case rate is 3 per 100,000 residents for fully vaccinated individuals and four per 100,000 residents for unvaccinated individuals. View a more detailed depiction of the case rate graph here.

The Joint Information Center (JIC) is issuing Case Count news releases and Data Dashboard updates once a week, on Wednesdays. Also, Call Center hours have been reduced to half days. Calls to 707-441-5000 will be answered from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Calls received outside of those hours will be returned the following business day.

Residents, particularly those who are unvaccinated, are urged to continue to take protective measures against COVID-19 by washing hands frequently, socially distancing, wearing a well-fitted mask and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.

Individuals should stay home and away from others and get tested if they become sick or experience COVID-19 symptoms that may include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue or muscle aches.

Starting Monday, March 28, OptumServe will add rapid antigen testing to its regular PCR testing services at the Wharfinger site in Eureka Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments for all testing services are strongly recommended and can be made at lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123.

Vaccines remain readily available and, as always, Humboldt County’s vaccination and testing services are available free of charge. Walk-ins are welcome at all Public Health clinics and some pharmacy vaccination sites. Appointments can also 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.

McKinleyville — Thursday, March 24, 2 to 7 p.m.
     Church of the Joyful Healer (1944 Central Ave.)
     Ages 5 and older
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing available on a first-come first-served basis
     Walk-ins are welcome.

Eureka — Friday, March 25, 1 to 8 p.m.
     Wharfinger Building (1 Marina Way)
     Ages 5 and older
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing offered through OptumServe on the lower floor of the Wharfinger Building. Appointments for testing strongly recommended.
     Walk-ins for vaccinations are welcome.

Eureka — Saturday, March 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
     College of the Redwoods (7351 Tompkins Hill Road)
     Ages 5 and older
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     PCR and rapid testing available on a first-come first-served basis
     Walk-ins are welcome.

Eureka — Monday, March 28, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.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
     Walk-ins are welcome.

Eureka — Tuesday, March 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
     Public Health Main Office (529 I St.)
     Ages 5 and older
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna
     No testing available
     $25 gift card for adults receiving a first or second dose
     Walk-ins are welcome.

Willow Creek — Tuesday, March 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed from noon to 1 p.m.
     Public Health Office (77 Walnut Way)
     Ages 5 and older
     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
     Walk-ins are welcome.

Wednesday, March 30 — NO CLINICS SCHEDULED

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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