Press release from the Humboldt County Public Health Division:

Humboldt County Public Health reported today the death of a resident aged 80 or older. Eight new hospitalizations were also reported including a resident in their 30s, four in their 60s, one in their 70s and two aged 80 or older.

An additional 158 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 were announced as well as 47 new probable cases for the period between Tuesday, Aug. 30 and Tuesday, Sept. 6. The total number of confirmed cases in the county stands at 21,640. An additional 5,050 cases are reported as probable.* 

The new bivalent boosters targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 were approved by the FDA last week and distribution will start in Humboldt County in coming days for the general public. The Moderna 18 and older version of the booster will be available at Public Health vaccine clinics beginning with the Wharfinger Building on Friday. Administering of Pfizer’s 12 and older booster is expected to follow next week. 

Both new boosters are single-dose. Appointments are not available at this time. Boosters are provided on a walk-in basis. A full list of pending clinics is available below.

The new boosters include components of the original virus strain and the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are now the dominant COVID-19 viruses in the U.S. 

To be eligible, individuals must have completed their primary series dose(s) at least two months prior to receiving an updated booster. A recommendation for duration following COVID-19 infection is still being finalized. People can receive the updated booster regardless of previous booster doses received. The updated bivalent boosters replace the previous monovalent booster vaccines for individuals 12 years of age and older. Children ages 5 to 11 can still boost their immunity with the monovalent boosters. 

Local vaccination data has been updated on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard. Highlights include:

• Since the last weekly report on Aug. 31, an additional 75 residents completed their vaccine series.
• A total of 91,440 individuals, or approximately 67% of the county’s total population, have been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.

Vaccines remain readily available throughout Humboldt County and vaccination and testing services are free of charge. Walk-ins are welcome at all Public Health clinics and some pharmacy vaccination sites. However, vaccines for young children ages 6 months to 5 years old require preregistration. Appointments can be made at MyTurn.ca.gov. Questions about clinic services can be directed to Public Health at 707-445-6201.

OptumServe offers rapid antigen testing and PCR testing services at the Wharfinger Building seven days a week. Walk-ins will receive only rapid antigen testing unless the attendee specifically states they require a PCR test. Appointments for antigen testing can be made at lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Wharfinger testing runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed from 11 a.m. to noon and 4 to 5 p.m. 

See the schedule below for specific Public Health vaccination and testing clinic dates, times, locations and available services.

Fortuna— Thursday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     Fortuna Vets Hall (1426 Main St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Eureka— Friday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     Wharfinger Building (1 Marina Way)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Bridgeville— Saturday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     Bridgeville Community Center (38717 Kneeland Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Eureka— Monday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
     Public Health Main (529 I St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Arcata— Tuesday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
     D Street Neighborhood Center (1301 D St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Willow Creek— Tuesday, Sept. 13, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     Willow Creek Public Health (77 Walnut Way)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

McKinleyville— Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1:15 to 4 p.m.
     The Center at McKinleyville (1615 Heartwood Drive)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Trinidad— Thursday, Sept. 15, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
     Trinidad Town Hall (409 Trinity St.)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Redway— Friday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
     Healy Senior Center (456 Briceland Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

Arcata— Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     St. Mary’s Church (1690 Janes Road)
     Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson/Moderna/Novavax
     Moderna for 6 months and older (appointments required at MyTurn.ca.gov)

* “Confirmed cases” represent the total confirmed positive PCR test results or detection of SARS-CoV-2 by genomic sequencing, and “probable cases” are individuals who:

• Have a positive antigen (Ag) test for COVID-19, or
• Were diagnosed with COVID-19 disease by a health care provider, or
• Have symptoms of COVID-19 disease after being in close contact with a person having a PCR-confirmed test result, or
• Were a decedent whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause or significant contributing factor of their death, in the absence of a positive PCR test result. 

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/3246
Follow us on Facebook: @HumCoCOVID19
Instagram: @HumCoCOVID19
Twitter: @HumCoCOVID19
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert

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