Posted By Kimberly Wear@kimberly wear on Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 1:18 PM Humboldt County Public Health reported 14 new COVID-19 cases today, making 69 so far this week. Today s cases were reported after laboratories processed 343 samples with a test-positivity rate of 4 percent, bringing the county s case count to 3,349. The California Department of Public Health announced today that a benchmark of distributing some 2 million vaccine doses in underserved areas of the state has been met and the threshold for when counties are moved into the most restrictive COVID-19 risk tier has been revised. According to the county s release, public health officials have expressed cautious optimism about Humboldt s ability to not only remain in the red tier but even find its way back down the COVID-19 risk ladder to reach the orange or yellow levels, if residents continue to practice safety measures, get tested and sign up to be vaccinated
COVID REPORT: Forty-Nine New Cases Confirmed Today, Joint Information Center Says
Press release from the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:
A total of 2,220 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19, after 49 new cases were reported today.
In vaccine news, today the county moved into Phase 1B-tier 1, starting with people age 75 and older.
Public Health Director Michele Stephens said, “We continue to work through the tiers in our plan and are now opening up to people 75 and older since there is sufficient vaccine to do so. As we receive additional vaccine, we’ll open up additional tiers.”
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said as Public Health wraps up one phase, it’s preparing for the next. “We’re vaccinating groups in tandem,” he said. “We will continue to work with our health care partners to message when and where people can receive their vaccine.”
Local health officials are expressing concern after the state moved Humboldt County out of the “widespread” COVID-19 risk tier today for the first time in.
From the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced that local COVID-19 data places Humboldt County in the “Red” or Substantial tier under the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.”
The adjusted case rate of 12.1 and positivity rate of 4.0% do not meet the threshold for tier reassignment. However, the county met the state’s Health Equity Metric, which aims to reduce disparities by ensuring that no group within a county is disproportionally impacted by COVID-19.
Under the Red tier, Humboldt will be the only county in the state allowed to have indoor gatherings, movie theaters, fitness centers, places of worship and dining. Local businesses, particularly restaurants and cafes, are urged to move forward cautiously. If virus data worsens or intensive care unit capacity for the Northern California Region dips below 15%, the state would require some sectors to move outdoors or cease operating altogether.
California moved Humboldt to a less restrictive tier, alarming local officials
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Humboldt County health officials are concerned the state moved them to the red tier.CampPhoto/Getty Images
What some welcomed as good news is not being received as such by Humboldt County health officers.
On Tuesday, California announced the county is being moved to the red tier, one step down from the purple tier that indicates the worst spread of COVID-19. The move makes the county one of the only places in the state now able to reopen some indoor businesses like dining, movie theaters, fitness center and places of worship. The news was so alarming to Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman that he issued an official statement decrying the move.