1 Death, 53 New Covid19 Cases In Calaveras, 99 Cases In Tuolumne

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Calaveras County Public Health reports one additional death from Covid-19, a man in his 30s, there are no other details. There are 53 new cases since yesterday. There are 13 fewer active cases for a total of 114 active cases including four Covid hospitalizations. Fifteen of the new cases are age 17 or younger and three are age 65 and older, in total 905 under age 17 and 843 over 65 have been identified with Covid. There are 66 more counted as recovered for a total of 4,843 cases and 56.04% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated in the county. According to the state, Calaveras 14-day average for Covid hospitalizations increased two to four and there are six ICU beds available.

Tuolumne County Public Health reports 99 new Covid-19 positive community cases identified since yesterday and no inmate cases. The newly reported community cases include 27 cases age 17 or younger and 13 cases age 60 or older. Tuolumne County’s active community cases increased 10 to 720 including six people who are hospitalized.

As detailed here Interim Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko estimates cases may peak in Tuolumne County about the 20th of January, plateau, and then start decreasing.

The state reports the 14-day average for Covid-19 hospitalized patients is 11, down from 13. The state reports two ICU beds available in Tuolumne County out of six.

The new Covid cases by gender and age: eight girls and six boys age 11 or younger, four girls and nine boys age 12 to 17, 11 women and three men age 18 to 29, nine women and six men in their 30s, eight women and eight men in their 40s, six women and six men in their 50s, four women and four men in their 60s, and two women and three men in their 70s.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports 104 currently active inmate cases. There have been 1,693 inmate cases at the Sierra Conservation Center, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports the SCC manages 3,193 inmates with 82% vaccinated including all the southern fire conservation camps and has tested 53% of the prison’s population in the past 14 days. There are 80 staff members reporting they have Covid out of 1,160. A total of 525 staff members report they are or have been Covid positive with a 56% vaccination rate reported among the staff.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 142.3 from 133.6 per 100,000 population. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. A total of 87 individuals were released from isolation, in all 7,003 have been released from isolation. A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated.

Mariposa County Health & Human Services notes they are getting the question, “If Omicron is mild, why are people acting like it’s a big deal?” Health officials respond, “The concern with focusing too much on Omicron being less severe or milder is that it’s oversimplifying the situation and ignoring the bigger picture. First, we don’t need to panic, but we should be vigilant. Infections with Omicron are typically less severe than with previous variants BUT there is still a risk. Many in our community are at higher risk due to age and/or underlying health conditions and their lives are no less valuable. Even seemingly healthy individuals are at risk for adverse outcomes. Infection with Omicron can still bring high fevers, body aches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes in even milder cases. The US is still reporting about 1,500 new deaths each day. Long COVID is also a concern, regardless of how mild your initial infection is. The impacts of this include shortness of breath, severe fatigue, fevers, dizziness and brain fog, heart palpitations, organ damage, and more. It’s also important to remember that because Omicron is more infectious, even if a lower percentage of cases need hospitalization, the absolute number of those seeking medical care could be equal to or higher than with previous variants. Over 25% of US hospitals are experiencing critical staffing shortages because staff is getting sick while caring for infected patients. This hurts anyone seeking medical care. It can take longer to transfer patients from smaller care centers to larger hospitals, can take longer for ambulances to hand off patients and return to their communities, and it can lead to less time staff can spend with each patient. So, while we recognize the benefit of a variant that is less likely to cause severe illness, we are preparing on our end for medical surges, skyrocketing case rates, additional deaths, and long-term impacts on our community. Staying vigilant in the fight against COVID-19 helps us ALL to stay safer and healthier.”

COVID-19 Testing Public health recommends scheduling an appointment to get tested 5 days after possible exposure and if you are having any symptoms, to get tested right away. The Tuolumne County State testing site schedule is 7 days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds and will be open on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Monday, January 17th.  Appointments can be made at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also available at pharmacies, at Rapid Care, and the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider. More details are here.

COVID-19 Vaccine appointments and booster vaccine shots are recommended. The CDC is recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5 to 11-year-olds receive a Covid vaccine booster 28 days after their second shot. The CDC also now recommends people receive a booster shot if they completed a Pfizer series at least five months ago, or the Moderna series at least six months ago, or a J&J vaccine at least two months ago. Vaccine appointments for children ages 5 to 11 can be made through myturn.ca.gov, or by calling 833-422-4255, or through local pharmacies, more details are here. For ways to manage a fear of needles or a phobia and help others with it, view the CDC’s information guide here. Learn more about self-care strategies by visiting namica.org