1 Death, 218 New Covid Cases In Tuolumne, 50 Cases In Calaveras

Calaveras Public Health "Along with getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a well-fitting mask helps protect yourself and others from COVID-19."

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Tuolumne County Public Health reports a woman in her 40s has died due to Coivd-19. There are 218 new Covid-19 positive cases identified since yesterday, 208 are community cases and 10 are Sierra Conservation Center inmate cases. The newly reported community cases include 44 cases age 17 or younger and 39 cases age 60 or older. Tuolumne County’s active community cases increased 124 to 710 including 7 people who are hospitalized. Sonora High School sent a notice to parents that states there were 20 students and two staff members who tested positive today. Since Sonora High students returned from winter break January 3rd parents have been notified of 53 students and seven staff members identified with Covid. All parents are notified when cases were last on campus and close contacts are individually notified. The High School rescheduled their Winter Formal scheduled for this weekend to February 12.

Tuolumne Public Health Officials noted yesterday the state Covid testing has been delayed due to high usage statewide with results taking up to 4 or 5 days. Tuolumne health officials also say, “While our COVID response team continues case investigation and contact tracing efforts, due to the large increase in cases that we are experiencing, we will not reach everyone with a personal phone call.” Vaccination and other COVID-related data is on the State website. Tuolumne residents who receive a positive test result will likely receive a text or email from a “Virtual Agent” that will provide information on what to do next. Health Officials say, “You can help slow the spread of Covid-19 by responding to texts, calls, or emails, and self-isolating when you have symptoms or a positive test result. Also notify any close contacts you’ve had from 2 days before you became ill or got tested. Any close contacts should follow current quarantine guidance and get tested 3-5 days after exposure. If you are at high risk of severe disease or hospitalization, you can contact your doctor to discuss potential treatment options. If you are not symptomatic, have not tested positive for COVID-19 recently, and are not in quarantine, get vaccinated or boosted.” Updated to the most recent Isolation & Quarantine guidelines the Tuolumne health order is here.

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

The new Covid cases by gender and age: 13 girls and 12 boys age 11 or younger, 11 girls and eight boys age 12 to 17, 17 women and 20 men age 18 to 29, 19 women and 14 men in their 30s, 17 women and 13 men in their 40s, 20 women and five men in their 50s, 13 women and 13 men in their 60s, six women and two men in their 70s, four women in their 80s and one man over 90.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports 105 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 3,195 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 an increase of seven out of 1,160. A total of 516 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 133.6 from 113.7 per 100,000 population. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. A total of 81 individuals were released from isolation, in all 6,916 have been released from isolation. The county sends samples from residents for sequencing which takes time, so far the Omicron Covid-19 variant has not been detected yet. A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated.

Due to Covid-19 shortages, the Tuolumne County Animal Control office is closed until further notice. They state they are still taking care of the animals, and will be servicing emergency calls. If you have an animal emergency call their line at 209-694-2730.

Calaveras County Public Health reports 50 new cases since yesterday. There are 15 more active cases for a total of 127 active cases including two Covid hospitalizations. Six of the new cases are age 17 or younger and six are age 65 and older, in total 890 under age 17 and 840 over 65 have been identified with Covid. There are 34 more counted as recovered for a total of 4,777 cases and 56.03% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated in the county. According to the state, Calaveras 14-day average for Covid hospitalizations remains at two with no increase or decrease and there remain five ICU beds available.

Calaveras County Public Health states “The latest Omicron variant spreads more easily than other variants we’ve had so far. While breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are expected, vaccines continue to prevent severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The recent Omicron variant emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.” Calaveras public health officials note “Along with getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a well-fitting mask helps protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Learn about the different types of masks and how to make sure you’re getting the best protection.” (see image) The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status, until February 15, 2022. This will be updated as CDPH continues to assess conditions on an ongoing basis.

Get the most out of masking: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/
Get vaccinated and boosted. schedule an appointment https://myturn.ca.gov/
Get tested for COVID-19 (PCR only): covid19.calaverasgov.us

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, Jan. 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