News

Humboldt County has confirmed its second case of COVID-19 but it was found in an individual who had recently traveled to a high-risk country, and officials do not believe community transmission was a factor.

“Our thoughts go out to this individual and we wish them a full recovery,” County Heatlh Officer Teresa Frankovich said. “We have said repeatedly that we expect additional cases in our community. We’ve been fortunate to have had time to prepare, and we have prepared. I certainly do not think this will be the last case in Humboldt County.”

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said the positive case reinforces the need for the shelter-in-place order put in place last night.

See the full press release from Public Health copied below:

Second Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in Humboldt County
Local Health Officials confirmed a second positive test of a Humboldt County resident with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) one month to the day after the county had its first confirmed positive case.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said the individual had recently traveled to a high-risk country. Community transmission is not believed to be a factor in this case. Anyone who was in close contact with the individual will be contacted by Public Health staff, evaluated and quarantined as appropriate.
“Our thoughts go out to this individual and we wish them a full recovery,” Frankovich said. “We have said repeatedly that we expect additional cases in our community. We’ve been fortunate to have had time to prepare, and we have prepared. I certainly do not think this will be the last case in Humboldt County.”
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said the results underscore the importance of the shelter in place order declared last night. “It is absolutely critical that Humboldt County takes the Health Officer’s order to shelter in place seriously,” he said. “This inconvenience to our daily lives is the necessary step to protect our friends, loved ones and fellow community members.”
Humboldt County had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Feb. 20. The individual recovered and was released from isolation on Feb. 28, after meeting all conditions for clearance required by the CDC.
For current information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert, or during business hours by emailing [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.