News

Public health reported 10 additional COVID-19 cases today, the largest single day count to date, bringing the county's total to 255.


Since the beginning of August, 22 new infections have been confirmed. Today's number includes the results of 143 tests.
The county COVID alert level — which runs on a scale of 1 to 4 — remains at 3. Level 3 is described as: "High risk — many cases with conditions for community spread, with many undetected cases likely. Limit everyday activities to increase safety."

To date, the county has seen 17 hospitalizations and four fatalities, all of them residents at Alder Bay Assisted Living. One hundred and eight-nine of the cases are considered recovered, while the rest remain active.

Humboldt County Public Health is urging residents who aren't experiencing symptoms to get tested free of charge at the mobile testing site at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds. (People experiencing symptoms should contact a healthcare provider, officials say.) Asymptomatic individuals can make an appointment to be tested by visiting https://Lhi.care/covidtesting or calling (888) 634-1123. Tests will be administered free of charge, whether or not people have health insurance.


Basics of COVID-19

The California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control, state that symptoms of novel coronavirus include cough and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or at least two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell.

Emergency warning signs needing immediate medical attention include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to awaken, and bluish lips or face.

In an emergency situation:

Call ahead to the emergency room or inform the 911 operator of the possibility of a COVID-19 infection and, if possible, put on a face mask.



Symptoms or possible exposure:

In the case of a possible exposure with symptoms — fever and cough or shortness of breath — contact your doctor’s office or the county Department of Health and Human Services, which has a hotline that can be reached during business hours at [email protected] or at (707) 441-5000. Residents seeking medical advice or questions about testing are asked to contact Public Health at [email protected] or at (707) 445-6200.

St. Joseph Health has also set up a virtual assessment tool as an aid to assess risk factors for contracting the illness, which can be found at here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has started a rumor-control webpage that can be found here.

For the Journal's latest COVID stories, updates and information resources, click here.

Read the county's release below and view its case dashboard here:

Ten new cases of COVID-19 were reported today.

Humboldt County’s total case count stands at 255. Today marks the first time a single day’s report reached double digits. Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Frankovich said that hitting this milestone is unsurprising.

“We’re no longer returning to periods with zero case counts as we did in the past. This indicates that there’s still more work to do to ensure that people understand the increasing risk of exposure when outside the home or when gathering with others,” she said. “Public Health is all of us right now. Every single person in our community plays a role in limiting transmission of this virus.”

Dr. Frankovich encouraged all residents to recommit to prevention measures that increase safety. Those include wearing facial coverings, refraining from gathering with non-household members, eliminating non-essential travel, washing hands regularly and maintaining physical distancing of at least six feet at all times.

Today’s alert level stands at three or level orange. Visit humboldtgov.org/dashboard to view the county’s Alert Level Assessment tool. For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.