24 New Covid Cases In Tuolumne County, 10 In Calaveras
Tuolumne County Public Health reports 24 new Covid cases since yesterday, 19 are unvaccinated. Tuolumne County’s active cases decreased by six to 84 including six people who are hospitalized, one is vaccinated. The number of active cases has been up from under 20 since the end of July with the lowest active cases being 62 on November 29.
The newly reported cases include four cases age 17 or younger and six cases age 60 or older. New Covid cases by gender and age: three boys age 11 or younger, one girl age 12 to 17, two women and two men age 18 to 29, five women in their 30s, one woman and one man in their 40s, one woman and two men in their 50s, four men in their 60s, one man in his 70s, and one man in his 90s.
The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 17.1 from 16 per 100,000 population. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. Thirty individuals were released from isolation, in all 6,261 have been released from isolation. There were 18 Covid deaths in October, 20 in November, and seven this month for a total of 45 Covid deaths since October in Tuolumne.
A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated. There have been 1,621 inmate cases, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports one active Covid case at the Sierra Conservation Center. The SCC manages 3,211 inmates including all the southern fire conservation camps.
Calaveras County Public Health reports 10 new Covid cases since yesterday, active cases decreased remain at 18 with one hospitalized. Four of the new cases are age 17 or younger and two are age 65 and older, in total 842 under age 17 and 766 over 65 have been identified with Covid. There are 10 more recovered cases for a total of 4,460 cases recovered and 55.26% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated in the county. There have been 92 Covid deaths in Calaveras since the pandemic began. There were 8 Covid deaths in October, 6 in November, and 3 this month for a total of 18 Covid deaths since October in Calaveras.
California Public Health reports good news/bad news. Experts say the nation’s most populous state will likely avoid spikes in hospitalizations and deaths because most people (70%) have been fully vaccinated or already infected. New infections have been rising steadily in recent weeks. Hospitalizations have been rising slowly with a 9% increase in the past two weeks, but that’s still less than half of what it was during the summer peak and one-fifth of what it was last year before vaccines were widely available. There are also reports that symptoms could be milder with omicron based on early data.
For the week ending December 18 in the region that includes California, Nevada and Arizona, omicron variant cases make of 59.5 percent of cases, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The delta variant had been dominant since June, and as recently as the end of November represented 99.5 percent of new cases.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that California will require healthcare workers to get a COVID-19 booster. He states “Omicron is spreading rapidly and we must do all we can to keep staff at hospitals and medical facilities healthy and safe to protect Californians during a potential winter surge.” Two Omicron cases were confirmed in Sacramento today according to the County’s health department. At the end of last week, Omicron accounted for just 3% of cases, but it now makes up 73% per the CDC with the region to the north of California having a higher percentage. Considering recent case data of the Omicron variant from the United Kingdom and elsewhere the CDC states, “Even if the proportion of infections associated with severe outcomes is lower than with previous variants, given the likely increase in number of infections, the absolute numbers of people with severe outcomes could be substantial. In addition, demand for ambulatory care, supportive care for treatment of mild cases, and infection control requirements, quarantining/isolation of exposed/infected workforce could also stress the healthcare system. These stresses likely will be in addition to the ongoing Delta variant infections and a rising burden of illness caused by other respiratory pathogens, such as influenza, which have begun circulating at greater frequencies.”
CDPH is requiring universal masking for all public indoor settings to slow the spread of both Delta, the highly transmissible Omicron variant, and to increase protection for individuals, families, and communities during the holidays. More details are here. Additionally, CDPH updated requirements for attending mega-events, and issued a new travel advisory. Mariposa Public Health shares the CDC added multiple studies to their Science Brief on Community Use of Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 as detailed here.
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 LHI testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds will be open next Friday, Dec. 24th from 7 AM to 1 PM and will be closed Saturday, Dec. 25th for the Christmas holiday. Friday, Dec. 31 it will be open from 7 AM to 1 PM and closed Jan. 1st for New Years Day.
Excluding the holidays, the Tuolumne County State testing site is open 7 days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. Appointments can be scheduled at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also at pharmacies, at Rapid Care and the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider. The Mariposa LHI/OptumServe testing site is at the YARTS Park and Ride beside Rite Aid and is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 7:00 am to 12:00 pm, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, and 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
COVID-19 Vaccine appointments and booster vaccine shots are recommended for anyone age 16 and older (Pfizer only for age 16-17) Vaccine appointments for children ages 5 to 11 can be made through myturn.ca.gov, by calling 833-422-4255, or the pediatric vaccine may also be available through local pharmacies more details are here. For ways to manage this 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
| County/Date |
New |
Active (Hospital) |
Total 2021 (2020) | All Cases (All Deaths) |
| Amador 12/21 | 14 | 42 (7) | 2,681 (1,233) |
3,914 (61) |
| Calaveras 12/21 | 10 | 18 (1) | 3,717 (853) |
4,570 (92) |
| Mariposa 12/21 | 1 | 21 (13) | 1,427 (252) |
1,679 (18) |
| Mono 12/21 | 5 | 38 | 1,142 (637) |
1,779 (5) |
| Stanislaus 12/21 | 73 | 1,220 (91) | 48,885 (34,465) |
83,350 (1,464) |
| Tuolumne 12/21 | 24 | 84 (6) | 5,152 (2,962) |
8,114 (148) |
