126 New Covid-19 Cases In Tuolumne, 39 New Cases In Calaveras

Traveling home after the holidays? Remember to get tested upon return, and again 3-5 days later, to protect yourself and others. Make an appointment at the free testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds here: www.LHI.care/covidtesting

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Tuolumne County has 126 total new Covid cases since Thursday, December 30, 86 of the 124 community cases are unvaccinated. Public Health also reports two new Sierra Conservation Center inmate cases.  Tuolumne County’s active cases increased to 222 including four people who are hospitalized, one person in the hospital is vaccinated. Public Health Officials state, “The local health order for isolation and quarantine is currently being updated and expect it to be issued shortly.” They reference the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) updated Isolation and Quarantine guidelines for the public here and for healthcare personnel here.

The newly reported community cases include 17 cases age 17 or younger and 18 cases age 60 or older. The new Covid cases by gender and age: two girls and seven boys age 11 or younger, one girl and seven boys age 12 to 17, ten women and eight men age 18 to 29, 13 women and 12 men in their 30s, 16 women and five men in their 40s, 12 women and 13 men in their 50s, five women and two men in their 60s, five women and four men in their 70s, one woman in her 80s and one man in his 90s.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 37 per 100,000 population. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. Fifty-five individuals were released from isolation, in all 6,425 have been released from isolation. The number of active cases has been above 60 since near the end of July, the first three Delta cases were identified July 2nd active cases peaked August 16th at 407, with the lowest active cases since July being 62 on November 29th.

A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated.  There have been 1,623 inmate cases, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports five active Covid cases at the Sierra Conservation Center. The SCC manages 3,196 inmates including all the southern fire conservation camps and has tested 26% of the prison’s population in the past 14 days.

Tuolumne Public Health Officials state there are positive actions we can take to protect ourselves and those around us from illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Vaccination (including a booster) is the most important step we can take to reduce the spread of disease, and reduce the impact to our healthcare system. Also, the continued practice of other preventive actions like wearing a mask in public, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands, cleaning surfaces, and staying home when sick will help slow the spread of the virus. These actions remain the same in light of the Omicron variant.

Calaveras County Public Health reports 39 new cases since their last report on Wednesday, December 29. There are 23 active cases with two hospitalized. Two of the new cases are age 17 or younger and eight are age 65 and older, in total 853 under age 17 and 789 over 65 have been identified with Covid. There are 37 more recovered cases for a total of 4,557 cases recovered and 55.67% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated in the county.

Mariposa County Public Health says “Cases in Mariposa County, like much of the nation, are increasing again. If you haven’t received your COVID-19 vaccine yet, we highly recommend scheduling an appointment to help reduce the impacts of this wave. And if you are eligible for your booster – now’s the time to get it!” They will be offering first doses, second doses, boosters and pediatric doses at both of the clinics this week: Tuesday from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm or Thursday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and again from 2:30 – 4:30 pm at their Community Health Center, located at 5300 Hwy 49 N, in Mariposa. With the colder weather, appointments are inside, space is limited, and scheduling and appointment is highly recommended. Schedule an appointment by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling 1-833-422-4255.

California Public Health 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. As detailed here there is no information yet on the presence of the omicron variant in Mother Lode.

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. Excluding the holidays and staffing issues, the Tuolumne County State testing site schedule is 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