1 Death, 103 New Covid Cases In Tuolumne County

cdc Covid Community Level Sep 2

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Tuolumne County Public Health has one new Covid death to report, a man in his 70s who passed away back in March. There are 83 new lab-confirmed community cases and 20 Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases from Saturday, August 27^th to today, Friday, September 2^nd, for a total of 103 cases. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports 38 active cases, last week there were 56 active cases.

Tuolumne county is back in the High Community Level, it moved to the medium (yellow) Community Level last week after being in the High Community Level since June 24th (nine weeks). Public Health details the level is “due to an uptick in inmate cases.” Calaveras remains in the low (green) Community Covid Level. The Community level is determined by the CDC based on higher of new hospital admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days. According to the CDC, Covid transmission remains high in nearly all counties in California and for many counties throughout the United States.

There are 70 known active community cases up from 61. Positive home tests (rapid/antigen tests) are not counted in the Covid numbers and remain unknown. Lab results come from hospitals or other lab-confirmed testing.

Hospitalizations are reported as a 14-day daily average based on reported data from the hospital to the California Department of Public Health. The daily average is 1 and represents people admitted to Adventist Sonora regardless of their county of residence.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County decreased to 17.3 from 18.1 per 100,000 population. A total of 73 more are counted as released from isolation, in all 13,283 have been released from isolation. The 7-day test positivity rate is 12.1% down from 12.4%.

COVID-19 Vaccine The new Bivalent vaccine formula is now recommended for Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters for people age 12 and up and will be available soon according to Tuolumne Public Health. Monovalent boosters are no longer authorized for those age 12 and up at this time. Those aged 6-11 may still receive the monovalent booster.

Children aged 6 months to 5 years are eligible for COVID vaccination. The Tuolumne Public Health team has added vaccinations for this age group to our clinic schedule beginning next week or families can check with their child’s healthcare provider. Appointments for June 27, June 29, or July 1 at the health department on Cedar Road in Sonora are available at myturn.ca.gov.  For more information click here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-and-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccines-children

More information about Covid Vaccine booster shots can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html. Appointments in Tuolumne and Calaveras can be made through myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255 or through local pharmacies, more details are here.

Protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19:

• Get vaccinated; contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy about flu vaccine
• Wear a mask in public, especially indoors
• Stay home when sick!
• Keep your distance and avoid crowds when possible
• Wash hands and clean surfaces frequently

Monkeypox Tuolumne Public health states there are 3,624 probable and confirmed cases in California, from 38 local jurisdictions, an increase of 559 cases this week. No cases have been identified in Tuolumne County to date. The risk to the general public is considered low at this time. While California is working to increase the number of vaccines available, current availability is extremely limited. Tuolumne County does not have vaccines available at this time. On August 1^st, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency to support the monkeypox response statewide as detailed here. For more information, including prevention information about monkeypox, go here.

Flu Season is coming up in the next couple of months. Public Health says to plan now to stay healthy all year round by “staying current on vaccines, including your annual flu shot is key, as well as washing hands frequently, exercising and eating well, and staying home when sick!” They suggest asking your healthcare provider or pharmacist about getting a vaccine and note Public Health flu vaccine clinic information will be provided in October. Flu Shots, TB tests and more vaccine information is available here.

Calaveras Public Health updates weekly on Tuesdays. They report 69 new lab-confirmed cases from August 24^th to the 30^th. The number of cases is up from 44 new lab-confirmed cases among residents last week and also down from 101 the week before that. Calaveras reports 65 known active cases, last week there were 38 active cases. There is one active Covid hospitalization.

COVID-19 Testing If you test positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 – Isolation instructions (click here) To make an appointment for testing at the testing site visit: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

The Mother Lode fairgrounds testing site will be closed Monday, September 5^th for the Labor Day holiday otherwise testing is open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with closures for meal breaks between 11 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 5 pm. The State testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds launched Test to Treat operations as detailed here.

• At-home test kits can be ordered for free at https://www.covid.gov/tests.
• Families with school-age children may obtain free kits by contacting the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools office.
• A limited number of free at-home kits are available at the Public Health Department (note, as a healthcare facility, masks are required at all times in our lobby).
• At-home test kits are also available for purchase at pharmacies.
• Testing sites at other locations near the area can be found by visiting: https://myturn.ca.gov/testing.html