Friday Covid-19 Update: Day Two Of Watch List Level Case Rate

Tuolumne County Public Health

Sonora, CA – Nine new cases were reported by Tuolumne County Public Health today. Eight of the new cases are currently in isolation, including one who was recently hospitalized and one is reported as recovered.  Six previously identified Covid-19 positive individuals have been moved from isolation to recovered and there are two fewer individuals in the hospital today.

The number of new cases today brings our county’s 14-day case rate to 118.42/100k (118 cases per 100,000 population), exceeding the 100/100k mark, which is one of the metrics for the state’s county data monitoring program. If we remain at this case rate tomorrow, Tuolumne County will be added to the state ‘watch list’. More details about what that means are here.

Individuals identified with Covid-19 since yesterday are all under 40 except for one. Four of the newly identified individuals are under 20 years old. Since last Friday it appears 542 test results have been reported to Tuolumne County Public Health. No further details about this week’s new cases have been released. Public Health notes there is community spread in all areas of Tuolumne County.

Tuolumne residents tested 7,583*, positive 126 (64 females and 62 males), hospitalized 4, active cases 34, total recovered 92. Tuolumne’s “Active Cases” includes all positive cases that are under investigation, in isolation, or hospitalized.

**Active cases as reported by the county or recovered and deceased known positive cases minus total known cases or for Merced, Mono and San Joaquin Counties a rolling 14-day total.

* Tuolumne County testing numbers include those routed through Public Health to a Public Health Laboratory and those reported through the State infectious disease reporting system. All positive cases of Tuolumne County residents must be reported to Public Health. State data is here.

Tuolumne County Public Health Updates

• If you are having COVID-like symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information.
• The number of new cases today brings our county’s 14-day case rate to 118.42/100k (118 cases per 100,000 population), exceeding the 100/100k mark, which is one of the metrics for the state’s county data monitoring program. If we remain at this case rate for 3 consecutive days, we will be added to the state ‘watchlist’. Other metrics for the watchlist are the number of COVID hospitalizations, regular and ICU hospital bed availability, and case positivity rate. When a county is on the watchlist for 3 consecutive days, they must implement more restrictive closures and mitigation measures as determined by the state, including schools starting the year with distance learning only. There is a delay in state reporting, so we will not appear on the state’s list immediately and no action will be taken until we are officially on the list and have gone through the established process with the state. More information can be found here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID19CountyMonitoringOverview.aspx  and  https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/
• The no-cost state testing site is open at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds Tuesday – Saturday 7am to 7pm. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins are extremely limited. The site now offers testing for children ages 3 and older (parent or guardian must accompany the child).

It is important that people continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including:

• Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble!
• Wear a face covering in public.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
• Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks.

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Community Resources Portal: https://bit.ly/TCcovidPortal

Tuolumne County Public Health Website: www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/publichealth

Public Health COVID-19 Call Center: (209) 533-7440

California COVID-19 website: www.covid19.ca.gov

State Testing Site info and Appointments: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

Tuolumne County Business: www.tcdisasterassistance.com

CDC COVID-19 website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Thank you for your support and efforts to protect the safety and health of our community