Half Of Those Eligible For COVID Vaccine Are Vaccinated, New Cases Locally

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Tuolumne County — Tuolumne Public Health reports two new COVID cases. No cases are currently hospitalized, 12 covid cases are currently active and one was released from isolation. Tuolumne County has a total of 4,066 cases split between 2,650 community cases and 1,416 Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases, there are currently no active COVID-19 positive inmates at the prison. Total community cases released from isolation are 2,574 and the total number of tests administered is 87,897. The county report lists 35,065 vaccine doses administered in Tuolumne.

Tuolumne Public Health recommends getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, washing your hands, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, and not going to work or school when sick to continue to provide layers of protection for each person, their loved ones, and for the community as the county remains in the Orange Tier.

Testing: The Mother Lode Fairgrounds testing site is open Sunday to Thursday from 7 AM to 7 PM, closed Friday and Saturdays. Beginning Sunday, April 25, the Fairgrounds testing site hours will be reduced to Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 7 AM to 7 PM. The Groveland site is at the Youth Center, 18950 Hwy 120 on Thursdays from 7 AM to 7 PM. Individuals can select the site location when making their appointment at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. More details, including Calaveras testing information, are in our events calendar here.

Calaveras County – The Calaveras Thursday public health report had five new COVID-19 cases with the county’s total cases at 2,055. Active cases decreasing by three to 10 and recoveries increasing seven to 1,994. No Calaveras residents are hospitalized with COVID. In total there has been 953 men, 1,086 women, and 18 with no gender reported infected with COVID-19. The total number of people over 65 years old identified with COVID is 446 since the pandemic began. Calaveras reports 27,237 vaccinations given.

Mariposa County – As reported here, Mariposa County’s weekly tests of the wastewater in Yosemite National Park found the UK variant is present. Mariposa reported two new cases, active cases are four and one person is currently hospitalized.

Vaccines – Gov. Gavin Newsom says nearly half of the Californians who are eligible for vaccination have received at least one shot against the coronavirus. Gov. Newsom is urging more residents to sign up for appointments and not let apprehension get in the way of getting protected against the illness. The nation’s most populous state on Thursday began vaccinating anyone age 16 and over regardless of occupation or health condition. The move comes as California and other states have seen vaccine supplies rise in recent weeks. But officials are working to address hesitancy, particularly in some of the communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

Individuals should register on MyTurn at https://myturn.ca.gov to be notified of upcoming vaccination clinics and to schedule appointments. You can also call 833-422-4255. Tuolumne Public Health’s clinic scheduled for April 22^nd is open for appointments through MyTurn, Calaveras Public Health has been using the system for over a month and Mariposa is also using it. As of April 15^th, eligibility is open to everyone 16+ (Pfizer) and 18+ (Moderna). More information about the local pharmacies and other places offering the vaccine are here.

State’s Blueprint To Reopen:  California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy updated the Tier assignments and local counties remained where they were. Tuolumne and Mariposa are currently in the Orange Tier, a less restrictive tier than Calaveras and Stanislaus which are in the Red Tier.  Governor Gavin Newsom stated the Blueprint system could go away entirely by June 15 if cases continue to trend down and the number of vaccinated individuals continues to rise. The State’s Framework for the week ending April 3 for Tuolumne was a 2.7 Case Rate per 100,000 population up from a 2.5 Case Rate and a 1.8% Test Positivity Rate up from 1.2%. Calaveras’s rate went to 2.7 from a 7.1 Case Rate and a 5.5% Test Positivity Rate up from 4.1%.