75 New Covid-19 Cases In Tuolumne, 31 In Calaveras

Mariposa County Public Health Message

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Tuolumne County Public Health reports 75 new Covid-19 positive cases identified since yesterday, 73 are community cases with 48 unvaccinated and there are two are Sierra Conservation Center inmate cases. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports 23 currently active inmate cases (see below). Tuolumne County’s active community cases decreased 22 to 232 including 12 people who are hospitalized, four people in the hospital with Covid-19 are vaccinated. The 14-day average for Covid-19 hospitalized patients remains at 11 from the prior 14-day total. The state reports five ICU beds available in Tuolumne County out of six total.

The newly reported community cases include 10 cases age 17 or younger and 10 cases age 60 or older. The new Covid cases by gender and age: five girls age 11 or younger, four girls and one boy age 12 to 17, five women and two men age 18 to 29, seven women and two men in their 30s, 11 women and 11 men in their 40s, 11 women and four men in their 50s, four women and three men in their 60s, and one woman and two men in their 70s.

Tuolumne County Public Health restates “While our COVID response team continues case investigation and contact tracing efforts, due to the large increase in cases that we are experiencing, we will not reach everyone.” If you receive a positive test result, they state you will likely receive a text or email from a “Virtual Agent” that will provide information on what to do next. Health Officials say, “You can help slow the spread of Covid-19 by responding to texts, calls, or emails, and self-isolating when you have symptoms or a positive test result. Also notify any close contacts you’ve had from 2 days before you became ill or got tested. Any close contacts should follow current quarantine guidance and get tested 3-5 days after exposure. If you are at high risk of severe disease or hospitalization, you can contact your doctor to discuss potential treatment options. If you are not symptomatic, have not tested positive for COVID-19 recently, and are not in quarantine, get vaccinated or boosted.”

There have been 1,635 inmate cases at the Sierra Conservation Center, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports the SCC manages 3,219 inmates with 82% vaccinated including all the southern fire conservation camps and has tested 37% of the prison’s population in the past 14 days.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 71.6 from 63.4 per 100,000 population yesterday. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. A total of 94 individuals were released from isolation, in all 6,735 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. The county sends samples from residents for sequencing which takes time, so far the Omicron Covid-19 variant has not been detected yet. A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated.

Calaveras County Public Health reports 31 new cases since yesterday. There are five more active cases for a total of 73 active cases including two Covid hospitalizations. Five of the new cases are age 17 or younger and five are age 65 and older, in total 863 under age 17 and 813 over 65 have been identified with Covid. There are 26 more counted as recovered for a total of 4,638 cases and 55.8% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated in the county. According to the state, Calaveras 14-day average for Covid hospitalized patients is two with no increase or decrease and there remain five ICU beds available of 12.

Information about Omicron from Mariposa County Public Health was detailed here Tuesday.

Mariposa Health officials report 60 new cases today with 80 active cases. They summarize from January 4th to the 7th there were 107 cases with 35 of those unvaccinated, 22 fully vaccinated, 3 cases did not respond, and 47 cases are under investigation. They note “We have a very high number of cases for this week. It is important that our community remember that we have effective tools to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. Both vaccines and non-pharmaceutical interventions – masking, handwashing, social distancing, testing regularly, and staying home when sick – help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. For those who are taking those actions, please continue to stay vigilant. For those who have not yet been vaccinated and/or booster or who are not closely following non-pharmaceutical interventions, we urge you to take action now to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. ”

Mariposa shares that people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms can appear from 2-14 days, and with the Omicron variant seem to most often appear 2-4 days. Here is what they recommend to do if you have any symptoms or feel sick:

• Stay home. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care.
• Do not visit public areas.
• Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
• Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency. Details are at cdc.gov.

The US Food and Drug Administration is warning people of fraudulent coronavirus tests as detailed there.

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 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 made at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also available at pharmacies, at Rapid Care, and the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider. More details are here.

COVID-19 Vaccine appointments and booster vaccine shots are recommended. The CDC is recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5 to 11-year-olds receive a Covid vaccine booster 28 days after their second shot. The CDC also now recommends people receive a booster shot if they completed a Pfizer series at least five months ago, or the Moderna series at least six months ago, or a J&J vaccine at least two months ago. Vaccine appointments for children ages 5 to 11 can be made through myturn.ca.gov, or by calling 833-422-4255, or through local pharmacies more details are here. For ways to manage a 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