Weekly Covid Report: 71 New Cases In Tuolumne, 1 Death In Calaveras

CDC Community Transmission in US by County

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Tuolumne County Public Health reports 71 new community cases and one hospitalization from Saturday, April 23rd to Friday, April 29th. There are 64 active community cases. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports no active inmate cases at the Sierra Conservation Center. Last week, including Saturday and Sunday there were 27 new cases.

Public health officials state “As we see an uptick in cases during this reporting period, we encourage those who are booster eligible to get their booster.” Appointments can be made at local participating pharmacies or at one of Tuolumne’s Public Health Clinics. There is an upcoming clinic (Pfizer and Moderna) at Black Oak Casino Resort on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open to anyone 18 years old or older, walk-ins welcomed. To make an appointment for this clinic or any of our upcoming clinics visit: https://myturn.ca.gov/.

The newly reported community cases this week include nine cases age 17 and younger and 35 cases age 60 or older. The new Covid cases demographics: one girl and two boys age 0 to 11, three girls and three boys age 12 to 17, a woman and four men age 18 to 29, five women and three men in their 30s, six women and one man in their 40s, five women, and one man in their 50s, five women, two men, and one other in their 60s, seven women and six men in their 70s, six women and four men in their 80s, and five women age 90 or older.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 11.9 from 5.3 per 100,000 population. A total of 32 more are counted as released from isolation, in all 10,698 have been released from isolation. The 7-day test positivity rate is 5.3% up from 2.7% and 63% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated.

Updated snapshots from the State COVID data dashboard were not available at the time of the weekly report. Tuolumne Public Health says they are working with CDPH to obtain updated information from their dashboard and will provide those updates as it becomes available.

The CDC reports Tuolumne County and all counties in California except Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz on the coast, remain in the least severe “low” (green) community Covid three-tier level according to the CDC determined by factors like new hospital admissions and inpatient beds metrics and based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days. The three costal counties above and below San Francisco are in the medium (yellow) level along with 258 other counties in the U.S. including the city of Portland, Oregon (Multnomah) and Seattle, Washington (King).

Tuolumne has moved up to the Substantial community transmission level (orange, red is the highest of the four-tier levels) while Calaveras remains in the moderate community transmission level, one step above low (blue). As seen in the image Stanislaus, Mariposa, and other surrounding counties are in also a substantial transmission level with the Bay Area in the high (red) level as determined by the CDC as new cases per 100,00 population in the past 7 days. As stated above transmission is just one factor the CDC uses to assign the overall community level which again, remains low (green) except for 56 counties, most in the state of New York, in the High (orange) Community level.

Positive actions to protect ourselves and those around us including anyone not fully vaccinated, children under 5 who cannot be vaccinated yet, and those with weakened immune systems from illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 are to get vaccinated (including a booster), wear a mask in public (Masking is not required but is still strongly recommended. State guidance on face coverings here, requires that all individuals regardless of vaccination status wear a mask on public transit, in healthcare settings, and in emergency shelters and cooling centers. Public health also recommends that individuals keep six feet of distance and avoid crowds when possible, wash hands and clean surfaces frequently, and stay home when sick.

Calaveras Public Health updates weekly on Tuesdays. They report the death of a man in his 80s. The county had 18 new cases among its residents since its last update on April 19th. They reported nine active cases, one more than last week, and no Covid hospitalizations.

Mariposa Public Health reports 10 new cases, (Saturday through Thursday). There are nine active cases up from five active cases last week and no residents are hospitalized with Covid.

COVID-19 Testing The COVID-19 testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds will be changing its days of operation effective May 8, 2022. Starting May 8, 2022 the hours of the testing site will be: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Antigen tests are by appointment and PCR tests are by walk-in only. Free at-home tests are available to local students. To get a test for your student, call your school or the County Superintendent of Schools Office at: 209-536-2000. To make an appointment for testing at the testing site visit: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

Currently, the Mother Lode Fairgrounds is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 7 AM to 7 PM. Schedule an appointment by going to www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123.

COVID-19 Vaccine Individuals may receive a second booster dose at least four months after their first booster dose if they are age 12 years and older and moderately or severely immunocompromised, or 50 years and older. Another booster is also recommended for those age 18-49 years if they received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine as both their primary series dose and booster dose. More information 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.