160 New Covid Cases In Tuolumne, 29 In Calaveras

Mariposa Public Health Covid Test info www.covidtests.gov

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A 3rd round of free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests is now available online at covid.gov/tests. Mariposa Public Health says, “Getting tested early and often helps you reduce your chance of severe illness. An early detection is important for those eligible for treatment, which can reduce effects and the length of the illness! Learn more about treatment options here.”

Tuolumne County Public Health reports 133 new community cases, 27 Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases, and four hospitalizations from Saturday, May 14th to today Friday, May 20th. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports 30 active cases at SCC. There are 126 active community cases up from 110 last week. Last week, including Saturday and Sunday there were 98 new community cases.

Public Health Officials state “As we continue to see an increased number of cases, we strongly recommend the community to remain vigilant and continue practicing preventive measures such as getting vaccinated & boosted, washing hands frequently, wearing a mask in high-risk settings, physical distancing, and staying home when not feeling well.” Public health officials reported last week they were working with Adventist Health Sonora’s skilled nursing facility units on a COVID outbreak as detailed here.

The newly reported community cases this week include 10 cases age 17 and younger and 51 cases age 60 or older. The new Covid cases demographics: two girls and four boys age 0 to 11, three girls and one boy age 12 to 17, eight women and seven men age 18 to 29, 11 women and 11 men in their 30s, 12 women and eight men in their 40s, nine women and six men in their 50s, 15 women and 13 men in their 60s, two women and five men in their 70s, seven women and seven men in their 80s, and two woman age 90 or older.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 25.7 from 19.4 per 100,000 population. A total of 112 more are counted as released from isolation, in all 10,930 have been released from isolation. The 7-day test positivity rate is 6.1% up from 5.6%.

The CDC reports Tuolumne County and most counties in California remain in the least severe “low” (green) community Covid level (a three-tier system.) The level is determined by the higher of the new hospital admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days. When evaluating just community transmission level, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Stanislaus and most California counties are in the High community transmission level (red is the highest of the four-tier levels) while Calaveras and Amador are in the Substantial (orange) level. As stated above transmission is just one factor the CDC uses to assign the overall community level which again, remains low (green) across the U.S. There are 297 counties (up from 137 counties last week), most in the northeast of the country, that are in the highest (orange) Community level.

CDPH has updated the Safe Schools for All toolkit to include checklists for school event planners and attendees to help students, staff, and families reduce COVID-19 risk during graduation season. For the checklist for graduation event attendees, and event planners visit the Safe Schools for All toolkit here.

Calaveras Public Health updates weekly on Tuesdays. They report 29 new cases since from May 11th to May 24th. That number is up from 26 new cases among residents the week before. They reported 15 active cases, last week there were 11 active cases. There is one active Covid hospitalization to report.

Mariposa Public Health reports 39 new cases, (Saturday through Thursday). There are 39 active cases up from 38 active cases last week and no residents are hospitalized with Covid.

Mariposa County reports 621 cases in fully vaccinated individuals since April 2021 out of a total of 2741 cases reported since that time.

COVID-19 Testing Many Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Antigen tests have received an expiration date extension from the FDA. If you have tests, check the dates and for their new expiration date. Expiration date extension for over-the-counter test kits: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-otc-covid-19-diagnostic-tests

The hours of the Mother Lode testing site are: 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.

The State testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds is expected to implement Test to Treat operations by the end of May. Through the program, people are able to get tested and if they are positive, and treatments are appropriate for them, they can receive a prescription from a provider and have the prescription filled all at one location. Information on the Test to Treat program can be found here: https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx

To make an appointment for testing at the testing site visit: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

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.