2 deaths, 138 new Covid cases in Tuolumne County

Tuolumne County Public Health reports that the deaths of two women in their 80s are confirmed as Covid-related deaths, bringing the total number of Covid deaths in Tuolumne County to 183.

There are 138 new cases in the community, five Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases and two hospitalizations from Saturday, May 21 through today, Friday, May 27. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reports 8 active cases at SCC. There are 133 active community cases versus 126 in the last week. Last week, including Saturday and Sunday, there were 133 new cases in the community.

Public health officials say those who are eligible should receive a second booster, and children aged 5 to 11 are now eligible for the booster. Details on boosters can be found here. Health officials also share: “As we continue to see an increasing number of cases, we strongly encourage the community to remain vigilant and continue to take preventative measures, such as: E.g. vaccinations and boosters, washing hands frequently, wearing a mask in risky environments, physical distancing and staying at home if you are not feeling well.”

The new community cases reported this week include 12 cases aged 17 and under and 50 cases aged 60 and older. The demographics of the new Covid cases: three girls and three boys aged 0-11, three girls and three boys aged 12-17, nine women and four men aged 18-29, 16 women and nine men in their 30s, 15 women and six men in their 40s, ten women and one man in their 50s, 19 women and six men in their 60s, 12 women and five men in their 70s, three women, four men and one another in her 80s and one woman aged 90 or more older.

The current overall case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County, rose to 30.2 from 25.7 per 100,000 residents. A total of 123 more are considered to have been released from isolation, for a total of 11,053 released from isolation. The 7-day test positivity rate is 7.4% versus 6.1%.

CDC Covid Tracker Map Reports Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties are in the medium (amber) community Covid tier (of a three tier system). Calaveras, Stanislaus and 71% of US counties remain in the lowest green tier. The level is determined by the higher value of the values ​​for new hospital admissions and inpatient beds, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the last 7 days. In the US, there are 250 counties at high (orange) levels, compared to a high of 297 counties last week. There are no orange-level counties in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, or Arizona (see images). When evaluating community-only transmission level, most California counties have the highest (red) community transmission 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. The checklist for graduation attendees and event planners can be found in the Safe Schools for All Toolkit here.

Calaveras Public Health Updates weekly on Tuesdays. They report 55 new cases from May 18-24. That number is up from 29 new cases among residents the week before. They reported 15 active cases, last week it was 15 active cases. There is one active Covid hospitalization to report.

Mariposa Public Health reports 135 new cases (Saturday through Thursday). There are 46 active cases down from 39 active cases in the last week and no residents are being hospitalized with Covid.

As of April 2021, Mariposa County has reported 671 cases in fully vaccinated individuals out of a total of 2,837 cases reported since that date.

COVID-19 testing If you have tested positive or been exposed to COVID-19 – Isolation Instructions (click here) 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 the new expiration date. Extension of expiration date 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 opening hours of the Mother Lode test 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 only possible through walk-in.

The state proving ground at Mother Lode Fairgrounds is expected to begin test-to-treat operations by the end of May. Through the program, people can be tested and if they are positive and the treatments are right for them, they can get a prescription from a provider and have the prescription filled in one place. Information on the Test-to-Treat program is available here: https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx

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

Covid-19 vaccination Individuals at least 12 years of age with moderately or severely immunocompromised, or 50 years of age and older may receive a second booster dose at least four months after their first booster dose. Another booster dose is also recommended for people aged 18 to 49 if they have received both a first series dose and a booster dose of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, see: 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 can be found here.