Courtesy of www.covid19.dnco.org.

Though Del Norte public health officials are investigating a new COVID-19 case, the number of people with active disease hasn’t changed since Friday.

The Public Health Branch learned of the new case after the patient’s isolation period would have been completed, according to the county’s COVID-19 Information Hub. There are still 11 active cases in Del Norte County as of 11:13 a.m. Monday.

Of those 11 cases, six were reported to the Public Health Branch on Thursday, according to Emergency Services Manager Kymmie Scott. Health officials confirmed three more positive cases on Friday. According to Scott, they were housemates of one of the patients identified with confirmed COVID-19 on Thursday.

One patient is hospitalized and the others who have active disease are isolating at home, according to the Public Health Branch.

“This newest one breaches the 100 case count for us,” Scott told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. “It’s a significant one in that respect (but) it doesn’t trigger anything else.”

According to the California Department of Public Health, a county that has a case rate of less than 100 or less than 25 and a test positive rate of 8 percent; a 10 percent increase in hospitalizations; or less than 20 percent of intensive care units available or 25 percent of ventilators available could be placed on the state’s monitoring list.

In Del Norte County, a total of 6,155 COVID-19 tests have been administered. According to the Public Health Branch, returning test results from inmates tested at Pelican Bay State Prison account for the increase in numbers.

At Pelican Bay State Prison, 18 of the 26 staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 last month have returned to work, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Employee Status page.

There have been no positive COVID-19 cases among Pelican Bay's inmates, according to CDCR's Population COVID-19 Tracking tool.

Scott and Bill Steven, public information officer for the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services, will be on KCRE 94.3 FM and KPOD 97.9 FM at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

“Reminding people to take care of themselves in other ways is going to be my focus — the long-term mental health impacts this is creating,” Scott said.

Del Norte Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt will give a COVID-19 update to the county Board of Supervisors at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

To participate in the meeting via Zoom or view it on YouTube, click here.

SHARE →