As this issue went to press and December and 2020 drew to a close, it seemed clear the COVID-19 case surge officials have long warned of is upon us. The only question remaining is how much worse it will get.
Fueled by what officials described as a perfect storm of pandemic fatigue, holiday get-togethers and the onset of cold weather pushing ill-advised social gatherings indoors, December saw cases spike dramatically on the North Coast, with hospitalizations and deaths following. As the
Journal went to press, the month had already accounted for 47 percent of 1,678 cases confirmed to date throughout the pandemic s first 10 months, as well as 55 percent of COVID-related deaths and 27 percent of hospitalizations. The month also saw the county s test-positivity rate which sits at 3 percent for the duration of the pandemic more than double to 7 percent. And officials remained braced for the spike to worsen in the weeks after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Cumulative COVID-19 cases, recoveries and deaths in Humboldt
As the Journal s editorial staff gathered (virtually) for the annual ritual of deciding the year s top 10 stories the most impactful and memorable things that happened on the North Coast it was inescapable: The stench of COVID-19 was everywhere. From shuttered schools, closed businesses and laid-off workers to local government s frantic planning efforts, death and illness COVID-19 was the top 10 stories in Humboldt County. Every. Single. One.
But that was a depressing realization we couldn t entirely square with. After all, there were other monumental stories in 2020 that will forever change Humboldt from huge forest fires and an institution in crisis to the fight for racial justice and the decades-long effort to restore a river s health. Omitting those, we felt, was letting the pandemic win. So we opted to give COVID-19 the space and prominence it deserves, while offering readers five additional stories that any
Local health officials are expressing concern after the state moved Humboldt County out of the “widespread” COVID-19 risk tier today for the first time in.
Humboldt County Public Health announced today that it has confirmed 45 new COVID-19 cases since Wednesday, bringing the week's total to 197. It also reported.
Mad River Community Hospital Occupational Health Supervisor Yolanda Stevens received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 15 from Tina Wood, nurse manager of Critical Care Services.
As local case numbers continued to soar, Humboldt County Public Health, with much hope and fanfare, distributed the first local doses of the new Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine last week in what officials predict will begin a steady, if slow, march out of this pandemic.
But many questions about the vaccine and how it will be distributed locally remain. This has never been done before, said Humboldt County Health Officer Ian Hoffman. This is medical history. We are literally building the ship as we sail it.