Four additional cases of local COVID cases confirmed

Four additional cases of COVID-19 were confirmed today by the Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory (PHL).

One case confirmed April 2 was a sample from a person in a neighboring county whose test was conducted by the PHL. That positive case has been deducted from yesterday’s count, bringing to 40 the total number of Humboldt County residents who have tested positive for the virus.

Humboldt County has a testing rate of 649 per 100,000 residents, exceeding the national rate of 392 tests per 100,000 people. Confirmed cases in Humboldt County total 27 per 100,000 residents, while U.S. rates total 78 per 100,000 people.

The following information is based on the most recent data available for all confirmed cases:

Contact to a Known Case: 18Travel-Acquired: 13Community Transmission: 6Under Investigation: 3

Approximately 84% of cases are located in or around Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville and Fortuna

Males: 43%Females: 57%

Mean age: 44

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich recommended all community members wear face coverings when leaving their homes on essential business, reinforcing new guidance from the California Department of Public Health. ““Face masks may help to decrease spread of infection within the community,” she said. “However, they are not a substitute for social distancing, handwashing and other measures.”

Total new positive cases confirmed on April 3: 4

Daily COVID-19 case report for April 3

• Total number of positive cases: 40*
• Total number of hospitalizations: 2

*One case confirmed April 2 was from a neighboring county. That case has been deducted from Humboldt County’s overall count.

Total number of people tested by Public Health Laboratory: 501

Total number of people tested by all other sources: 448
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health and commercial labs)

The Public Health Laboratory currently has a capacity of approximately 650 tests and can process about 50 samples a day with an approximate turnaround time of 48 to 72 hours.