73 COVID-19 cases since Friday, 8 previous results confirmed as Delta variant

Sonora, CA – Public Health today reports that it received 8 whole genome sequencing results from COVID test samples and all of the results were the Delta variant. No further details were disclosed.

Tuolumne County Public Health reports 73 new cases. A total of 41 community cases on Saturday and 32 today, including 5 inmates at the Sierra Conservation Center. There are 280 active cases including 21 hospitalized. Public Health on Friday recommended that all gatherings be postponed and strongly recommends that gatherings of more than fifty people be postponed. They say: “The larger the gathering, the greater the risk that a member of the group will transmit the virus. If it is not possible to defer, consider measures to mitigate the risk. Vaccination, testing, wearing masks, group size reduction, and outdoor events all help reduce risk. “

Public health further emphasizes: “If you receive a positive test result, please isolate yourself at home and our public health team will contact you as soon as possible.” For information and advice on isolation and quarantine, they recommend the guide at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Guidance-on -Isolation-and-Quarantine-for- The COVID-19-Contact-Tracing.aspx guidelines for personal care and other advice from the CDC are here.

The distribution by sex and age for the 68 community cases is as follows: 1 woman and 3 men aged 0-11, 4 women and 2 men aged 12-17, 8 women and 6 men aged 18-29, 7 women and 9 men aged 30-39, 6 women and 6 men aged 40-49, 3 women and 4 men aged 50 to 59, 3 women and 3 men aged 60 to 69 and 3 men aged 80 to 89 .

A total of 4 of the new cases were vaccinated, 3 with Moderna, 1 with Pfizer. Out of 650 cases, since June 15, when the first vaccinated individual was reported to have a Covid infection, 63 in total have been identified; 33 Moderna, 19 Pfizer, 5 J&J, 2 unidentified and 2 others partially vaccinated. Public health notes that 72% of vaccine doses administered by public health were Moderna vaccine. They state that “the small number of cases among vaccinated individuals does not necessarily demonstrate a lower level of protection from one vaccine over another.”

A total of 21,987 inhabitants of Tuolumne are fully vaccinated and 3,573 are partially vaccinated. The vaccination rate is 52% of those eligible for Tuolumne, those aged 12 and over.

The California Department of Corrections reports 112 active cases to the Sierra Conservation Center (SCC). A total of 68% of the 3,310 inmates managed by the prison, which includes all of the southern fire camps, are fully vaccinated and 1,441 inmate cases have been resolved. There were no deaths from Coivd-19 and 1,446 resolved cases.

The state testing site at Tuolumne Memorial Hall is open Sunday through Tuesday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (closed Wednesday through Thursday). The site is in the process of being moved to Sonora this month. Tuolumne Public Health says they will release more information as details are confirmed. Appointments are recommended, but appointments are accepted. Please note that the site may close briefly for meal breaks. Appointments can be made at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. The test is also available through Rapid Care or the hospital emergency department if you have any symptoms or if you contact your healthcare provider.

Appointments for vaccines can be made at local pharmacies and at myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Anyone 12 years and older is eligible for the COVID vaccine, Pfizer is approved for children 12 to 17 years old. If you have any questions about MyTurn and the registration process, call Tuolumne Public Health at 533-7440 or email [email protected]

Public Health continues to strongly encourage all eligible people to get vaccinated, as it is the most important step in reducing the spread of disease and preventing serious illness and death. The California Department of Public Health and the local county health department have issued masking guidelines for universal indoor masking, as detailed here. Adventist Health has detailed its response to the situation here. Tuolumne County has reinstated the mask mandate for those entering county government buildings detailed here.

Calaveras reports 37 new cases since Friday, 90 active cases and two hospitalizations. Four of the cases are aged 0 to 17 and there are two new cases in people 65 and over. Since the start of the pandemic, they have had 262 Covid-19 positive people aged 17 and under and 480 Covid-19 positive people aged 65 and over. Their highest active cases peaked at 123. Mariposa has 28 new cases, 68 active cases and four hospitalizations. The highest number of active cases of Mariposa compared to the previous outbreak was 54 on January 4. There were 55 active cases last Friday.