Shasta County has reported 1,834 cases of COVID-19, including 48 from Thursday, and the Shasta County COVID death toll is 30. There are 152 active cases. 10 are hospitalized with 3 in intensive care. 34 people are quarantined due to possible exposure. The 48 new cases range from 3 children under 13 to one person in their 80’s. 18 of them are in their 20’s.
Butte County has now had 3,047 cases with 52 deaths, and they’ve moved to the less restrictive orange tier. Tehama County has had 848 cases with 8 deaths. 25 cases have now been confirmed in Trinity County. Glenn County has had 657 cases and 3 deaths. Lassen County has had one death among 125 cases in the community and 637 in prison. There have been 188 cases in Siskiyou County and 558 in Humboldt County with 9 deaths. Modoc County has reported 29 cases.
Shasta County has earned a reprieve from tighter restrictions that would have been mandated by a move to the purple tier. County Health and Human Services Director Donnell Ewert, Health Officer Doctor Karen Ramstrom, Public Health Branch Director Robin Shurig, County Executive Officer Matt Pontes and Supervisors Leonard Moty and Joe Chimenti appealed to State Health and Human Services Secretary Doctor Mark Ghaly, pointing out that the recent uptick in cases was due in large part to two specific outbreaks, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and Windsor Redding Care Center, and both are now inn decline. Most cases have not been tied to the businesses that would be forced to close under the tighter restrictions. Friday Ghaly relented and allowed Shasta County to remain in the red tier. That means restaurants, churches, movie theaters gyms and museums can remain open.
Public health says the only way to keep the county out the purple tier restrictions are the proven prevention methods, using a combination of physical distancing, ventilation, face coverings, hand washing and surface cleaning. Most importantly, officials stress the need to stay home when sick. Another vital component is widespread testing. This week’s case rate was 22.9 but because the county’s per capita testing is higher than the state average, it was reduced to 15.5.
There have been 58,720 negative tests in Shasta County. There are several free options to get tested, which can be found by going to shastaready.org and clicking on “get tested”.