- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Public Health officer reports on COVID-19 case uptick; county remains off watch list
Dr. Gary Pace reported on Thursday that Lake County was up to 267 COVID-19 cases, of which 37 are active – meaning they are being monitored by Public Health staff – and 227 recovered. There are no current hospitalizations and the county’s deaths remain at two, Pace said.
Pace said Lake County is not on the State’s County Monitoring List, and local residents enjoy a more open economy than 97 percent of Californians.
However, Pace said the increase in cases this week led to a state-reported peak 14-day average of 114 cases per 100,000 people. As of Thursday morning, the county’s average had returned to 70, well within the state’s threshold.
While the brief rise in cases over the monitoring threshold does not appear to be leading Lake County toward the watch list, Pace noted, “It is a good reminder of just how vulnerable we are to minor fluctuations that can lead to big changes.”
On Thursday night, Public Health departments statewide reported more than 602,000 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths.
Local health departments also have reported 27,493 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 142 deaths statewide.
Case counts for Lake County’s neighboring counties on Thursday night were as follows: Colusa, 401 cases, five deaths; Glenn, 404 cases, three deaths; Mendocino, 513 cases, 10 deaths; Napa, 1,170 cases, 11 deaths; Sonoma, 4,063 cases, 51 deaths; and Yolo, 1,927 cases, 45 deaths.
Lake County Public Health reported that 8,353 tests have been conducted. Statewide, the California Department of Public Health said Thursday that 9,445,493 tests have been conducted, an increase of 142,026 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
Pace said Lake County residents have recently reported test result delays of seven to 10 days, with some receiving results upward of two weeks after testing. Modifications made by Quest Labs have decreased backlogs, and turnaround now averages five to seven days.
He said Verily testing remains available five days a week in Lake County. You can register for an appointment here.
Konocti Vista Casino reports on employee COVID-19 case
In related news, on Thursday Konocti Vista Casino and Resort in Lakeport said that it was informed on Monday that one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19.
“As a precautionary measure, we immediately closed the property to focus on deep cleaning and contact tracing for guest, employee and community safety,” the casino management reported.
All available information and contact tracing indicate that the casino employee did not contract COVID-19 at Konocti Vista Casino and, until the positive result came back, was not symptomatic, casino officials said.
Once the individual’s test results were confirmed, health authorities and Konocti Vista Casino management advised the employee to immediately begin self-quarantine.
“In addition, contact tracing showed this employee had very limited contact with the public and other team members, but any employees that came in close contact, are being tested as an added precaution and won’t be returning to work until they receive a negative test result,” the casino said in its statement.
The casino suggested that any guest or employee who was in the facility from Aug. 1 to 9 should contact their doctor or medical professional if they feel fever, nausea, body aches or other flu-like symptoms.
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