Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
By Alicia Bales
July 23, 2021--The County of Mendocino Department of Public Health and Department Operations Center held their biweekly Covid-19 Briefing on Friday afternoon. According to Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. Mimi Doohan, Mendocino County is experiencing a surge of Covid-19 infections, numbers which she said would have put the county into the Purple Tier of the states tiered system that ended in June.
Department Operations Center Manager Kirk Ford presented several slides with Mendocino’s Covid statistics. There are currently 9 patients in the Hospital, and 5 in the ICU, which is causing Health Officials to worry about the capacity of the local healthcare system should the surge increase. The county’s total vaccination rate is hovering around 53%, with only a tiny fraction of the new infections are occurring in people who are fully vaccinated.
The driver for the current surge seems to be the Delta Variant of the Covid-19 virus, which Dr. Doohan explained is significantly more contagious with a shorter incubation time. She cautioned both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to be extremely careful as the county’s coronavirus case numbers rise, to avoid overwhelming the local hospital system. Public Health recommends that all people, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks indoors when in public. She also thanked front line health care workers, who are experiencing case numbers reminiscent of the darkest days of what feels like an endless pandemic.
To watch the full briefing on Youtube:
KZYX reporters and independent journalists cover local news for Mendocino County, California, Monday through Friday in six and a half minute reports. The KZYX News podcast is available for redistribution under CC BY 4.0, or the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.