Sutter County has the highest test positivity rate in the entire state

Sutter County currently has the highest test positivity rate in the entire state, more than triple California’s positivity average of 6 percent.

Yuba County isn’t much better, with a test positivity about 2.5 times higher than the state’s average.

“That means nearly one in five residents who get tested for COVID-19 test positive,” Luu said.

Wednesday saw another Yuba-sutter resident die due to COVID-19, the latest being a Sutter County resident in their 90s who had an underlying medical condition.

That takes the area’s COVID-19 death count to

30.

The number of COVID-19 cases increased by 184 on Wednesday, bringing the area’s total to 6,043 cases.

Also, 49 people were hospitalized as of Wednesday evening, while 125 residents recovered from the virus.

Health experts expected to see a surge in cases as more people moved inside due to the colder weather and with gatherings around the holidays, but the rate at which it’s been seen locally is still worrying, Luu said.

“We’ve seen many cases originate from people not staying home when sick and bringing it into the workplace,” she said. “If you were a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, or if you feel the need to get tested, isolate yourself at home until you get your results.

“Gatherings continue to be a huge driver of cases and subsequent hospitalizations and deaths, but the virus isn’t confined: it’s in the home, at the workplace, in the community. We need to behave as if we were already inadvertently infected and are avoiding infecting others.”