Active cases in county decline
Dinuba and Visalia offices close due to COVID-19
On Wednesday, the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency reported there has been a total of 12,836 cases in Tulare County, an increase of 118 over Tuesday. The number of people in Tulare County who have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19 increased by 317 from 11,203 to 11,520.
The number of active cases in Tulare County decreased on Wednesday. The number of people who now have COVID-19 in Tulare County is 1,108, a decrease of 201 from Tuesday.
The county reported two new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Tulare County at 286. The county reported the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tulare County remained the same at 68. The number of confirmed COVID-19 nursing home patients in Tulare County is 579.
There have been 2,043 cases in the Porterville area, 123 cases in Terra Bella, 171 cases in Strathmore, 544 cases in Lindsay, 33 cases in foothill-mountain communities, 113 cases in Richgrove, 551 cases in Earlimart, 259 cases in Pixley, 75 cases in Tipton, 1,918 cases in Tulare, 1,485 cases in Dinuba, 202 cases in Woodlake, 39 cases in Goshen, 68 cases in Traver, 269 cases in Cutler, 488 cases in Orosi, 11 cases in the Reedley area, 11 cases in Orange Cove, 237 cases in Exeter, 362 cases in Farmersville and 140 cases in Ivanhoe.
In Visalia there has been 1,586 cases in one region, 912 cases in another region and 1,045 cases in a third region.
There have been 68 cases reported as travel-related, 4,173 cases due to person-to-person contact and 8,595 cases under investigation.
There have been 1,729 cases ages 0-17, 2,033 cases ages 18-25, 3,670 cases ages 26-40, 4,012 cases ages 41-64 and
1,382 cases ages 65 and older.
There have been 7,133 cases who have been Hispanic, 1,199 have been Caucasian, 190 have been Asian, 48 have been African-american, 24 have been Native American, 216 have been multi-race and 4,026 have been unknown.
There are 303 people in Tulare County who are under self-quarantine and being monitored by public health officials.
Dinuba Tulareworks and Child Welfare Services District Office closes due to COVID-19
The Human Services Branch of the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) confirms that three public employees at the Dinuba Tulareworks and Child Welfare Services District Office, located at 1066 North Alta Avenue in Dinuba, have tested positive for the coronavirus. The employee began to show symptoms and notified a supervisor.
The County has instructed all employees during this time that they should not come to work if they show any symptoms of illness. The Agency has closed the location for cleaning and is notifying all members of its workforce with whom the infected employee may have had potential contact. The Agency had begun to limit the number of employees working at each of its sites in March, which has limited exposure to other County employees. Additionally, public access to this office has remained closed since March 23, 2020.
This is the fourth time the Dinuba District Office location has closed due to COVID-19. On July 22, the location fully closed because an employee tested positive. The office was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, allowing employees to return to work following proper protocols.
It is not unexpected that employees may become ill as COVID-19 continues spreading throughout the community. The HHSA has protocols in place to address this and similar situations involving employees who become ill. These protocols include: asking employees to stay home if they show any symptoms, reporting any symptoms that develop during working hours, asking non-essential employees to work from home, maintaining sufficient social distancing in the workplace, and consistently using excellent hygiene and cleaning practices.
With the Dinuba District Office expected to be temporarily closed, those needing services through Tulareworks can contact the call center at 1-800-540-6880. Anyone needing services through Child Welfare Services can call (559) 623-0500 and to report suspected child abuse, call 1-800-331-1585.
The Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency is diligent about the protection of patient privacy, in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and for this reason we cannot release any other information about the affected employee. The information released about the positive COVID-19 cases in Tulare County is carefully curated to provide useful information to our community members, while also excluding information that would lead to the identification of affected persons. This is a protection, provided by law, that is extended to everyone.
To reduce and stop the spread of COVID-19 in Tulare County, local public health officials strongly urge everyone to practice both social and physical distancing of six feet or more between persons. Residents should always wear a face mask or covering while in environments where physical distancing is not possible and while in public settings. More importantly, officials urge residents to not participate in social gatherings of any kind, as a large number of the COVID-19 cases in Tulare County stem from contact exposure through gatherings that occurred beyond a single household.
In addition, everyone is encouraged to frequently wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer, regularly disinfect high-touch surfaces, and stay home if you are sick or instructed to isolate/quarantine by a medical or public health professional.
Visalia Child Welfare Services Office closes due to COVID-19
The Human Services Branch of the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA) confirms that one public employee at the Visalia Child Welfare Services Office, located at 6520 South Mooney Boulevard in Visalia, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The employee began to show symptoms and notified a supervisor.
The County has instructed all employees during this time that they should not come to work if they show any symptoms of illness. The Agency has closed the location for cleaning and is notifying all members of its workforce with whom the infected employee may have had potential contact. The Agency had begun to limit the number of employees working at each of its sites in March, which has limited exposure to other County employees. Additionally, public access to this office has remained closed since March 23, 2020.
It is not unexpected that employees may become ill as COVID-19 continues spreading throughout the community. The HHSA has protocols in place to address this and similar situations involving employees who become ill. These protocols include: asking employees to stay home if they show any symptoms, reporting any symptoms that develop during working hours, asking non-essential employees to work from home, maintaining sufficient social distancing in the workplace, and consistently using excellent hygiene and cleaning practices.
With the office expected to be temporarily closed, those needing services through Child Welfare Services can call (559) 623-0500 and to report suspected child abuse, call 1-800-3311585.
For more information about COVID-19, visit www.tchhsa.org/ncov and www.covid19.tularecounty.ca.gov