Lode adds 6 deaths, 115 cases Saturday through Monday

Six more COVID-19 deaths were counted over the weekend in the Mother Lode, three in Tuolumne County and three in Calaveras County, while the latest surge in cases among mostly unvaccinated individuals continued to strain local public health resources and increasingly vulnerable health care workers.

The three deceased individuals in Tuolumne County were identified as a man in his 60s, a woman in her 70s, and a man in his 80s. All three were recently hospitalized, and there was no record that any of the three were vaccinated against coronavirus before they died, according to Tuolumne County Public Health Department.

Calaveras County’s three deaths were identified on Tuesday as a man in his late 40s and two women in the 60s, said Cori Allen, director of the Calaveras County Health and Human Services Agency.

Allen declined to disclose the vaccination status of the deceased individuals.

“Due to the rumor mill, people start to learn who is out of school, who was contacted as part of the tracing, and before we know it, the family is being harassed for their decision not to vaccinate,” she said in an email explaining why the department does not report the vaccination status of cases and deaths.

Tuolumne County also added 96 new cases of COVID-19 from Saturday through Monday, two of those identified as inmates at the Sierra Conservation Center state prison outside Jamestown.

Thirteen of the 94 community cases in Tuolumne County were reportedly fully vaccinated.

Tuolumne County’s case rate jumped to a new record Monday, 54.9 per 100,000 population from 51.4 on Friday. The case rate for vaccinated individuals was 13.9, while for unvaccinated individuals it was 83.6.

The community cases counted Monday in Tuolumne County were identified as three girls and seven boys under age 12; six girls and seven boys between 12 and 17; eight women and eight men between 18 and 29; six women and seven men in their 30s; seven women and three men in their 40s; nine women and four men in their 50s; two women and nine men in their 60s; two women and three men in their 70s; and three women in their 80s.

Calaveras County added 19 new cases on Monday, but the county Public Health Division does not disclose age, gender, or vaccination status for new cases.