Thanksgiving safety urged as Lode adds 4 more COVID deaths

See The Union Democrat’s daily COVID-19 tracker on page A2 for additional statistics for Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, including information on how to get tested and vaccinated.

Three more COVID-19 deaths in Calaveras County and one in Tuolumne County were announced on Tuesday and prompted heartfelt pleas from public health administrators ahead of Thanksgiving.

“This tragic outcome is hard to experience and with the holidays upon us, I do pray as a community we find a way to lean in with compassion and hopefulness as we continue to battle this coronavirus,” Cori Allen, the Calaveras County Health and Human Services Agency director, said in an announcement Tuesday afternoon.

Allen asked people to continue doing their part to protect those around them through safe distancing, proper handwashing and getting vaccinated, before sending condolences on behalf of her agency to the families mourning the loss of their loved ones.

With families and groups of friends throughout the Mother Lode preparing to gather for Thanksgiving, and sunny skies and highs in the 60s forecast for Thursday, Tuolumne County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko urged people to host their holiday festivities outdoors.

“The weather is going to be beautiful on Thursday,” he said. “Move your Thanksgiving celebration outside.”

Sergienko also suggests keeping Thanksgiving gatherings small. Large groups can be broken down into smaller groups, with guests at separate tables.

Hosts of Thanksgiving gatherings should also make guest lists in the event of illness discovered later, so that those who attended can be notified of COVID-19 cases if necessary, Sergienko said.

Early notification allows for early isolation, Sergienko said, and quarantine decreases transmission.

The three deceased individuals in Calaveras County were identified as a man in his 50s;

a man in his 70s; and a woman in her 80s. No other information was disclosed about their deaths, including whether the individuals were vaccinated.

Tuolumne County identified the person whose death was announced Tuesday as an unvaccinated man in his 70s.

As of Tuesday, COVID-19 had contributed to 141 deaths in Tuolumne County and 89 deaths in Calaveras County since the pandemic began early last year. At least 68 of Tuolumne County’s COVID-19 deaths — more than 48% — have occurred in the past four months.

The Calaveras County Public Health Division also counted 18 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

There were 14 new cases of COVID-19 in Tuolumne County on Tuesday, which included 13 unvaccinated individuals. The Calaveras County Public Health Division does not disclose vaccination status for any new cases or deaths.

Tuolumne County’s daily case rate decreased Tuesday to 26.6 per 100,000 residents averaged over the previous two weeks, down from 27.6 per 100,000 on Monday.

There were 113 active cases as of Tuesday in Tuolumne County, including five Covid-positive people who were hospitalized, all of them unvaccinated.

New cases in Tuolumne County were identified Tuesday as one boy and one girl below age 12; one woman between 18 and 29; four men in their 30s; one woman and one man in their 40s; one woman and one man in their 50s; one man in his 60s; and one woman and one man in their 70s.

The Tuolumne County Public Health Department is advising people this week to “spread joy, not COVID.”

Specific recommendations for the holiday season include getting vaccinated and getting a booster if you’re eligible; staying home if you’re sick; getting tested before and after holiday gatherings and holiday travels; and wearing a mask that fits — such as N95, KN95, and surgical masks — when necessary, especially around unvaccinated individuals.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 62.1% of people age 12 and older in Tuolumne County were fully vaccinated and 65.4% of people age 12 and older in Calaveras County were fully vaccinated, according to county data monitored by the CDC.

The Mother Lode Fairgrounds testing site off Stockton Road in Sonora will be closed on Thursday. Otherwise, it’s supposed to be open seven days a week.