County urges getting to 70%-80% vaccinated
On the wake of a message from Humboldt County Public Health that specific areas in the Eel River Valley are significantly higher than in other parts of the county, a report to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors this week states the county remains a “high transmission” area according to federal data.
“Hospitalizations remain at or near where they were during the peaks of previous winter and spring surges despite the declining case rates,” stated a report signed by Dr. Ian Hoffman. “Our local hospitals continue to feel the impact of COVID-19 hospitalizations despite this decline due to the past several months of very high COVID-19 cases leading to delayed care for other conditions.”
As of the memo from Hoffman dated Oct. 28, the county is 59% fully vaccinated.
“Meeting benchmarks of 70%-80% of the total population fully vaccinated could afford us a high enough level of community immunity protection that public health measures such as masking, social distancing, avoiding gatherings could be lifted,” Hoffman wrote. “With 65% of the current total county population with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, we could bring our total population vaccinated much closer to those goals by getting those partially vaccinated to finish their vaccination series.”
Additionally, the county believes allowing children between the ages of 5 and 11 with access to vaccinations, local rates will also be boosted.
The county continues to stress the need for vaccines and notes the differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
“The average age for hospitalization in the delta surge differs among fully vaccinated and unvaccinated groups (57 years of age average for unvaccinated hospitalizations, 74
years of age average for post-vaccine infection hospitalizations),” Hoffman’s report states. “This is also true of deaths based on vaccination status (65 years of age average for unvaccinated deaths, 79 years of age average for post-vaccine infection deaths).”
The county also notes the monoclonal antibody treatment is helping reduce hospitalizations. And the state is extending support for the local clinic through the end of November.
“So far none of those who have become infected with (the) COVID-19 virus and then received monoclonal antibody treatment have been hospitalized,” Hoffman notes. “And while this treatment is very effective in the short term at helping protect our hospitals and the individuals who received the treatment, it does not replace vaccination in that the antibody protection afforded by this treatment lasts only a few months.”