Tuolumne County’s COVID death toll climbs to 136

Tuolumne County had 57 new COVID-19 cases from Saturday through Monday, in addition to a 136th coronavirus death.

The latest county resident to die from the deadly disease was identified as an unvaccinated man in his 70s, though the location and date of his death were not disclosed.

Out of the county’s total deaths from COVID-19 since early last year, 129 were people who had not been vaccinated against the deadly virus.

There were also 15 people in the county who were hospitalized for the virus as of Monday, more than double the seven active hospitalizations reported on Friday.

One of the 15 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the county on Monday was vaccinated.

The county’s 57 new community cases Saturday through Monday included 42 unvaccinated people, which brought the number of active cases in the county as of Monday to 126 and total since the pandemic began to 7,665.

New cases in the county from Saturday through Monday were identified as four girls younger than 12, one girl between 12 and 17

years old, seven women and two men ages 18 through 29, six women and eight men in their 30s, two women and two men in their 40s, three women and five men in their 50s, six women and three men in their 60s, three women and three men in their 70s, and a woman and a man in their 80s.

A Moderna COVID-19 clinic will be held by the county Public Health Department from 10 a.m. to noon and 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church at 11155 Jackson St. in Columbia.

The clinic will offer the initial two-dose vaccine series to anyone 18 or older who hasn’t been vaccinated yet, as well as booster shots for those eligible who got the second dose of their initial vaccine series at least six months ago.

Everyone 65 and older or those 18 and older with underlying medical conditions or who work in a setting that puts them at a high risk of catching COVID-19 is eligible for a booster shot as long as they received their second dose at least six months earlier.

Walk-ins are welcome at the clinic on Saturday, but people are encouraged to schedule appointments by going to www. myturn.ca.gov. For more information, all the county Public Health Department at (209) 533-7440.

The department said it has also extended the hours of a planned COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children 5 to 11 years old to 1-6 p.m. Wednesday.

Appointments for the clinic where children 5 to 11 can receive the pediatric vaccine made by Pfizer can also be made on www. myturn.ca.gov.