Alder Bay exits ‘outbreak’ mode

Health officer: More residents need to get tested

Humboldt County health is no longer considering Alder Bay Assisted Living to be in “outbreak” mode for the coronavirus, the county’s health officer said Tuesday.

Staff and residents at Alder Bay, located on Myrtle Avenue, have accounted for all four coronavirus deaths in Humboldt County and 12 additional COVID-19 cases (including the facility’s administrator) following an outbreak over Mother’s Day weekend.

The latest round of tests at the facility found no additional positive cases, 14 days after the last possible point of exposure, county health officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said Tuesday at a board

of supervisors meeting.

“That was certainly progress,” Frankovich said. “They were very happy to have that news there.”

On the other hand, the pandemic is far from over in Humboldt County, Frankovich warned. Cases are still increasing in California, as well as in other parts of the country.

In Humboldt County, there have been “smaller waves” of cases, Frankovich said, with new patients testing positive in clusters.

“In terms of epidemiologic data, we’re looking pretty good right now,” she said. Cases are doubling approximately every 74 days, a number that was far smaller in March.

But not enough Humboldt County residents are seeking COVID-19 tests, she added, which limits how much health officials can know about the local spread of coronavirus.

“In the last week or so, especially, we have not been testing as many people as I’d like to,” she said. “Testing is a really important part of our surveillance … I want to encourage people to do some ongoing testing.”

Campgrounds and children

Many public spaces in Humboldt County have reopened in the past month, including dine-in restaurants, child care, day camps, retail, faith-based organizations, salons and barber shops.

Frankovich said the county health department’s priority is to get campgrounds open by the end of this week.

Supervisors on Tuesday said they would be more comfortable if the county could screen to make sure campground visitors are local residents and not tourists. But the health officer said out-of-area travelers are a possibility that the county “can’t control, to some extent.”

As he has done at past meetings, 1st District Supervisor Rex Bohn gave health officials his own opinion on how they should be handling the pandemic.

This time around, Bohn speculated that there may never be a vaccine for coronavirus, saying that at some point, the county needs to “get on with what we’re doing in a careful, thoughtful way.” Frankovich, in turn, said that health officials has been trying to navigate reopenings in exactly that fashion.

Bohn also reiterated his past calls for “better messaging” on health officials’ part, saying his constituents have told him their kids are getting anxiety from coronavirus fears.

“We don’t spend much time on the highlights,” Bohn said of COVID-19 data. “We always talk about the deaths … and that’s what the kids hear. I just think we’re doing a disservice to them… it’s pretty frustrating to a lot of people.”

Frankovich countered that what Bohn would call “negative spin,” she would call “just reporting the data.”

“Frankly, as a pediatrician, I am well aware and very concerned about youth here and the need for structure activities for kids,” she said. “My intent is that the schools are open in the fall. I don’t know what it’s going to look like, but they’re going to be open.”

Bohn later added that he appreciates everything the health department is doing amid the pandemic.