NCJ Daily Online

Local COVID-19 Deaths Continue to Mount

In the two days before this issue of the Journal went to press Sept. 21, Humboldt County Public Health confirmed four new COVID-19 deaths — making 35 locally since Aug. 1 — and 161 new cases of the virus.

A state database showed 20 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, with two under intensive care. The slow decline in hospitalizations — which peaked at 42 Sept. 3 — is welcome news for local hospitals, which had been pushed beyond capacity amid a brutal August that saw 2,000 new cases confirmed, 98 hospitalizations and 22 deaths.

But while hospitalizations had declined and case rates had plateaued, other signs indicated the current Delta-variant-fueled surge remained far from over. After recording a test-positivity rate of 10.1 percent in July — the highest for any month since the pandemic began — the rate in Humboldt County jumped to 15.9 percent in August. Through the first 20 days of September, it has jumped to 16.8 percent, far outpacing state (2.9 percent) and national (8.1 percent) rates.

With case rates high locally, Public Health continues to encourage people to get vaccinated, saying “health officials overwhelmingly agree that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent severe outcomes.”

According to the county’s dashboard, 55 percent of local residents are now fully vaccinated, with nearly 70 percent of residents over the age of 12 having received at least one dose.

Public Health reported Sept. 17 that the seven-day average of new cases confirmed per 100,000 residents showed that while fully vaccinated residents accounted for about 11 new cases daily per 100,000 in population, unvaccinated residents accounted for an average of 53 new daily cases per 100,000 residents. Further, Public Health also reported reported Friday that of the the county’s then-84 COVID-19 deaths, seven had been fully vaccinated, while 334 of the county’s then-368 hospitalizations — 91 percent — had been of unvaccinated residents.

National, state and local health officials advise that vaccination remains incredibly safe and effective protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19, and the county has a host of nocost clinics scheduled over the next week.

As the Journal went to press, vaccination clinics were scheduled to be held in Garberville, Blue Lake, Arcata, Eureka and Redway this month, with no-cost COVID-19 testing available at most. To make an appointment in advance or view additional vaccination opportunities and to request help with transportation, visit www.vaccines.gov or www.myturn.ca.gov.

Through Sept. 21, the county had confirmed 8,254 cases of the virus to date, with 372 hospitalizations and 88 COVID-19 deaths.

Nationwide, more than 42.2 million cases had been confirmed with 675,071 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Of those, 4.4 million cases and 67,628 related deaths had been confirmed in California, according to the Department of Public Health. — Thadeus Greenson

POSTED 09.21.21 Yvonne Jolley and Noreen O’Brien’s “Yurok Life on the Mighty Klamath” panel of one of two large Christmas tree skirts a trio of local quilters guilds collaborated to make to outfit trees from Six Rivers National Forest that will stand at the entrances of the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offices in Washington, D.C. Read the full story at www.northcoastjournal.com. POSTED 09.18.21

Photo by Yara Hailey, courtesy of the Redwood Empire Quilters Guild

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Durst Convicted: A Los Angeles County jury convicted enigmatic real estate scion Robert Durst of murder Sept. 17, for the 2000 execution-style shooting of Susan Berman, whom prosecutors alleged could have implicated Durst in his wife’s disappearance. Durst was living in Trinidad at the time of the killing, and drove from Humboldt County to Berman’s Los Angeles home to commit the murder. POSTED 09.18.21

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Police Shooting Victim Identified: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office identified the man killed in a Sept. 9 police shooting on Mad River Road on the outskirts of Arcata as 35-year-old Charles David Chivrell, of Eureka. The Sheriff’s Office reported that one officer — Michael Griffin, of the California Highway Patrol — fired his weapon during the incident in which Griffin allegedly brandished a firearm at officers. POSTED 09.16.21

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Motel Condemned: The city of Eureka condemned The Royal Inn on Sept. 16, saying an inspection there found conditions that “posed a significant hazard” to occupants and the community. The city reported numerous code violations, including hazardous electrical work, rooms contaminated with blood, urine and feces, and infestations of rats, cockroaches and bedbugs. It’s unclear how many residents were displaced by the city’s action. POSTED 09.16.21

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Digitally Speaking

65.9 The percentage of Humboldt County voters who cast ballots against the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, which 63 percent of voters statewide rejected Sept. 14.

They Said It

“We have a number two constitutional officer in California. If you think the governor’s malfeasant, by all means, let’s have a plebiscite and remove him or her from the office. But let’s not use that as the pretext for getting a hidden ball trick do-over.”

— California state Sen. Josh Newman on a proposal to reform the state’s recall law to elevate the lieutenant governor if voters remove a sitting governor. POSTED 09.16.21

Comment of the Week

“This was an amazing project, and inspiring for what is possible in our community. Bravo to all involved.”

— Julie Lerwill commenting on the Journal’s Facebook page on a post about last week’s cover story and photo spread, “Otter Joy,” detailing the North Coast Otter Art Initiative. POSTED 09.16.21