COVID cases rise, most recover

COVID-19 cases in Del Norte County continue to climb, but the vast majority are recovering without many problems.

The Del Norte County Department of Public Health reported that over the long Christmas weekend, 28 new cases were reported with 13 of those linked to prisoners at Pelican Bay State Prison.

As of Tuesday, only one person was in the hospital and two people have died with COVID since the beginning of the pandemic.

Christmas day saw the biggest spike in cases with 10 cases reported in the community and 11 at Pelican Bay State Prison. There are 30 active cases in Del Norte County.

While the virus is raging across California, with close to 42,000 new cases reported Tuesday, Del Norte County continues to buck the trend. California has had 2.2 million confirmed COVID cases since the pandemic with more than 24,000 deaths linked to the virus.

Del Norte County remains one of 54 counties in the state in the purple tier for widespread use. Three counties, including neighboring Humboldt County, are in the substantial risk category with only one, Sierra County, in the moderate risk level.