COVID cases surge as Omicron takes hold

As Omicron surges in California, Del Norte County is not escaping the massive increase in new cases.

On Tuesday, Del Norte County Public Health reported 118 new cases were confirmed over the holiday weekend. The new cases bring new cases in the last two weeks to 340, with the county reporting 386 active cases.

Very little of the current surge is linked to Pelican Bay State Prison, with the prison reporting just three new cases in the last two weeks and no new cases over the weekend.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 4,403 confirmed COVID cases in the county, with just more than half reported in men. Fourty-one people have died in the county after contracting the virus.

While cases are surging, there has not been much impact at local hospitals. According to public health, just one person in the county is hospitalized with COVID, a decrease from five in the hospital a week earlier.

Most public health officials say the best way to avoid COVID, especially hospitalization or death is to get vaccinated against the virus. In that threshold, Del Norte County is well behind most of California. According to the county's public health department, 53.8 % of residents over age 12 have been fully vaccinated. Statewide just more than 67% of people have been vaccinated.

Local health officials expect the case counts to continue to grow in the coming weeks thanks to the high transmission rate of Omicron. Studies have shown every person who gets Omicron passes it to 3.2 other people, a rate that makes it twice as contagious as the common flu. Many health officials expect the surge to continue until at least the middle of February, when they expect case counts to rapidly fall.