Our 6 p.m. report continues, with the latest data we could round up for July 15, 2020.

A little earlier today we published an article with information from Del Norte Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt.

Our late afternoon report, Monday through Friday, is part of our effort to provide the communities served by the Curry Coastal Pilot and Del Norte Triplicate  with the latest relevant information about COVID-19.

Although the communities we serve are in two different counties and two different states, residents frequently travel to neighboring communities for work and shopping. The virus is not contained by city, county or state boundaries. And we all need to know the rules at play in the jurisdictions we might visit.

Unless there is urgent information that must be shared, we plan to make just one post daily with the best information we can gather — and compile what is relevant for our Friday print editions.

If you have a suggestion for information you would like to see in this daily (Monday through Friday) report, please send an email to: [email protected].

The information here is as of late afternoon Wednesday, July 15. Unfortunately, all jurisdictions do not report information in the same format, so some information has not been provided for us to share:

California and Del Norte County

California, updated July 15, 2020, with data from July 14:

• Tests reported — 5,793,276
• Total cases — 347,634 (3.3% increase over previous day)
• Total deaths — 7,227 (2.0% increase over previous day)

On July 13, California imposed some restrictions statewide, including Del Norte County. This included shutting down indoor dine-in restaurants and bars. In other counties, especially in Central and Southern California, further restrictions are in place. Get the latest information about rules for various counties online here. 

Del Norte County reported no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today and said all active cases have completed the self-isolation period and are recovered. The county is experiencing a delay in reporting of results from commercial labs. Due to this delay in local health departments receiving test results, the community is encouraged to be vigilant in following social distancing guidelines, wearing face coverings in public and minimizing contact with those outside your household.

• New confirmed COVID-19 cases: 0
• Current hospitalizations: 0
• Total tests: 3032
• Total confirmed cases: 61
• Total active cases: 0
• Total inactive cases: 61
• Total hospitalizations: 2
• Total deaths: 0

Transmission

• Contact to a Known Case: 43 cases (70%)
• Travel-Acquired: 1 cases (2%)
• Community Transmission: 17 cases (28%)
• Under Investigation: 0 cases (0%)

Gender

• Males: 30 cases (49%)
• Females: 31 cases (51%)

Age Range

• 0-17 years: 16 cases (26%)
• 18-49 years: 34 cases (56%)
• 50-64 years: 7 cases (11%)
• 65+ years: 4 cases (7%)

Other Data

• Mean Age: 32
• Symptomatic Cases: 35 cases (57%)
• Asymptomatic Cases: 26 cases (43%)
• Passive Case Finding: 24 cases (39%)
• Active Case Finding: 37 cases (61%)

For more information about these numbers is available here.

Oregon and Curry County

COVID-19 has claimed four more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 247, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 282 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 13,081.

OHA did not report any new cases in Curry County and there has been no report of new cases in the county since July 7.

Oregon's new cases are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (1), Clackamas (24), Columbia (2), Coos (2), Crook (1), Deschutes (12), Douglas (4), Jackson (9), Jefferson (2), Josephine (1), Klamath (1), Lane (9), Lincoln (2), Linn (2), Malheur (15), Marion (38), Morrow (3), Multnomah (59), Polk (4), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (27), Union (4), Wasco (2), Washington (50), and Yamhill (6).

Oregon data as of July 15, 2020, 12:01 a.m. (data is now updated Monday through Friday):

• Total cases — 13.081
• Total deaths — 247
• Positive tests — 12,406
• Negative tests — 298,705
• Total tested — 311,111

On Monday, July 13, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown mandated that face masks be work in outdoor public spaces whenever a social distance of six-feet between people cannot be mandated. The order is effective Wednesday, July 15. Oregon has a three-phase plan for reopening the state, with requirements that counties must meet so certain activities can resume. Curry County has been in Phase 2 since June 5. Subject to public health guidelines, physical distancing, gathering size limits, and sanitization guidelines, the following activities may be allowed in Phase 2: Recreational sports; pools; venues like movie theaters, bowling alleys, and arcades; some additional in-office work; bars and restaurants able to stay open until midnight; social, civic, and faith-based gatherings can meet in larger, physically-distanced groups.

More Oregon data is available here. 

Information about Oregon's three-phase reopening plan is available here. 

The information reported yesterday remains the latest data from Curry County, as of July 10, 2020:

• Active positive cases — 2
• Recovered cases — 7
• Negative cases — 777
• Completed tests — 786
• Deaths — 0

The latest information from Curry County is posted here. 

Pelican Bay State Prison

Although Pelican Bay State Prison is in California, employees live in both Del Norte and Curry counties. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains a website with the latest information about efforts to control COVID-19 at facilities throughout the state, including PBSP, and updates data regularly for both staff and inmates here.

As of information available at the time of this posting, there been no reports of confirmed positive tests of Pelican Bay inmates and only two confirmed positive employees, both of whom were reported to have recovered and returned to work. According to data from July 14:

• There are 2,365 incarcerated persons with active cases of COVID-19 statewide (a decrease of 58 from yesterday's report). To view more detailed case and testing information, see the CDCR and CCHCS Patient Testing Tracker.
• There are currently 755 active CDCR/CCHCS employee COVID-19 cases statewide (1,291 cumulative; 536 returned to work; this amounted to an increase in the cumulative cases of 21 from yesterday's report, with 21 additional returned to work since yesterday). The Employee Tracker has data about CDCR staff by facility.
• There are currently 78 incarcerated persons receiving medical care at outside health care facilities across the state (same as yesterday).
• There have been three COVID-related staff deaths:
  May 30, staff member from California Rehabilitation Center
  June 3, staff member from Ironwood State Prison
  July 13, staff member from North Kern State Prison
• There have been 37 inmate deaths.

CDCR is engaged in testing employees statewide and tested at PBSP this week. Results will be provided to employees and if there are confirmed positives, they will be reported to the county health department.

Across the country

The Centers for Disease Control keeps tab on COVID-19 across the country.

Information updated on July 15, 2020, showed:

• Total cases — 3,416,428 (60,971 new cases since the day before)
• Total deaths — 135,991 (991 deaths since the day before).

Around the world

The World Health Organization publishes a regular situation report with a great amount of detail about COVID-19 around the world.

The July 15, 2020, report is here. 

Of 13,150,645 cases, a total of 185,836 had been reported in the previous 24 hours. Of 574,464 deaths, 4,176 had been reported in the previous 24 hours.

About COVID-19

Basic information about COVID-19 is available at the Centers for Disease Control website. 

What you need to know:

• Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
• Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Symptoms may include:

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This website has a handy self-checker questionnaire. 

Testing

Del Norte County provides a website here with information about testing, which includes some options for Oregon residents, as well as California residents. As of today, the information may seem a little dated, but it's a good start if you would like to be tested.

CVS Pharmacy in Crescent City also provides testing, appointment required, for California residents only. Information here. 

In Curry County, check this website for testing information.