Second Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in Humboldt County

March 20, 2020

Local Health Officials confirmed a second positive test of a Humboldt County resident with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) one month to the day after the county had its first confirmed positive case.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said the individual had recently traveled to a high risk country. Community transmission is not believed to be a factor in this case. Anyone who was in close contact with the individual will be contacted by Public Health staff, evaluated and quarantined as appropriate.

“Our thoughts go out to this individual and we wish them a full recovery,” Frankovich said. “We have said repeatedly that we expect additional cases in our community. We’ve been fortunate to have had time to prepare, and we have prepared. I certainly do not think this will be the last case in Humboldt County.”

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said the results underscore the importance of the shelter in place order declared last night. “It is absolutely critical that Humboldt County takes the Health Officer’s order to shelter in place seriously,” he said. “This inconvenience to our daily lives is the necessary step to protect our friends, loved ones and fellow community members.”

Humboldt County had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Feb. 20. The individual recovered and was released from isolation on Feb. 28, after meeting all conditions for clearance required by the CDC.

For current information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert, or during business hours by emailing covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000