COVID-19 — 68 new cases in 93561; Kern transmission rate drops

Kern County’s COVID-19 transmission rate dropped from high to medium last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC uses three rankings to measure COVID-19 community levels by county throughout the United States. On a map, counties colored green are identified as having low transmission rates; yellow indicates medium transmission rates and counties colored orange have high transmission rates.

Indicators for community levels are related to new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, both on a seven-day average. If it’s less than 10 percent, the transmission rate is considered low. But as metrics rise, the level is adjusted, first to medium and then to high.

Advisories for individuals

who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease range from

having a plan for rapid testing and talking to healthcare providers about potential

treatments when the transmission rate is low to taking greater precautions (such as wearing a mask) with medium transmission rate.

When the transmission rate in a county is high, the CDC recommends that everyone wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status (including in K-12 schools and other indoor community settings), and advises those with greater risk to follow more stringent protocols.

In all cases, individuals are advised to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.

LOCAL NUMBERS

Data from Kern County Public Health Services Department showed 68 new cases in the 93561 ZIP code between July 22 and Aug. 5, compared to 135 new cases reported the previous week.

The total number of cases for the year is 3,587 and the total since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 is 9,705.

At the California Correctional Institution, where incarcerated individuals are included in the 93561 ZIP code count by the health department, there were 30 active cases of COVID-19 among the inmate population as of July 29 (compared to 12 the previous week.) A total of 51 staff cases were reported as of July 29, but the number of staff cases had not been updated by the deadline for this article.

Kern County reported a total of 2,499 COVID-19-related deaths countywide on Aug. 5 — up by 5 from July 29. The county does not provide death data by specific community or ZIP code, citing privacy concerns.

TESTING AND VACCINATIONS

Find testing locations by going to kernpublichealth.com, clicking on the COVID-19 button and looking for “find a testing site near you.”

Vaccination information is available online at kernpublichealth.com/coronavirus-vaccine. According to the California Department of Public health, COVID-19 vaccinations are now available for children under 5.