LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s Public Health officer said the case rate of COVID-19 in the county is now significant enough to land it within the “high” community level outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Reaching this category, the worst of the agency’s three-tier scale is alarming, as it signifies abundant local transmission which could signal that our community may soon put pressure on our health care resources,” said Dr. Erik McLaughlin, MD, MPH.

“As members of this community, we must take it upon ourselves to change our current trajectory by adhering to safety practices that are known to reduce transmission of COVID-19 such as wearing face coverings indoors when in public, testing when symptomatic or recently exposed, and staying up to date on vaccinations,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said that moving into the CDC’s High Community Level does not trigger any new countywide health measures, however, it signals that reassessing measures may become
necessary in order to avoid devastating outcomes if case rates continue to rise.

Although an indoor face covering requirement hasn’t been necessary for months, county health officials have consistently strongly recommended residents wear face coverings indoors while in public as an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 transmission.

McLaughlin said health officials do not want these recommendations and requirements to be seen as a punishment but as a powerful tool in avoidance of more severe outcomes.

He said officials have long noted that the pandemic has plotted a predictable, if painful, path — with increases in new infections triggering corresponding rises in hospitalizations a few weeks later, and in deaths a few weeks after that.

Lake County Health Services data analysis shows the county is now reporting 212 weekly cases for every 100,000 residents, high enough to clear the bar of 200 the CDC has set for the high community level.

Test positivity has been creeping upward over recent weeks to 11% in Lake County, McLaughlin said.

“The task in front of us is similar to work we’ve had to do at other points over the past two and a half years, we must slow transmission,” McLaughlin said. “We know what works — masking, testing and vaccination, along with systems and policies that support the use of these and other effective safety measures.”

He added, “Our hope is that with the encouragement that we’re providing, the easy access to high-quality face coverings, that people will go back to putting those face coverings on while transmission is high.”