The number of residents testing for COVID-19 has dropped considerably in recent months as vaccination rates have increased, prompting health officials to insist on continuing testing.
“Tests are essential to reduce the spread of disease in the community,” said Hava Phillips, Supervisor of Public Health Clinic and Communicable Diseases Program. “It is much easier to spread a disease when you don’t know you have it.”
The Humboldt County test is offered free of charge seven days a week (7:00 am to 7:00 pm) on Redwood Acres in Eureka and is also available at various locations across the county every day of the week. Walk-ins are welcome on all sites, and the response time for results averages 48 to 72 hours. See the full schedule below:
- Eureka – Seven days a week, from 7 am to 7 pm (Redwood Acres, 3750 Harris St.)
- Arcata – Mondays, from 8 am to 5:30 pm (Arcata Community Center, 321 MLK Jr. Pkwy.)
- Garberville – Tuesdays, 9 am – 4:30 pm (SoHum Health Sprowl Creek Campus, 286 Sprowl Creek Road)
- Fortune – Wednesdays, from 8 am to 5:30 pm (River Lodge Conference Center, 1800 Riverwalk Drive)
- Hoopa – Thursdays, from 9 am to 3:30 pm (Tsewenaldin Inn, 12482 CA-96)
- McKinleyville – Fridays from 8 am to 5:30 pm (Azalea Hall, 1620 Pickett Road).
To schedule, visit lhi.care/covidtesting or call 888-634-1123.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early data shows that vaccines may work against some variants, but may be less effective against others. There are currently five variants of concern in California, which are considered more contagious or likely to cause serious or serious illness, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In addition, while COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing people from obtaining COVID-19, the CDC is still learning how vaccines prevent them from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, even if they have no symptoms.
In addition, a major concern among public health officials is that a vaccine-resistant variant will develop “before we can control it,” said Phillips.
“Viruses mutate easily and, if the mutations are significant enough, they can create a new variant,” she said, explaining that each person with COVID-19 can have viruses with a few different mutations. “But if people know they are sick and are isolated, none of these mutations will have the chance to spread to anyone, and the chance of a new variant decreasing.”
New variants are found by examining the virus found among positive tests. “When people don’t get tested, it takes longer to identify which new variants are spreading, which slows down research and response,” said Phillips.
Fully vaccinated people should still observe the symptoms of COVID-19, especially after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, CDC states. If symptoms develop, everyone – regardless of vaccination status – should isolate and be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, including testing, if indicated.
For the latest information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours, by contacting [email protected] or by calling 707-441-5000.
Some Safeway and CVS Pharmacy locations are offering COVID-19 vaccination appointments. See if there are times available for your age group or sector in one of these locations by clicking on the links below.
Safeway: https://www.mhealthappointments.com/covidappt
Pharmacy CVS: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine?icid=cvs-home-hero1-link2-coronavirus-vaccine.