Colusa County’s initial shipment of at-home tests for COVID-19 were distributed within 15 minutes on Friday.
Colusa County Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Kelly said 280 rapid antigen home tests were received from the 1,200 tests that have been allocated by the state.
The tests were handed out at the drive-thru event, Kelly said.
California Department of Public Health provided the tests, which are in addition to the allocations received by local schools to give to families.
The county has had a total of 3,805 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the virus first appeared nearly two years ago, up 237 from Jan. 10 and up 91 from previous week, as people continue to catch the virus despite being vaccinated.
Kelly said as of Tuesday, 342 people were isolated after testing positive, up 197 from the previous week.
“We have four people in the hospital and, unfortunately, we remain at 26 deaths,” Kelly said.
But while Omicron seems to break through (the effectiveness of) the vaccine, officials from the Centers for Disease Control believe the vaccine does work to reduce COVID-19 symptoms, and reduces the risk for hospitalization and death.
Kelly said Colusa County administered 300 Moderna booster shots at a clinic on Jan. 12.
While an all-age vaccination clinic is scheduled Jan. 26, Kelly said Colusa County’s focus will remain on getting school-aged children vaccinated.
About 30 percent of youth ages 12-17, and 51 percent of young adults 18-19 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard.
At least 52 percent of Colusa County’s population has received at least one dose of vaccine; 47.3 percent is fully vaccinated.
The California Department of Public Health has updated quarantine and isolation guidelines for COVID-19, which strikes a better balance between managing health risks and allowing people to lead normal lives.
People who test positive should remain in isolation for five days before testing again. Those who test positive after five days should remain in isolation for an additional five days.
As before, Kelly reminds people to wash their hands, stay home if sick, and wear a mask indoors.
The CDC recommends that absent N95 or KN95 masks, a tight fitting fabric or medical mask over the nose and mouth is better than no mask at all. ■