April 8, 2021 – Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a revision to the criteria for counties to move back in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Nevada County will likely benefit from these relaxed requirements and not slide back in the most restrictive tier.

In a news release, Nevada County Public Health Director Jill Blake stated, ““If our numbers hold, we will not move backwards on Wednesday.” CDPH’s revised guideline states: “Unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as low rate of vaccine take up, a county will only move to a more restrictive tier if hospitalizations are increasing significantly among vulnerable individuals, especially among vaccinated individuals, and both test positivity and adjusted case rates show a concerning increase in transmission.”

Local Public Health officials stressed the continued importance of taking precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19. “If you aren’t wearing a mask, keeping your distance from others, and avoiding gatherings, you’re playing Russian roulette with your health,” said Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet during our weekly vaccine update. Trochet pointed to the health impacts of COVID-19 as a cause for concern. “Fewer people are dying, but we are seeing people with long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, neurological issues, and lung damage. This virus is very serious.”

“We are one of the worst counties in the State currently for transmission,” said Nevada County Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Kellermann. “This is about individual and community health. We can do better.”

According to the latest state data, Nevada County has 11.3 cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. These genetic mutations are expected, and some emerge and then disappear, while others persist or become common. Most variants do not have a meaningful impact. Public health becomes concerned about a variant when it affects COVID-19 transmission, severity, testing, treatment or vaccine effectiveness, according to CDPH. One of the variants, B.1.429 (a West Coast variant) has been identified in Nevada County.

A bit of good news from today’s webinar: Cases in healthcare workers and residents 65+ are going down – these groups have been prioritized for immunization. As of today, 54,108 doses have been administered to Nevada County residents. This includes both first and second doses. For a full list of providers offering immunizations in Nevada County, click here.