Coronavirus updates: Shasta County releases new COVID-19 vaccination numbers

COVID-19 case numbers in Shasta County remained lower overall throughout November than in October. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus daily dropped into the 50s and 60s over the past two weeks.

Shasta County Public Health reported it daily confirmed three to seven COVID-19 deaths among county residents since Nov. 2. Some of those fatalities occurred in October, when the virus outbreak was higher.

Here are daily COVID-19 updates with new cases, hospitalization numbers, vaccination percentages and deaths announced.

Scroll down for updates this week, Nov. 1-5, 2021. For updated case numbers and data, scroll below daily updates.

As of Wednesday morning, almost half the people ages 5 and older in Shasta County were fully vaccinated.

According to Shasta County Public Health branch:

• 48.7% are fully vaccinated, meaning they received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-dose series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

• Another 7.2% are partially vaccinated, meaning they received their first dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna series.

• Altogether, 55.9% of the county had at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

The county started November with more than half its population vaccinated, but at that time COVID vaccines were mandated only for people ages 12 and older. After national public health approved the Pfizer vaccine for children two weeks ago, that age group was added to the population who could get a shot, dropping the county's vaccination percentage.

Also on Wednesday, public health announced the latest three-month breakdown of hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Here are numbers tallied between Aug. 23 and Tuesday:

• People fully vaccinated: 80,999

• People unvaccinated or partially vaccinated: 85,368

Over the past three months, of the 415 patients hospitalized for COVID-19:

• 43 were vaccinated

• 372 were not vaccinated

Of the 180 people who died of COVID-19:

• 18 were vaccinated

• 162 were unvaccinated

For more information see the Shasta County COVID dashboard at co.shasta.ca.us/ready/covid-19/data. To get vaccinated or tested, or to schedule a booster shot or third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, go to Shasta County's COVID-19 website at bit.ly/3GLFoFo or call (833) 422-4255 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.

Tuesday: Woman dies of COVID; hospitalizations, deaths mostly among unvaccinated

Another person in Shasta County died of COVID-19: A woman age 90 or older.

That fatality raised the total number of people lost to COVID-19 in Shasta County to 440 since March 2020; 76 reported by Public Health in November.

Public Health warned people to take precautions to protect themselves and their families and friends during the holidays.

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If holiday plans involve anyone who is unvaccinated, try to keep gatherings "small, short and outdoors," the agency said. "Your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 increases as you interact with more people for longer periods of time."

"Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely occurring among unvaccinated populations," the California Department of Public Health said on Tuesday.

The report included the following statewide information:

• Unvaccinated people were almost seven times more likely to get COVID-19, based on case numbers measured between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6.

• Unvaccinated people were almost 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, based on patient information gathered between Oct. 24 and 30.

• Unvaccinated people were 16.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19, based on deaths confirmed to have been caused by COVID between Oct. 17 and 23.

Last week Shasta County Public Health branch announced the following information:

• Since mid-August, almost nine out of 10 Shasta County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 were not fully vaccinated — meaning they hadn't received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-dose series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

• During the same period, nine out of 10 people who died as a result of the disease — meaning a doctor or coroner listed COVID-19 as cause of death and Public Health confirmed the diagnosis — were not fully vaccinated.

Monday COVID-19 update: 6 Shasta County residents die; 75 deaths reported in November

Six more Shasta County residents have died of COVID-19.

Their deaths bring the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the county to 439 since March 2020. Of that number, 75 were reported in November by Shasta County Public Health.

The four men and two women whose deaths the agency announced Monday were:

• A woman in her 40s

• A man in his 50s

• A man in his 60s

• A woman and a man in their 70s

• A man age 90 or older

Also on Monday, state Public Health reported the following information for last week, from Nov. 15-21:

• The total number of COVID-19 cases identified by Public Health was 393.

• The number of cases per 100,000 people in Shasta County was 218.2. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider 100 or more cases per 100,000 people to be a high level of outbreak.

• The test positivity rate — the percentage of people who tested positive in Shasta County was 3.4%

• The average number of people in the hospital per day was 61.4

COVID-19 numbers in Shasta County

Here are daily case, hospitalization and other numbers reported Wednesday by Public Health. Total case numbers were adjusted Wednesdays to account for any duplications in the count.

• New cases: 30

• Total cases since March 2020: 22,197 (11,924 men, 10,153 women, 120 gender unidentified)

• New deaths reported: 0

• Total deaths: 440

• Hospitalized: 61 — 17 in intensive care units

• Active cases: 245, down from 285 on Friday.

New cases by age group:

• Ages 0-12: 4

• Ages 13-19: 2

• Ages 20-29: 2

• Ages 30-39: 2

• Ages 40-49: 2

• Ages 50-59: 5

• Ages 60-69: 6

• Ages 70-79: 2

• Ages 80-89: 4

• Age 90 and older: 1

• Age not reported: 0

Read more: Families navigate Thanksgiving holiday plans with unvaccinated relatives

Vaccinations in Shasta County

Last week, the percentage of eligible people who were fully vaccinated — meaning they had the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or both of the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer series — dropped this week from 52.6% to 48.1%.

That's because the number of people eligible to receive the vaccine now includes children ages 5 to 11. The week before last, only county residents ages 12 and older were eligible.

Another 7.1% had one dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer two-dose series.

In Shasta County, during the three months from Aug. 16 to Nov. 16:

• 422 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those patients, about 85%, or 359, were unvaccinated. A little over 12%, or 52, were fully vaccinated and another 11 patients were partially vaccinated.

• 170 people died of COVID-19. Of those people, 88%, or 149, were unvaccinated. Only 17 were fully vaccinated — 10%. Another four were partially vaccinated.

Almost all the fully vaccinated people who died were 70 years old or older, Shasta County Public Health said.

Elderly people are more vulnerable to the effects of COVID, as are people with certain health conditions, according to the CDC. See a list of conditions at https://bit.ly/3DYgK2F.

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Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County releases COVID-19 vaccination numbers