Humboldt County to release COVID-19 data by zip code

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. (KIEM) – A major change will be made to the way Humboldt County releases COVID-19 data. According to Deputy Health Officer Dr. Josh Ennis, the county will soon release numbers by zip code.

This new method will provide a clearer picture of where the virus has the biggest impact. Although, Dr. Ennis said the results may not yield new information.

“I can say that we haven’t seen any noticeable pattern across zip codes, but it has again reflected what we have seen across the nation and across our state,” Ennis said, “At this point it tends to be younger people. We know that they are less at risk of severe disease, so they may be more tolerant to more risk and behaviors that assume more risk. We have seen that across the county.”

Dr. Ennis noted that more cases were found in urban areas earlier in the pandemic. Months later, this is no longer the case.

“If we look at where we are at now, there is no part of the county that has been spared at this point,” Ennis said.