Public Health reports 3 new COVID-19 deaths, 511 additional cases and one-third increase in first doses of vaccine

The Bakersfield Californian - 8/31/2021

Aug. 31—Kern County Public Health Services reported Tuesday there were three new COVID-19 deaths and 511 newly disclosed cases.

The update brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the county to 1,465 and the number of confirmed cases to 124,943. Public Health says 114,544 people have recovered from the illness, or are presumed to have recovered from the illness.

There has also been a rise in the number COVID-19 vaccines administered in Kern County: In the past three weeks, there has been a 32.5 percent increase in first doses.

"We are encouraged to see first dose vaccination administration rates continuing to rise in our community," county Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan said. "We continue to urge everyone to use all available tools to protect against COVID-19 including getting vaccinated, masking, physical distancing, washing your hands, staying home when you are sick or been exposed, and staying in overall good health by eating well and regularly exercising."

As of Sunday, 345,678 people representing 45.8 percent of Kern's eligible population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Of those, 260 have since tested positive for the virus, including 16 who were later hospitalized.

There remain 574,973 unvaccinated individuals in the county. Among them are 30,972 people who have tested positive for the virus and 1,526 who additionally required hospitalization.

Currently, the 14-day case rate is 38.69 cases per 100,000 residents. That daily case rate varies depending on vaccination status: It is 0.72 among the vaccinated and 59.64 among the unvaccinated, according to the county dashboard.

Since Kern County first began vaccinating residents on Jan. 21, the unvaccinated account for 99.17 percent of positive cases, and 98.96 percent of hospitalizations. Since that date, vaccinated people account for .08 percent of positive cases, and .005 percent of hospitalizations.

A state dashboard showed 302 patients in Kern County hospitals, including 54 in intensive care units.

This is the age breakdown of the positive cases: 16,607 people age 17 and under; 75,167 ages 18 to 49; 22,015 people ages 50 to 64; and 11,089 people ages 65 and older.

Of the variant cases that have been identified, 133 have been identified as delta cases and 73 have been identified as alpha. However, not all COVID-19 cases are tested for variants, meaning more could have gone undetected.

The public can find more data on the Kern County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard at https://kernpublichealth.com/covid-19_dashboard/.

The health department is reminding residents that you can find testing locations by going to kernpublichealth.com, clicking on the COVID-19 button and looking for "find a testing site near you."

The public can go to https://kernpublichealth.com/coronavirus-vaccine/ for current vaccination information. Kern County Public Health Services reminds residents that anyone age 12 or older is eligible for the vaccine.

You can reach Emma Gallegos at 661-395-7394.

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