Now that I'm back from our trip to a cabin in Oregon, I want to continue to provide regular updates.

First of all, our seven-day average as of yesterday in Humboldt County is 67. On September 5 of last year, it was 6. On September 5 of this year, our new case count was 104. Last year at this time, the count was 0. Let those numbers soak in for a minute, all of this is on top of the fact that we know more and we have a vaccine. 

I will be writing another email and posting it to my FB page later this week. In a nutshell, there's an old adage, "Nothing changes if nothing changes," and to that point, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS CHANGING. I, I assume like you, am frustrated and fed up with the "business as usual" aspect of the way most of the County Leadership is tackling this problem. Sure, there are continued announcements about "get vaccinated" but it seems to me that everyone has heard that ad nauseum and if, by now, they haven't got a vaccine, they won't. We need to push for "the stick" and stop begging. 

Other pertinent news:

1. You're probably heard that at least half the traveling nurses we just hired at SJ have quit. This, of course, further exacerbates the problems we're facing while nothing seems to be happening to make us safer (more about that in a bit).
2. A friend of mine and supporter of this cause wrote a powerful letter to the Board of Supervisors demanding action. In part, they said, "I have followed all the COVID-19 guidelines to protect myself and fellow citizens. The present overcrowding at the hospital prevents me as a citizen from getting any suggested or emergency care I require. My access to Good Public Health policy should not be denied by the unvaccinated.

   
   In face of the current and growing numbers of cases, hospital emissions, and deaths, you must take this action to protect us from the unvaccinated. PLEASE!"

   
   If you feel strongly, write to the board via one email at cob@co.humboldt.ca.us 

Please continue to share this petition, we're at 285. We need only another 15 to get to 300. Thank you for being willing to do something. This is not going to stop by itself.