Graduation parties, church service cause spike in COVID cases — 6 new cases, 53 total — If you think you may have been exposed, free testing is available

COVID TESTING & VACCINE INFO: For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and masking, contact the Mendocino County Public Health COVID19 Call Center at (707) 472-2759 or visit their website here. You can read our ongoing coverage of the pandemic here, and find the current county COVID-19 data here.

MENDOCINO Co., 6/17/20 — A set of Ukiah High graduation celebrations and a church services have been found to be the cause of a spike in COVID cases in Mendocino County. Within the past week eight cases can be traced to graduation parties, and four to a church service — these conclusions were arrived at after careful contact tracing in which people are interviewed concerning their recent contacts and a site of infection is tracked down. Contact tracing and case investigation remain essential in finding such small outbreaks, conducting testing, isolating infected people, and quarantining the potentially infected, before the outbreak can spread further into the population.