Mendocino County health officials report first child hospitalized for COVID-19

Mendocino County Health Officer Andrew Coren said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the county’s first hospitalization of a child, even as virus transmission continues to decrease.

“Recently we’ve seen our first pediatric case in a local hospital,” Coren said Tuesday, during a COVID-19 update to county supervisors.

Coren, who provided no other information about the child who was recently hospitalized, noted that despite the availability of effective vaccines, Mendocino County has seen more hospitalizations this summer than was experienced during the winter surge.

He also said unvaccinated residents ending up in the hospital are much younger than those who get infected after their inoculation.

Coren said the average age of unvaccinated people who have died of COVID-19 complications is 68. By comparison, he said the average age of vaccinated residents who succumbed to the disease is 95, with significantly more underlying health problems.

“While some vaccinated people have caught COVID and some have passed away, the vast majority of overall of severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among those who have not been vaccinated,” Coren said.

Coren said the pandemic has claimed a total of 82 lives in Mendocino County, with 13 deaths occurring in the past two weeks. Eight of these recent deaths resulted from outbreaks at two nursing homes, each of which had “low staff vaccination rates.“

“In those skilled nursing facilities, the staff who tested positive, were predominantly unvaccinated,” Coren said. “While the surge in Northern California is affecting predominantly the unvaccinated at a rate of 10 to 1, it is also having fatal consequences on those who are vaccinated and vulnerable ... in contact with the unvaccinated caregivers.”

In Sonoma County, health officials on Wednesday reported two more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the pandemic fatality total to 386. The two deaths were among two unvaccinated individuals with underlying health problems; a man between 60 and 70 who died in a local hospital Sept. 16 and a woman 40 to 50 who died in a local hospital on Sept. 18.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.