Shasta County set a new single day record for cases of COVID-19. Shasta County reported 95 new cases Tuesday as well as another death, a man in his 70’s. A total of 25 people have died from Coronavirus among the county’s 1597 cases. The new cases run the full range of ages, but 57 of them are in their 20’s and 30’s. There are currently 180 active cases with 4 of them hospitalized. 380 people are quarantined due to possible exposure.
48 Butte County residents have died of COVID-19, among 2,994 cases. Tehama County has had 693 cases and now 8 deaths. 21 cases have been confirmed in Trinity County. Glenn County has had 635 cases and 3 deaths. Lassen County has had one death among 113 cases in the community and 637 in prison. There have been 179 in Siskiyou County with one death and 528 in Humboldt County with 8 deaths. Modoc County has reported 28 cases.
While the state average is on a downward trend in COVID-19 numbers, the infection rate has skyrocketed for Shasta County since the start of September. With a rate of 17.6 daily cases per 100,000 residents, no other county approaches the dramatic surge seen in Shasta County. By September 1st, the county had confirmed 572 cases. Since then, in less than 6 weeks, more than a thousand more cases have been added to the total.
Shasta County Public Health has said much of the surge among the older population has been a result of outbreaks in nursing homes. The significant surge seen recently among younger people is attributed to Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. There have been hundreds of cases emerging from the student body, who come from all over the world to attend the school in Redding. The administration has directed the students to self quarantine, but they still reside in group settings. A social media posting has been circulating in which Beni Johnson, one of the top leaders of Bethel, criticizes and mocks the use of masks, saying they are ineffective in stopping the virus.