Despite a decrease in COVID-19 cases over the last few weeks, Del Norte County remains in the Purple Tier, the most restrictive tier in California.According to information released by the state of California, cases in Del Norte County peaked Dec. 18, when 44 new cases were reported. That week, the county had an average of 17 new cases each day.On Tuesday, Del Norte County reported five new cases and has an average of five cases a day this week. The county has had two deaths of people linked to COVID, the last Dec. 14.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');On Tuesday, 92 new tests were reported with a positivity rate of 7.1 percent over the previous two weeks.Hospitalization continues to be under control with only one COVID patient in the hospital in Del Norte County. The state says two ICU beds are available as of Tuesday.Del Norte County Public Health reported 68 new cases in the last two weeks, with 52 of those cases considered active. There were no new cases reported from Pelican Bay State Prison in the last week.Since the beginning of the pandemic, 861 people have tested positive with COVID-19 and 20 people have required hospitalization. Close to 60 percent of the positive cases came in the 18-49 age group, with 23 percent in the 50-64 age group. Sixty percent of the cases have been in men.Of the positive cases, 474 have been reported in the Crescent City area with 306 reported in the northern part of the county near Smith River and Fort Dick. Sixty-five cases have been reported in the more isolated southern and eastern portions of the county.While the COVID case count continues to rise, Del Norte County is trending in the right direction. The active case count peaked Jan. 4, with 165 cases active that day and has steadily dipped since then. Since the beginning of the new year, there has been only one day with 10 or more new cases, with 14 reported Jan. 14. Since then, fewer than five cases have been reported daily.Vaccinations have begun in Del Norte County, mostly on front-line healthcare workers, first responders and staff and patients at assisted living facilities.Dr. Warren Rehwaldt, the county public health authority, recently asked anyone with medical experience to volunteer to help get the vaccine out to the general public when doses become available. If you are interested in helping, visit https://www.covid19.dnco.org/ and fill out a short survey. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });