Update: Stanislaus County reels from COVID deaths. Hospitalizations soar to new high.
Stanislaus County is reporting eight coronavirus deaths per day, as local hospitals are filled with sick patients and many residents ignore a stay-home order in the days leading up to Christmas.
An update Monday afternoon recorded 10 new deaths, and COVID hospitalizations soared to 363 after a brief dip to 315 hospitalizations on Sunday.
In the past seven days, 55 people have died from COVID-19 in Stanislaus County, which has the third highest COVID-19 mortality rate among California counties. Monday’s updated count pushed the county’s pandemic death toll to 533.
The county said in a statement Tuesday its has not changed its approach toward getting businesses to comply with a regional stay-home order that was supposed to close restaurants dining and other business activities.
“Ultimately, we need transmission and cases to decrease which will lead to fewer hospitalizations,” Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer, said. “Case investigation, contact tracing, vaccination, and messaging are critical to slow transmission.”
The county’s dashboard showed only four of 122 intensive care unit beds are currently available for critically ill patients, though the state released figures showing zero ICU capacity in the hard hit San Joaquin Valley region. That designated region includes the nearby counties of San Joaquin, Merced and Tuolumne, leaving few options for finding ICU beds for patients in need.
Last week, a county spokesman expressed concern that more than 3,000 cases in a weeklong period would send a wave of patients to already crowded hospitals within two weeks. The county has reported close to 3,500 people testing positive for COVID-19 since Dec. 14.
The pressure on local hospitals is much more intense than the June-to-August surge when COVID-positive hospitalizations peaked at 233. Along with admissions in the county’s five hospitals, dozens of coronavirus patients are placed in a special COVID unit at Central Valley Specialty Hospital in downtown Modesto. The facility’s owner said Central Valley also accepts patients from nursing homes who are sickened by COVID-19.
A Modesto Bee report found that compliance with a state stay-home order was spotty among restaurants and other businesses.
The county said Tuesday its emergency operations center and business support branch continues to field concerns and complaints reported by residents. The county said most of the complaints come from cities where businesses are located and are referred to those cities.
“If in the unincorporated community, county staff conducts the necessary follow-up,” the county said. “Compliance through education remains the focus to ensure the business owner is aware of the specific details of the current order and how it applies to their business.”
The county Health Services Agency released some details on recent coronavirus deaths. The breakdown showed 13 percent of those who died were 55 to 64 years old; 26 percent were 65 to 74; 38 percent were 75 to 85 and 23 percent were older than 85.
The county said 51 percent were white, 23 percent were Latino and 12 percent were in other ethnic categories. Ethnicity data was not available for 14 percent of the deaths.
COVID numbers put county in crisis mode
California has 16,843 COVID-positive patients in hospitals statewide, according to the Los Angeles Times tracker. That’s a 73 percent increase in two weeks. Deaths are averaging 233 per day statewide, five times higher than the rate five weeks ago.
Stanislaus has the 10th highest number of COVID hospitalizations among the 58 counties in California, even though it ranks 16th in the state in terms of population. The county has seen growing unrest among hospital nurses, who say medical facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
The county is second to beleaguered Fresno County in hospitalizations in the San Joaquin Valley, which is entering a third week under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regional stay-home order that closed restaurant dining, hair salons and church activities.
Last week, a county spokesman said some patients, at least two, had been transferred to an alternative care center at the old Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, because of staffing shortages at hospitals here.
At a press conference Monday, Newsom said the state will most likely extend the stay-home order in the San Joaquin Valley. The initial three-week period for the order ends Dec. 28, but the limited ICU bed capacity and trend of hospitalizations won’t likely meet the criteria for lifting the order, state officials said.
The state order affects a designated San Joaquin Valley region including Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin, Fresno, Calaveras, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, San Benito, San Joaquin, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the state’s Health & Human Services Agency, said health experts are watching a United Kingdom strain of the coronavirus that appears to infect people more easily than the common strains. The new strain with mutations making it easier for the virus to bind with human cells has surfaced in Great Britain and has shown up in European countries and South Africa.
Ghaly said the state is looking at monitoring any people who come in from the affected countries. “We are watching this very closely,” Ghaly said.
The county was asked about public criticism that it’s not responding to the pandemic and communicating its efforts to the public. The county said it’s “working with every sector of the community to address any outbreaks. We have teams delegated to respond to outbreaks in businesses, long-term care facilities, shelters, schools and agriculture Industries.”
The county’s statement continued: “As we learn of cases, we respond accordingly and ensure all the safety measures and protocols are being followed. We also continue to provide education and message to our community based on current local trends and data. Our team continues to collaborate with various community-based organizations to ensure the community understands the available data and the need for following protocols.”
County officials have been criticized for not publicly identifying the location of outbreaks, including those at businesses, essential industries and long-term care facilities.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 5:33 AM with the headline "Update: Stanislaus County reels from COVID deaths. Hospitalizations soar to new high.."
