Coronavirus update, April 16: Stanislaus sees surge; Modesto Broadway star pauses
Here is the latest on the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to Stanislaus County:
Latest facts on COVID-19 tests in Modesto area
Stanislaus County remained at four deaths Wednesday. It reported that 177 people have now tested positive for the virus and 2,740 have tested negative. Forty-seven people have been hospitalized, and 77 have recovered.
Of those who tested positive, 94 are male and 83 female. Seven are 17 or younger, 97 are between 18 and 49, 44 are between 50 and 64, and 29 are 65 or older.
Modesto has 72 of the positive cases, 29 are in unincorporated areas, 23 are in Ceres, 13 are in Patterson, 12 are in Turlock, seven are in Newman, six are in Riverbank, six are in Waterford, and five are in Oakdale. The other cases were not reported by city because of medical privacy rules regarding smaller cities.
- San Joaquin County has 17 COVID-19-related deaths among 364 cases.
- Merced County is at 78 cases, with three deaths. Of those who tested positive, 45 are female and 33 male. Two are 17 or younger, 49 are between 18 and 49, 20 are between 50 and 64, and seven are 65 or older. The cities where a breakdown was provided include Los Banos with 30, Merced with 16, Gustine with six and Atwater with six.
- Tuolumne County has two cases and no deaths.
- Mariposa County has no cases.
As of Thursday morning, there were 27,097 confirmed cases in California and 889 deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times. There were 636,917 U.S. cases and 28,586 deaths, according to the New York Times.
Here is the state tracker.
Stanislaus cases rise
Stanislaus County has trailed behind other areas marred by the coronavirus, and now infections are increasing in the county and its nine cities. Read Ken Carlson’s story.
One man’s struggle
Tim LaRosa of Modesto almost found a home to call his own when the coronavirus outbreak threatened to upend the life he hoped to rebuild. Read Kristin Lam’s story.
Modesto native pauses Broadway role
Modesto native Lindsay Pearce made her Broadway debut as the star of “Wicked” on Feb. 25, just a little over two weeks before the coronavirus crisis halted life as we know it. Read Marijke Rowland’s story.
Help for Modesto businesses
Modesto is helping small businesses walloped by the coronavirus pandemic by providing loans, deferring payment of city taxes, fees and utilities bills for 90 days as well as providing other assistance. Read Kevin Valine’s story.
Free tech academy beckons
Bay Valley Tech of Modesto is signing up people for its next round of free online classes in software code writing. Because of the coronavirus, the demand could be as great as ever. Read John Holland’s story.
Around the San Joaquin Valley, California, U.S.
A group of registered nurses who work at Mercy Medical Center Merced gathered Wednesday to demand adequate protections to treat patients infected with coronavirus.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was granted authority Wednesday to temporarily close the state’s fishing season in some rural counties following a disastrous telemeeting last week that erupted into chaos and slurs.
With coronavirus causing the closings of restaurant dining rooms, more people are relying on food delivering services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. Is it safe?
McClatchy reporter David Lightman took questions from readers this week about the federal government’s stimulus payments. Click here to see his answers.
