Coronavirus update, April 21: Stanislaus begins drive-through tests; hotel signs on
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 Monday evening. It reported that 232 people have now tested positive for the virus and 3,314 have tested negative. Fifty-two people have been hospitalized, and 118 have recovered.
Of those who tested positive, 125 are male and 107 female. Twelve are 17 or younger, 125 are between 18 and 49, 60 are between 50 and 64, and 35 are 65 or older.
Modesto has 90 of the positive cases, 41 are in unincorporated areas, 30 are in Ceres, 22 are in Patterson, 16 are in Turlock, 10 are in Riverbank, eight are in Newman, seven are in Waterford, five are in Oakdale, and fewer than five are in Hughson.
- San Joaquin County has 18 COVID-19-related deaths among 446 cases. Details are in updates released each Friday. As of April 17, 186 of the positive cases were female, 184 male. Three were 17 years or younger, 176 between 18 and 49, 124 between 50 and 64, and 67 were 65 or older. The city breakdown: 193 in Stockton, 61 in Tracy, 53 in Manteca, 24 in Lodi, 21 in Lathrop, nine in unincorporated areas, five in Escalon, and fewer than five in Ripon.
- Merced County is at 90 cases, with three deaths. Of those who tested positive, 50 are female and 40 male. Three are 17 or younger, 58 are between 18 and 49, 20 are between 50 and 64, and nine are 65 or older. The cities where a breakdown was provided include Los Banos with 33 cases, Merced with 17 and Gustine, Delhi and Atwater with seven.
- Tuolumne County has two cases and no deaths.
- Mariposa County has no cases.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 33,897 confirmed cases in California and 1,227 deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times. There were 780,476 U.S. cases and 37,808 deaths, according to the New York Times.
Here is the state tracker.
How to get drive-through testing
Stanislaus County launched a new site that expands testing for people with symptoms of COVID-19 disease. The drive-through testing at the Salida library is initially for individuals with a heightened risk of getting a severe case of the coronavirus respiratory illness. Read Ken Carlson’s story.
Hotel will shelter homeless
Stanislaus County has reached an agreement with a Modesto hotel owner to provide housing for the at-risk homeless population during the coronavirus pandemic. Read Erin Tracy’s story.
Prison so wrong in releasing inmate
Looks like we dodged a coronavirus bullet, no thanks to irresponsible state prison officials who released a quarantining inmate to the streets of Stanislaus County. That the inmate was release is a shocking outrage. Read The Bee’s Editorial Board’s take.
Child care for front-line workers
Muir Elementary School in Modesto has free child care for the families of health care workers, public safety first responders and school food-service employees during the pandemic. Read Deke Farrow’s story.
Small business aid is popular
Stanislaus County officials will use a scoring criteria to choose businesses for $10,000 relief grants to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic. Read Ken Carlson’s story.
Around the San Joaquin Valley, California, U.S.
A northern Idaho woman could face jail time after police said she had a yard sale, which violated the state’s stay-at-home order during the coroanvirus pandemic.
David Souza, founder of Corbin Cash Distillery, on Monday donated 50 gallons of sanitizer to Merced Union High School District.
One of California’s largest workers’ compensation insurers, the State Compensation Insurance Fund, announced Monday that it will pay COVID-19 medical costs and income losses for employees at essential businesses that it covers.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said contact tracing will be a key factor in reopening the United States after the coronavirus pandemic.
Facebook has started blocking people from organizing in-person protests against lockdowns and quarantines in some states on the platform, Politico reports.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 4:39 AM with the headline "Coronavirus update, April 21: Stanislaus begins drive-through tests; hotel signs on."
