Coronavirus update, June 24: County has 38th death; Modesto schools discuss return
Here is the latest on the coronavirus outbreak from in and around Modesto and Stanislaus County.
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County deaths to the coronavirus rose by one to 38 on Tuesday, a person at least 50 years old. Positive tests are at 1,714, according to the county Health Services Agency. Another 23,830 residents have tested negative.
The daily hospitalized count of confirmed patients was 73, up from 70 the day before. Among the five county hospitals, 46% of total beds are available, 45% of intensive care unit beds are available, and 81% of ventilators are available.
According to county-released data, the rolling seven-day rate of infection stood at 9.9%. The day before, it was 9.2%.
Of those who tested positive, 55% are female and 45% male. Fourteen percent are 20 or younger, 19% are 21 to 30, 19% are 31 to 40, 17% are 41 to 50, 14% are 51 to 60, 8% are 61 to 70, 4% are 71 to 80, 4% are 81 to 90, and 1% are older than 90.
Modesto has 587 positive cases, 256 are in Turlock, 232 are in Ceres, 90 are in Riverbank, 89 are in Patterson, 34 are in Newman, 31 are in Oakdale, 22 are in Waterford, and 12 are in Hughson. Of the cases in unincorporated areas, 152 are in supervisorial District 5, 122 in District 3, 48 in District 2, 26 in District 1, and 13 are in District 4.
- San Joaquin County has 48 COVID-19-related deaths among 2,560 cases.
- Merced County has nine deaths among 710 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 14 positive cases and zero deaths.
- Mariposa County has 21 positive cases and one death.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 191,544 confirmed cases in California and 5,629 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 2,347.102 U.S. cases and 121,225 deaths.
Here is the state tracker.
Stanislaus becomes ‘hot spot’
Stanislaus County’s top officials have come to the conclusion the county is one of the hot spots for coronavirus infections in California. Read Ken Carlson’s story.
Modesto schools plan for restart
Modesto City Schools staff sketched for board members Monday evening how the school year might look when it begins in August. Read Deke Farrow’s story.
Pandemic trims Turlock brewery
The ongoing coronavirus outbreak and subsequent shutdowns have claimed a high-profile Central Valley victim — Dust Bowl Brewing Company’s original downtown Turlock taproom. Read Marijke Rowland’s Biz Beat column.
Yosemite slows down reopening
Less than two weeks after Yosemite National Park partially reopened to the public, officials are slowing the process down some after seeing a spike in coronavirus cases in California. Read the story.
Retiring Modesto teacher reflects
Alison Hamilton — “Miss Hami” to students and parents, and my former sister-in-law — just retired after 20 years in a classroom, the last 15 as a fourth-grade teacher in Room 61 at Freedom Elementary in Modesto’s Sylvan Union School District. Little did she know, when she wished students a nice weekend on Friday the 13th in March, that she would not see most of them again. Read the Q&A with Garth Stapley.
Q&A on face covering order
Several counties in California, including Los Angeles and counties in the Bay Area, already have mask orders in effect, but an order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday makes it mandatory statewide. Read the story.
Around California, United States and world
Feeling “cautiously optimistic,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress Tuesday that a COVID-19 vaccine could be available to the American public by the end of the year, or early 2021. Read the story.
Kimberly Jocelyn got a job as a contact tracer in New York City right after she graduated college, a job that reaches out to between 30 and 50 people in a day, CNBC reported. Read the story.
The coronavirus pandemic already came for the meat industry, forcing processing plans to close as workers tested positive for COVID-19 and farmers to depopulate their livestock by sending millions of chickens and pigs to the chopping block. It looks like cheese could be next. Read the story.
