Coronavirus update, July 12: County reaches high mark in number of hospitalized
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 reported that 172 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus, up by five from the day before, according to data released Saturday.
That is the high mark four months into the pandemic.
The county’s 8.2 ICU patients per 100,000 people is the second highest in the state next to Imperial County (8.3).
Among the five county hospitals, 39% of total beds are available, as are 31% of intensive care unit beds and 72% of ventilators.
There were 99 more positive cases announced Saturday out of 766 tests for a one-day positivity rate of 12.92, down from 20.66 from a day before. The overall rate since its first case in March stood even at 11.2%. Its 14-day rate of 12.15% is above the state average of 7.4%. The rolling seven-day rate of infection stood at 14.81%. The day before, it was 13.57%%
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remained at 51.
Positive tests stand at 4,732, according to the county Health Services Agency. Another 37,358 residents have tested negative.
Of those who tested positive, 55% are female and 45% male. Fourteen percent are 20 or younger, 20% are 21 to 30, 19% are 31 to 40, 17% are 41 to 50, 14% are 51 to 60, 7% are 61 to 70, 4% are 71 to 80, 4% are 81 to 90, and 2% are older than 90.
Though they make up 47 percent of the population, Latinos represented 73 percent of the positive cases.
Modesto has 1,175 positive cases, 445 are in Ceres, 433 are in Turlock, 154 are in Riverbank, 153 are in Patterson, 62 are in Waterford, 60 are in Oakdale, 46 are in Newman, and 28 are in Hughson. Of the cases in unincorporated areas, 267 are in supervisorial District 5, 240 are in District 3, which includes Salida, 113 are in District 2, 53 are in District 1, and 18 are in District 4.
- San Joaquin County has 68 COVID-19-related deaths among 6,279 cases.
- Merced County has 12 deaths among 1,884 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 64 positive cases and zero deaths.
- Mariposa County has 31 positive cases and one death.
Those numbers, however, were not updated on Saturday.
As of Sunday morning, there were 319,262 confirmed cases in California and 7,028 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 3,247,782 U.S. cases and 134,815 deaths.
Here is the state tracker.
Modesto restaurants expand dining while city mulls policies
While it might seem as simple as throwing out some chairs and popping open an umbrella, expanding outdoor seating in Stanislaus County comes with risk and legal complications for area restaurants. See Marijke Rowland’s story.
Grading Stanislaus leadership in the coronavirus crisis
Reflecting on Stanislaus County leaders’ performance since the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic struck four months ago. Some good work, some embarrassing missteps. Read The Bee’s Editorial Board’s take.
Children rely on schools for more than academics
The importance of in-person learning is well documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring. Read a guest column by Superintendent Scott Kuykendall.
Stanislaus County hospitals feel the stress
A recent explosion of coronavirus cases continues to send patients to hospitals in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Stanislaus and San Joaquin are among the counties most impacted by coronavirus in California. See Ken Carlson’s story.
Trial by jury amid pandemic
Stanislaus Superior Court has resumed jury trials and other operations with social distancing and other steps to protect everyone from COVID-19. Read Erin Tracy’s story.
Surge postpones Modesto area art venue plans.
Arts venues in the Modesto region are facing new delays given the upswing in coronavirus cases. A surge in reported cases in parts of California, including Stanislaus County, caused a rollback of some reopenings. See Pat Clark’s story.
Modesto nurses, doctors fret over masks
You won’t see nurses at Modesto hospitals covering their faces with bandannas to keep from catching the coronavirus. But a limited supply of N95 respirator masks and gowns persists and it’s increasing the risk that nurses and doctors will become infected with the virulent illness. Read Ken Carlson’s story.
Stanislaus schools will resume one way or another
Starting the school year doesn’t necessarily equate to reopening schools for in-person learning, though that remains the goal for Modesto City Schools and other Stanislaus County school districts. Read Deke Farrow’s story.
Around California, United States and world
President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus. See the story.
Hundreds gathered Saturday at Camp Richardson beach in Lake Tahoe. Some were closely abiding by physical distancing guidelines, others were flouting them. One thing was common among the tourists: Trying to regain some normalcy amid a pandemic. Read the story.
Donna Scully said a last goodbye to her mother on March 19, as California closed its doors in hopes of slowing the spread of the new coronavirus. Scully didn’t know that at her mother’s funeral that day she would also say a final farewell to her father. Read the story.
