Coronavirus update, Aug. 6: Stanislaus has 10 more deaths. Schools to test bandwidth
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County added 10 residents to the virus death toll Tuesday, bringing the total to 145.
There was no further information from Stanislaus County, which took down its COVID-19 dashboard after technical errors in the state system rendered data throughout California as potentially undercounted.
Before taking down the site, the county did release test results it received Wednesday with 51 patients testing positive out of 443 results. The 11.5% single-day positivity rate was the lowest since July 28.
Since March, a total of 9,359 people have tested positive for the infection out of 61,972 tests. More than 8,500 people have recovered from the disease.
The rolling 14-day rate of infection, in data released by the county, was 26.1%. The seven-day positivity rate stood at 26.6%. The county’s overall rate since March remained at 15.1%.
Stanislaus County has had 26.33 deaths per 100,000 residents, making it the third highest among the eight San Joaquin Valley counties. Only Tulare (41.39) and Kings (36.61) counties are higher. San Joaquin County and Merced County are at 24.53 and 26.1, respectively.
There was no further data available Thursday morning, including information on city-by-city infections or hospitalizations.
In other nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 187 COVID-19-related deaths among 12,034 cases.
- Merced County has 60 deaths among 4,760 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 144 cases and two deaths.
- Mariposa County has 59 positive cases and two deaths.
As of Wednesday evening, there were 530,606 confirmed cases in California and 9,808 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 4,824,230 U.S. cases and 158,268 deaths.
Here is the state tracker.
State, Stanislaus County COVID-19 results undercounted
California health officials say a decline in coronavirus case numbers in Stanislaus County might seem encouraging, but it’s an undercount of COVID-19 caused by technical problems with its reporting system.
Schools will test bandwidth
With distance learning starting this week in at least four Stanislaus County school districts, and about 15 more joining next week, a stress test will be conducted Friday to ensure schools’ internet performance is up to snuff.
Editorial: Right call on park closures
Officials in Oakdale, Hughson and Waterford are to be commended for recent tough decisions to close some popular outdoor recreation areas where unmasked people had been congregating.
Stanislaus care centers struggle
Some additional long-term care facilities have struggled with coronavirus outbreaks during the surge of illness in Stanislaus County.
Private schools vary on fall semester
While Stanislaus County public schools agreed to begin August with remote instruction weeks ago, private school plans vary and continue to change as start dates approach.
Yes, the Stanislaus County library remains accessible
The coronavirus pandemic closed library buildings in Stanislaus County in the Central Valley of California, but the librarians pivoted to a digital world to maintain access to books, activities and services.
What Modesto area companies got millions in COVID-19 aid?
The Paycheck Protection Program has brought millions in taxpayer-funded federal coronavirus aid for companies in Stanislaus County, California. Many businesses have stayed quiet about their forgivable loans.
From around the state, nation and world
The cost of groceries keeps climbing during the pandemic, hitting virtually every aisle and shelf at the store, data show, from the breakfast, lunch and dinner staples, to the less in-demand and specialty items. Read the story.
As parents and educators prepare for kids to return to in-person classes, the already uncertain nature of schooling in a pandemic could be complicated further by a shortage of school nurses. Read the story.
The organizer of the White Trash Bash event attended by hundreds of people last weekend in East Peoria, Illinois, has fired back at critics. Read the story.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 6:31 AM.
