Coronavirus update, Aug. 15: Stanislaus has 8 more deaths. Positive rate goes back up
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County deaths to COVID-12 rose by eight on Friday, bringing the grim overall total to 195 with 32 of them announced since Monday, according to new data.
Details were not available about the most recent victims, including ages and genders or whether they had underlying conditions.
Statewide, 75% of those who have died are 65 or older, 57% are male and 47.3% are Latino.
The county reported 271 more positive cases out of 932 overall results for a single-day positivity rate of 29.07%, up from 4.61% the day before. The state said Friday the backlog of test results has been cleared.
Longer time frames are a better measure of how well Stanislaus is fighting the virus. The rolling seven-day infection rate was 20.1%. on Friday, up from 19.5% on Thursday. The 14-day average also was 21%, more than three times the state’s number and up from 20.3%.
The infection rate since data collection started was at 16.0% on Friday, up from 15.8% the day before.
The total number of residents testing positive is 11,953. Another 62,853 people have tested negative, and 10,874 are presumed recovered.
The number of confirmed cases in the county’s five hospitals stood at 200, up from 192 on Thursday. Three percent of adult intensive-care beds were available Friday.
Most of the county’s detailed dashboard remained offline, meaning no updates on age ranges and hometowns for the positive cases.
In other nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 261 COVID-19-related deaths among 14,651 cases.
- Merced County has 89 deaths among 6,777 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 160 cases and two deaths.
- Mariposa County has 64 cases and two deaths
As of Friday evening, there were 613,101 confirmed cases in California and 11,148 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 5,314,116 U.S. cases and 168,458 deaths.
Here is the state tracker.
Stanislaus officials seek faster testing
Stanislaus County’s health officer says it should not take 15-plus days to find out if a person has the coronavirus. And the slow testing process is hindering public health efforts to bring the COVID-19 outbreak under control.
Pandemic can’t stop new craft brewery
Cold, fresh, craft beer straight from the source is on the menu as the new 18Seventy Brewing Co. opens in downtown Modesto.
Eateries get help in downtown Modesto
The Downtown Modesto Partnership is behind two new projects aimed at helping restaurants, particularly, make it through the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and associated shutdowns.
Modesto takes action against businesses over coronavirus
Modesto issued cease-and-desist orders Tuesday to two restaurants, a spa, and a nail salon suspected of not complying with California’s public health order to stop the spread of the new coronavirus
Farmworkers fear retaliation for airing COVID-19 concerns
Some Stanislaus County farmworkers avoid requesting safety measures, reporting COVID-19 issues and even getting tested for fear of retaliation and job loss, according to a study examining agricultural labor issues in California.
Rent help on the way for Stanislaus County residents
A Modesto nonprofit that helps low-income families pay their rent says the number of phone calls from tenants has remained steady during the pandemic, but what really has gone up is how far behind the callers are in their rent.
From around the state, nation and world
Sacramento’s smallest neighboring county, rural Amador, has quickly become a hotbed for coronavirus activity.
As wildfires rage across the western U.S., health experts warn that usual preparations needed to stay safe may veer from the norm as the coronavirus pandemic continues to burden millions in the country.
America’s mental health is in a bad place, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of Americans contemplating suicide is soaring, and many more are showing signs of mental disorders, a CDC survey found.
