Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, Aug. 23: Stanislaus County data show decline in hospitalizations

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Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area

Hospitalizations in five Stanislaus County facilities housing COVID-19 patients dropped below 170 for the first time in several weeks, according to data released on Saturday.

The 169 patients with confirmed cases listed on the county site did not include those at Central Valley Specialty Hospital, which the county started using to take some of the weight off the other facilities in Modesto, Turlock and Oakdale.

It was the fifth straight day hospitalizations of confirmed COVID-19 patients were at or below 185.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, there were just three available adult intensive care unit beds.

The county reported two more deaths, raising the total to 226 residents who have died due to the coronavirus. At least one death has been announced by the county on all but one day in August.

The information comes as the single-day positivity fell to 16.89% based on 162 positive cases among the 959 released test results. The seven-day rate fell from 23.13% to 18.35%. The 14-day rate was up slightly, from 21.02% to 22.52%. The rate of infection in the county since the pandemic began remained at 16.4%.

To apply for a waiver to reopen school campuses for kindergartners to sixth grade, the California Department of Public Health wants the 14-day case rate per 100,000 residents at or below 200 based on the “episode date,” or the “earliest date that the (patient) can be known to have had the infection. “ Stanislaus County dropped to 272.6, down from 287.9 on Friday.

Of those who tested positive, 54% are female and 46% male. Seven percent are 14 or younger, 17% are 15 to 24, 21% are 25 to 34, 18% are 35 to 44, 15% are 45 to 54, 11% are 55 to 64, 6% are 65 to 74, 3% are 75 to 84, and 2% are 85 or older.

Though they make up 47 percent of the population, Latinos represented 61 percent of the positive cases.

In other nearby counties:

As of Sunday morning, there were 665,428 confirmed cases in California and 12,149 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 5,668,554 U.S. cases and 176,371 deaths.

Here is the state tracker.

Great caution needed when reopening schools

A creative interpretation of COVID data appears to position elementary schools throughout Stanislaus County, California, to apply for reopening. Whether we can trust the numbers is up for question.

Are Stanislaus County schools close to reopening?

Stanislaus County, California, is inviting school districts to apply for waivers so that elementary schools can reopen for classroom instruction even as the county remains on the state’s coronavirus watch list.

1 dead, outbreak in Calaveras County

One person died, and two children have been infected with COVID-19 in Calaveras County, California. The county also announced a coronavirus outbreak among residents at Avalon Health Care in San Andreas.

Modesto parents share questions, concerns with district

In a Modesto City Schools online forum Wednesday, families shared a range of questions. They wanted to know, among other things, how long it will take to reopen schools once state and county officials deem it safe.

An inside look at a Modesto intensive care unit

Hospitals in Modesto in the Central Valley of California are dealing with a relentless outbreak of the coronavirus, even as the spike of cases has flattened out. ICUs held 62 critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Merced teen gets surprise at Modesto hospital

William Cady, 19, of Merced tested positive for the coronavirus on June 26, after experiencing symptoms of the virus for a week prior to being tested. Doctors told Cady they believe COVID-19 impacted an existing but undetected heart condition, further damaging two of his four heart valves.

From around the state, nation and world

Wearing a face mask to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus can make your covering soggy after hours of use, but what if a filter in the material could capture that moisture and use it to your benefit?

As more universities abandon plans to reopen and decide instead to keep classes online this fall, it’s leading to conflict between students who say they deserve tuition discounts and college leaders who insist remote learning is worth the full cost.

India’s coronavirus caseload topped 3 million on Sunday, with the country leading the world in new infections as the disease marched through impoverished rural areas in the north and the wealthier but older populations of the south.

This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 6:03 AM.

Follow More of Our Reporting on Coronavirus in California

Brian Clark
The Modesto Bee
Editor Brian Clark has worked at The Modesto Bee since 1990. He’s worked in various departments, including sports, news and on the digital side for a decade before being promoted to editor in 2018. He’s a native of Berkeley and a graduate of San Diego State University. Prior to The Bee, Brian worked at the Turlock Journal and Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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