Coronavirus update, Sept. 23: Stanislaus County remains in the state’s purple tier
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County on Tuesday remained in the lowest, or purple tier, in the state rating system that decides how much restaurants and other businesses can loosen its coronavirus restrictions.
Currently, Stanislaus County remained in the area of “widespread” infection among its residents. Under the state’s grading system, Stanislaus County’s 5.5% positivity rate meets the 8% standard to be in the red tier, the third of four tiers. However, its 7.6 positive cases per 100,000 is above the seven cases per 100,000 needed to meet requirements.
Once the county moves up a tier into red, as several did across the state Tuesday, it would have to remain there for two weeks before it could enjoy the relaxing of some business restrictions like limited indoor dining and impacts on other sectors.
Meanwhile, the county announced Tuesday that two more residents have died of the virus, for a total of 339, the Health Services Agency reported.
It added 47 new positives tests, bringing the total to 16,398. Another 84,854 residents have tested negative, and 15,643 are presumed recovered.
Tuesday’s positivity rate of 15.02% was more than twice the 6.75% on Monday. The rolling seven-day average was 9.45%. The 14-day average was 9.39%, still three times the state’s but was down from 20.86% from the previous 14 days ending Sept. 8. The positive rate since data collection began in March was 16.2%.
The county’s five hospitals had 63 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, down from 67 on Monday. There were 12 available intensive-care beds for adults, down from 19 the day before.
- Of those who tested positive in Stanislaus County, 54% are female and 46% male. Seven percent are 14 or younger, 16% are 15 to 24, 21% are 25 to 34, 18% are 35 to 44, 15% are 45 to 54, 12% 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 64 percent of the positive cases.
- Modesto has 5,975 positive cases, 2,191 are in Turlock, 2,034 are in Ceres, 809 are in Riverbank, 787 are in Patterson, 356 are in Oakdale, 326 are in Newman, 238 are in Waterford, and 144 are in Hughson. Of the cases in unincorporated areas, 1,010 are in supervisorial District 5, 918 are in District 3, which includes Salida, 722 are in District 2, 342 are in District 1, and 107 are in District 4.
In other nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 421 COVID-19-related deaths among 20,019 cases.
- Merced County has 140 deaths among 8,803 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 226 cases and four deaths.
- Mariposa County has 75 cases and two deaths.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 792,807 confirmed cases in California and 15,177 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 6,890,662 U.S. cases and 200,710 deaths.
Senior Stride spreads out
After 28 years at East La Loma Park, the Modesto Rotary Club’s Senior Stride this year will be held, well, all over the community.
Modesto Symphony cancels live concerts
The Modesto Symphony Orchestra has canceled its live concerts through March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
$2 million in grants for nonprofits available in Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County nonprofits that provide arts and cultural programs or youth services have until Sept. 25 to apply for $2 million in CARES Act funds.
Restaurant pushes back as $1,000 daily fines pile up
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People are getting back to work
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Your guide to drive-in movies
For more than a decade, if you wanted to see a movie at a drive-in in the Central Valley you had to travel more than 70 miles to Madera. But now, in the age of coronavirus, the region has multiple drive-in options to choose from for safe family fun.
Turlock schools weigh reopening
A draft of the “Safe Schools Re-Opening Plan” for in-person transitional-kindergarten through sixth-grade education during the COVID-19 pandemic was presented to the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday night.
Amazon adds jobs in Patterson, elsewhere
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Pandemic squeezes county budget
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Health officials urge residents to get flu shots
Public health officials and medical experts say Americans older than 6 months should be getting an influenza vaccination in 2020, especially during coronavirus.
From around the state, nation and world
Several top officials leading the administration’s effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine at record speed had financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies now competing to develop the much-needed drug, according to disclosures released Tuesday.
In an effort to prevent potential COVID-19 outbreaks in high-risk communities, the Trump administration said it has started shipping rapid coronavirus tests to more than three dozen historically Black colleges and universities.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 4:55 AM.
