Coronavirus update, Oct. 14: Stanislaus rules finally ease; 11 new cases, 1 death
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County got some welcome news from the state Tuesday: Its positive test rate has improved enough to relax rules on business and other activities.
The county moved from the purple to the red tier in the ranking system, indicating that COVID-19 is no longer widespread but still a concern.
Tuesday also brought the county’s 387th death to the virus but only 11 new cases, the Health Services Agency said.
The county now has 17,087 residents who have tested positive, 94,403 who tested negative and 16,484 who are presumed recovered.
Tuesday’s positive rate of 4.45% was down from the previous day’s 8.24%. The rolling seven-day average was 8.96%. The 14-day average was 8.16%. The rate since data collection began in March was 15.3%.
The county’s five hospitals had 42 confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, down from 48 on Monday. The number of available intensive-care beds for adults was at 10, down from 18.
Of those who tested positive, as of Friday:
- 54% are female
- 46% male
- 7% are 14 years or younger
- 16% are ages 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,
- 2% are 85 or older.
- Though they make up 47 percent of the population, Latinos represented 64 percent of the positive cases.
Geographically:
- Modesto has 6,461 positive cases
- Turlock has 2,322
- Ceres has 2,160
- Riverbank has 863
- Patterson has 857
- Oakdale has 398
- Newman has 348
- Waterford has 265
- Hughson has 169
- Supervisorial District 5 has 1,101
- District 3 has 977
- District 2 has 760
- District 1 has 374
- District 4 has 124
In other nearby counties, as of Tuesday:
- San Joaquin County has 477 COVID-19-related deaths among 21,064 cases.
- Merced County has 152 deaths among 9,265 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 242 cases and four deaths.
- Mariposa County has 77 cases and two deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 862,237 confirmed cases in California and 16,659 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 7,859,320 U.S. cases and 215,914 deaths.
There has been some movement on the reopening of schools in previous weeks, with some having applied for waivers through the Stanislaus County Office of Education. Here also is the state list, which includes Stanislaus private schools seeking waiver approvals.
State loosens rules for Stanislaus
Stanislaus County was approved Tuesday for the less restrictive red tier in the state’s coronavirus reopening strategy, meaning a number of business sectors can reopen or expand capacity for serving customers.
Crowd packs hearing for Velvet Grill & Creamery
Modesto could not hold the Velvet Grill & Creamery’s Tuesday appeal of the city fining it for not following the new coronavirus restrictions after the restaurant’s supporters packed the hearing, exceeding its physically distanced seating capacity.
Outlook brightens for Modesto high schools
Just hours after Gregori High families were informed Monday that the campus was being closed for 14 days because several staff members tested positive for COVID-19, the Modesto City Schools Board of Education discussed with district administration the plan to reopen in-person learning.
Modesto Marathon finds a way to return
Organizers have scheduled a “virtual” Modesto Marathon for 2021 due to the uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic, which forced organizers to cancel last year’s event.
Kids’ pumpkin stand aids first responders
“The real sheriff?” 8-year-old George Bogetti exclaimed Wednesday morning when he learned Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse would be visiting the pumpkin stand he and his family put together to help first responders.
From around the state, nation and world
President Donald Trump is promising emergency approval of a drug produced by Regeneron, which he credits with his own swift recovery from COVID-19, as a way to appeal to senior citizens who are breaking sharply away from his campaign over his response to the pandemic.
As the Nov. 3 presidential election nears, so too do the concerns surrounding safe voting during a pandemic. The long lines and crowds that usually frequent voting centers will be more than just that — they will be health hazards, especially for those vulnerable to coronavirus infection.
After the first known reinfection in the United States, scientists warn COVID-19 immunity may not be guaranteed. A 25-year-old Nevada man tested positive for the coronavirus six weeks after he originally contracted the disease, scientists said Monday in The Lancet medical journal.
