Coronavirus update, Oct. 15: Stanislaus ballot box warning. Latest on Great Wolf
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County has now gone 30 straight days with at least one report of a COVID-19 death.
The total stands at 388 residents with the death announced Wednesday by the Health Services Agency.
Stanislaus added 43 positive tests for a total of 17,130 since the pandemic began. The county has 94,883 people who tested negative and 16,508 who are presumed recovered.
Wednesday’s positive rate of 8.22% was up from the previous day’s 4.45%. The rolling seven-day average was 9.29%. The 14-day average was 8.44%. The rate since data collection began in March was 15.3%.
The county’s five hospitals had 42 confirmed COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the same as Tuesday. The number of available intensive-care beds for adults was at 14, up from 10.
The county moved Tuesday from the purple to the red tier in the state ranking system, indicating that COVID-19 is no longer widespread but still a serious concern. Businesses and other activities have relaxed rules.
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 Wednesday:
- San Joaquin County has 483 COVID-19-related deaths among 21,100 cases.
- Merced County has 152 deaths among 9,286 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 242 cases and four deaths.
- Mariposa County has 77 cases and two deaths.
As of Wednesday evening, there were 865,637 confirmed cases in California and 16,760 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 7,917,189 U.S. cases and 216,904 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.
Illegal drop boxes for ballots turn up
Stanislaus County election officials are alerting the public about unofficial ballot boxes and has issued warnings that use of the unauthorized boxes is illegal.
Manteca attraction will wait
Great Wolf Lodge has pushed back its timetable for opening in Manteca once again as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on all of this year’s best laid plans.
Modesto expands pandemic career training
Modesto residents can look to two local schools for training in coding and mechanics, as regional institutions seek to teach more workers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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
Professionals with the California Association for Private Events marched to the state Capitol in Sacramento dressed in wedding gowns and tuxedos Tuesday to call for the safe reopening of the events industry in California during COVID.
The White House asked two of the nation’s top infectious disease experts to review “the totality” of President Donald Trump’s test results from his recent coronavirus diagnosis in order to determine whether he remains infectious to others, according to a source familiar with the matter.
A worship event over the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, attracted as many as 10,000 guests — many of whom were not wearing masks or socially distanced, according to the event organizer, local media reports and videos shared online.
