Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, Oct. 18: Stanislaus County reports no deaths, low positivity rate

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Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area

Stanislaus County reported zero deaths for the first time in more than a month, and its positivity rate was the lowest in 11 days, according to data released Saturday by the Health Services Agency.

The county reported 46 new cases among its 837 reported tests, the highest single-day test total since Sept. 9.

The last time the county went without an announced death was Sept. 13. Through the first 15 days of this month, there have been 26 reported deaths compared to 59 through the first 15 days of September.

There have been 17,244 reported positive cases since the county’s first in March, while 96,423 residents have tested negative and 16,616 are presumed recovered.

Saturday’s positivity rate of 5.5% was down from 9.8% on Friday. The rolling seven-day average was 7.26%, down from 8.18% the day before. The 14-day average was 7.6%, which is above the previous 14-day rate of 6.5%. The rate since data collection began in March was 15.2%.

stan covid 1014
stan covid 1014

The county’s five hospitals had 41 confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, up from 39 the day before. The number of available intensive-care beds for adults was at 20, up from 16.

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 is still “substantial.” This allows, for example, indoor dining and worship with several safeguards.

The county has not updated its demographic data since Oct. 8. Details on the positive cases as of that date:

  • 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 Friday:

As of Sunday morning, there were 873,929 confirmed cases in California and 16,959 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 8,107,506 U.S. cases and 219,311 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.

Modesto Christian pauses K-6 return

Modesto Christian School has returned to distance learning for all students for two weeks following positive COVID-19 tests for some of the employees.

Medicare enrollment goes virtual

Coronavirus precautions have eliminated popular forums normally held in October to help seniors in Stanislaus County make changes to Medicare coverage for the coming year.

Latest on disputed ballot boxes

California officials have issued subpoenas for more information on the state Republican Party’s use of unofficial ballot drop boxes.

COVID-19: Stanislaus County churches can open indoor services

Places of worship can reopen now with limited capacity across Stanislaus County since its move to red tier status in California’s coronavirus reopening plan.

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.

From around the state, nation and world

Roughly seven months after the coronavirus cut the ski season short at the height of spring break, resorts across the United States and Canada are slowly picking up the pieces and figuring out how to safely reopen this winter.

Rural Jerauld County in South Dakota didn’t see a single case of the coronavirus for more than two months stretching from June to August. But over the last two weeks, its rate of new cases per person soared to one of the highest in the nation.

Iran announced Saturday that its death toll from the coronavirus has passed the milestone of 30,000, in what has been the Mideast region’s worst outbreak.

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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