Coronavirus update, Oct. 20: Stanislaus County remains in the red with state update.
Stanislaus County still meets the red criteria in state update
In the first update since leaving the move restrictive purple tier a week ago, Stanislaus County was able to meet the criteria for staying in the red status of California’s “slow and stringent” coronavirus reopening program.
The county’s adjusted case rate was reported Tuesday as 6 per 100,000 population, below the 7 per 100,000 maximum for the red tier. The county easily met the state criteria for test positivity criteria. It was 4.3 percent countywide and 4.7 percent in low-income neighborhoods that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks.
The state’s red tier requirement for test positivity is 8 percent or less.
Stanislaus County must remain in the red tier for another week before schools are eligible to open for all grade levels.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, said counties in Southern California will benefit from the lessons learned by a state task force that worked with Central Valley counties to bring coronavirus numbers down.
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties continue to struggle with widespread COVID infections keeping them in purple status.
Ghaly said a more concerted approach in those counties will be tailored around needs identified by local leaders. It may include increased testing in hard hit communities and industries, additional support and enforcement aimed at high-risk settings and businesses with case clusters, and use of community organizations that have strong boots on the ground.
Use of bilingual staff has also proven effective in counties with diverse populations. And some counties have done more to support people in isolation with food, hygiene products or a hotel room.
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County announced its first death in three days Monday, for a total of 392 since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
This past weekend was only the second time in three months with two consecutive days without reporting a death, according to the Health Services Agency.
The 49 new cases Monday bring the total to 17,341. Another 97,441 residents have tested negative, and 16,691 are presumed recovered.
Monday’s positive rate was 9.78%, compared with 7.81% the day before. The rolling seven-day average was 7.69%, up from 7.45% Sunday. The 14-day average was 8.04%, up from 7.6%. The rate since data collection began in March was 15.1%.
The county’s five hospitals had 45 confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday, up from 39 on Sunday. The number of available intensive-care beds for adults was at 21, up from 15.
The county moved Tuesday, Oct. 13, 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.
Today, it will find out if it stays in the red tier when the state updates its ratings.
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 Monday:
- San Joaquin County has 484 COVID-19-related deaths among 21,196 cases.
- Merced County has 152 deaths among 9,375 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 255 cases and four deaths.
- Mariposa County has 78 cases and two deaths.
As of Monday evening, there were 880,334 confirmed cases in California and 16,992 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 8,215,578 U.S. cases and 220,134 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.
Hear from our Dr. Mink about safe Halloween
Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos are fast approaching, and we know there are questions about what is safe for celebrating. McClatchy newsrooms are planning a livestreamed digital event on October 21 with Dr. ChrisAnna Mink to answer some of your questions.
The latest on high school sports
With a little over two months before the start of the high school sports season in Stanislaus County, questions remain whether games will be played amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Taiwanese Chamber helps with masks
In what county CEO Jody Hayes called “a really, really nice surprise for us here in Stanislaus County,” a donation of 10,000 medical masks from the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce San Francisco Bay Area was received in downtown Modesto on Thursday.
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.
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.
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
A recent survey found that the majority of Americans saved their stimulus payments or used it to repay debts. The CARES Act went into law in March and provided most Americans with direct payments during the coronavirus pandemic.
As winter nears, more people will be spending time with others indoors, a scenario that favors high coronavirus transmission. On top of mask wearing and social distancing, experts say investing in air filters can be a helpful addition to infection prevention plans.
For the first time since March, more than 1 million people were traveling on airplanes Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration said. Travel significantly dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 4:33 AM.
