Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, Oct. 26: Stanislaus County maintaining high levels of infection

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Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area

The number of positive coronavirus test results released Sunday remained on the high side, with the current five-day total the highest Stanislaus County has seen in two weeks.

On Sunday, the county reported 57 more cases, maintaining a level above what was seen as drop in cases in mid-October.

The last five days have seen 276 reported cases. The five days before that, there were 194 cases and the five days before that 158.

Sunday’s positivity rate was 9.55%, only the fifth time it’s been above 9% in the last 15 days.

On the upside, the number of deaths in Stanislaus County remained at 396 for the second straight day, and the number of patients with confirmed cases in the five Stanislaus County hospitals fell by five, down to 43. The number of available adult intensive care unit beds grew to 15, up from 12 the day before.

The added cases brings to 17,629 the number of residents who have tested positive since the pandemic began. Another 100,809 have tested negative, and 16,910 are presumed recovered.

Sunday’s positive rate was down from 12.26% the previous day. The rolling seven-day average was 8.08%, versus 7.92% on Saturday. The 14-day average was 7.8%, up from 7.63%. The rate since data collection began in March was 14.9%.

covid map 1021
covid map 1021

Details on the positive cases with some numbers not having been updated for a few weeks:

  • 54% are female
  • 46% male
  • 8% are 14 years or younger, up 1% from Friday.
  • 16% are ages 15 to 24
  • 20% 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 Monday morning, there were 906,795 confirmed cases in California and 17,359 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 8,637,108 U.S. cases and 225,239 deaths.

Stanislaus County in danger of falling back to purple tier

Stanislaus County officials are not confident of meeting the criteria of the state’s stringent program for limiting coronavirus outbreaks, and the county could slide back to the most restrictive tier.

Early voting is a hit in Stanislaus

The number of mail ballots returned for the upcoming Nov. 3 election in Stanislaus County is double the amount in 2016, said Donna Linder, county registrar of voters, who’s pleased with the early voting this year.

Modesto and Kansas experts offer Halloween advice

An online forum Wednesday featured expert advice on how to safely celebrate Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. One speaker was Dr. ChrisAnna Mink, a Modesto Bee health reporter. The other was Dr. Danielle Johnson, a clinical psychologist with the University of Kansas Health System. McClatchy newsrooms teamed up for the event.

Timely story from Modesto family wracked by suicide

Mitchell Brownlee was only 21 when the Modesto native took his own life in 2016. His family shared his story at a time when COVID-19 has added new stresses for vulnerable people.

MCS tweaks plan for K-6 reopening

With a few revisions, the Modesto City Schools Board of Education on Monday night approved submitting an updated waiver application to reopen elementary schools for in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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.

From around the state, nation and world

Vice President Mike Pence has been declared an “essential worker” and will continue on the campaign trail despite a coronavirus outbreak in his office, the White House says.

Worries over the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic around the world weighed heavily on global stock markets on Monday with just eight days to go until the U.S. election.

This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 6:25 AM.

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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