Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, Oct. 31: Stanislaus caseload remains worrisome. Hospital use up

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Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area

Halloween arrives with Stanislaus County still dealing with an unwelcome trend in COVID-19 cases.

The 58 cases added Friday marked yet another day in excess of the 40 that officials say is the limit for keeping the economic reopening on track.

Stanislaus is at risk of slipping back into the purple tier of the state’s reopening plan, the most restrictive. The county advanced to red earlier in October, easing rules on restaurants and other gathering places.

Hospital data could start to bring concern, too. The county’s five hospitals had 57 patients with confirmed cases Friday, up from 53 on Thursday and 43 on Wednesday. The number had hovered around 40 for much of October. The number of available adult intensive care beds was at 10 on Friday, down from 13 the day before.

Friday also brought news of the county’s 401st death to the pandemic, according to the Health Services Agency.

Stanislaus now has 17,872 residents who have tested positive, 103,319 who have tested negative and 17,112 who are presumed recovered.

Friday’s positive rate of 9.88% was up from 8.31% on Thursday. The rolling seven-day average was 7.57%, up from 7.27%. The 14-day average was 7.25%, up from 7.18%. The rate since data collection began in March was 14.7%, down from 14.8% on Thursday.

covid map 1027
covid map 1027

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

  • 54% are female
  • 46% male
  • 7% are 14 years or younger, up 1% from Friday.
  • 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 Saturday morning, there were 929,095 confirmed cases in California and 17,629 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 9,048,430 U.S. cases and 229,711 deaths.

Velvet Creamery, Tru-Fitness pay city fines

The owner of the Velvet Grill & Creamery has paid Modesto to settle the action the city brought against its two restaurants for serving customers indoors in violation of public health restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Some craft fairs will skip 2020

If your holiday traditions include browsing the craft fairs that normally take place in the region in November, options will be limited this year.

Former Modestan chides Dodgers player

To the dismay of myself, other healthcare professionals, and the community at large, Justin Turner, the Dodgers’ starting third baseman, acted with shortsightedness after learning that he tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the start of the eighth inning of Game 6 that night.

Modesto, Kansas experts offer Halloween advice

An online forum 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.

Vintage Faire tweaks Santa plans

Yes, Modesto, there will be a Santa Claus at the mall this year. But no, sorry, there will be no sitting on his lap.

Stanislaus risks backslide on rules

Stanislaus County barely made the cut Tuesday for staying in the coronavirus program’s red tier but residents will have to work hard to avoid a backslide to tighter state restrictions on local businesses.

Lodi gym owner loses shutdown lawsuit

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Joaquin County and Lodi officials that had been filed by the owner of three Sacramento-area gyms after officials ordered the shutdown of fitness centers last spring because of COVID-19.

Latest help for homeless totals $22.8 million

Providers that run emergency shelters, conduct homeless outreach and house homeless people in Stanislaus County and its cities are in line to receive nearly $22.8 million from the CARES Act, the federal stimulus designed to respond to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Youngest Turlock students return to campuses

Turlock Unified, the largest district in Stanislaus County so far to begin reopening TK-6 in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic under a waiver from the state, welcomed transitional kindergartners and kindergartners to school campuses Monday morning.

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.

From around the state, nation and world

When it comes to shopping, the coronavirus pandemic has apparently left a lasting effect on Americans, who now say they plan to keep a grocery stockpile into the future.

A high school student who tested positive for COVID-19 likely spread it to 116 others at a Wisconsin summer camp, health officials said Thursday.

A Washington business owner has been charged with wire fraud after he filed multiple applications with false information to get $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds, according to the United States Department of Justice.

This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 6:01 AM.

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John Holland
The Modesto Bee
John Holland covers agriculture, transportation and general assignment news. He has been with The Modesto Bee since 2000 and previously worked at newspapers in Sonora and Visalia. He was born and raised in San Francisco and has a journalism degree from UC Berkeley.
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