Coronavirus update, Nov. 20: Hospital use, new cases keep rising in Stanislaus
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
New COVID-19 cases continued to pile up and hospital use grew as Stanislaus County spent another day under tighter rules.
The state reported 143 positive tests on Wednesday in the county, up from 133 on Tuesday. The numbers should average 40 or less if Stanislaus is to see an easing of rules on business and gatherings.
The positive rate was 12.69% for Wednesday, based on 1,126 tests. The rolling seven-day average was 11.58%, up from 11.05% a day before. The 14-day average was 9.72%, up from 9.13%.
The county’s five hospitals had 114 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 108 on Wednesday. The figure has roughly doubled over two weeks and tripled since early fall. The number of available intensive care beds for adults remained at nine.
The county Health Services Agency announced two deaths to the virus Thursday for a total of 415. It reported that 19,802 residents have tested positive – including the 144 new cases the county reported Thursday afternoon – 113,623 have tested negative, and 18,273 are presumed recovered.
The county did not update its demographic breakdowns of the positive tests Thursday. The figures as of Wednesday:
- 54% are female
- 46% male
- 8% are 14 years or younger
- 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 7,322 positive cases
- Turlock has 2,795
- Ceres has 2,395
- Patterson has 1,033
- Riverbank has 969
- Oakdale has 500
- Newman has 397
- Waterford has 295
- Hughson has 206
- Supervisorial District 5 has 1,244
- District 3 has 1,106
- District 2 has 931
- District 1 has 439
- District 4 has 154
ZIP Codes (highest per 10,000 residents):
- 95351 (west/south Modesto)
95307 (Ceres)
95328 (Keyes).
- 95358 (west Stanislaus County)
- 95363 (Patterson)
In other nearby counties as of Thursday:
- San Joaquin County has 504 COVID-19-related deaths among 24,450 cases.
- Merced County has 175 deaths among 10,884 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 675 cases and eight deaths.
- Mariposa County has 93 cases and two deaths.
As of Thursday evening, there were 1,076,856 confirmed cases in California and 18,544 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 11,689,545 U.S. cases and 252,290 deaths.
Curfew starts Saturday night
A state-imposed curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. will go into effect Saturday night in Stanislaus County and run through Dec. 21, as state health officials try to curb spiking coronavirus infections.
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Isolation at home and the stress of the coronavirus pandemic evidently is driving a large number of referrals for people seeking help for eating disorders.
Salvation Army, others will skip sit-down meals
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Businesses pivot again on rules
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Residents to blame for move to purple
Blame Gov. Gavin Newsom all you want, but he didn’t shove Stanislaus County back to the state’s most restrictive COVID-19 purple tier. We did, says The Bee’s Editorial Board.
Dining goes outside once again
Stanislaus County restaurants are going through a horrifying “Groundhog Day” of a year. Opened inside at the start of the year, closed inside in March, opened inside in May, closed inside in July, opened inside in October and now closed inside once more in November.
How Stanislaus will enforce new rules
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How Modesto office space adapts to COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the nature of office work in Modesto and other cities in the Central Valley of California. How can businesses adapt?
From around the state, nation and world
President-elect Joe Biden is hopeful that Congress can pass coronavirus relief legislation once President Donald Trump leaves office.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, offered reassurance Thursday on the safety and science behind two leading COVID-19 vaccines.
Tyson Foods plant managers placed bets on how many workers would contract COVID-19 at an Iowa facility where employees have died in the pandemic, a lawsuit says.
