Coronavirus update, Nov. 25: Stanislaus has highest daily case count since August
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County had its largest jump in new COVID-19 cases in three months, and another increase in hospitalized people.
The state reported 264 positive tests in the county Monday, the most since the 365 on Aug. 26. The latest figure was more the six times the average of 40 that would help bring about an easing of rules.
The county’s positivity rate was 14.04% on Monday, based on 1,880 tests. The rolling seven-day average was 11.13%. The 14-day average was 11.04%.
The state requires a positivity rate of under 8 percent to advance to the next less restrictive tier in its system.
Two more county residents have died of the virus, for a total of 420 as of Tuesday, the Health Services Agency announced.
The county has 20,932 people who have tested positive, 207,414 who tested negative and 18,894 who are presumed recovered.
A total of 164 people were hospitalized Tuesday with confirmed cases of the virus, up from 152 the day before. The number was around 40 for much of early fall. Thirteen intensive care beds for adults were available Tuesday, up from six.
The demographic breakdowns of the positive tests as of Tuesday:
- 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 7,400 positive cases
- Turlock has 2,831
- Ceres has 2,309
- Patterson has 1,073
- Riverbank has 961
- Oakdale has 478
- Newman has 404
- Waterford has 275
- Hughson has 196
- Supervisorial District 5 has 1,205
- District 3 has 1,123
- District 2 has 904
- District 1 has 440
- District 4 has 141
In other nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 504 COVID-19-related deaths among 25,237 cases.
- Merced County has 179 deaths among 11,460 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 873 cases and eight deaths.
- Mariposa County has 120 cases and two deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 1,149.616 confirmed cases in California and 18,883 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 12,598,660 U.S. cases and 259,976 deaths.
Cases surge, vaccine looms
As COVID-19 cases shoot higher, Stanislaus County leaders don’t have many answers for bringing the surge under control. But local health officials are scrambling to prepare for a mid-December arrival of coronavirus vaccine for front line health workers.
Stanislaus jail has ‘minor’ outbreak
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is reporting a “minor” coronavirus outbreak in its jail system. The outbreak was discovered Nov. 16 during screening required for inmates being sent to state prison.
MJC Turkey Trot goes virtual
The Turkey Trot and Gobbler Walk, which supports Modesto Junior College’s cross country and track and field programs, has gone virtual because of the pandemic.
Job creation could stall in winter
Unemployment in Stanislaus County continued to fall in October, but increased coronavirus restrictions could again cause a temporary rise in the jobless numbers as winter approaches.
How has on-campus learning gone in Oakdale?
The past five weeks in Oakdale have reinforced what most educators and families already agree upon: Distance learning doesn’t come close to in-person instruction, and there’s no 100% safe way to have children and adults on campuses.
How to stay safe on Thanksgiving
With small gatherings of friends and families fueling the autumn surge, public health officials have strongly encouraged everyone to rethink, and ideally avoid, large gatherings for Thanksgiving. Local leaders are planning big changes to how they are celebrating this year.
Black Friday will look different this year
Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, will look a lot different in 2020 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Christmas events, pandemic-style
Several communities and groups still plan to bring some holiday spirit to the region at the end of what’s been a festive-challenged year.
Pandemic aggravates eating disorders
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
The annual tradition of The Salvation Army and Modesto Gospel Mission serving sit-down meals with all the trimmings over Thanksgiving and Christmas to thousands of men, women and children won’t happen this year because of the new coronavirus pandemic, and efforts to adapt have proved difficult.
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.
From around the state, nation and world
Economists have signed an open letter urging lawmakers to pass another coronavirus relief package to provide direct payments to Americans and businesses that are struggling during the pandemic.
A vaccine for COVID-19 doesn’t come without side effects. Most people who have participated in clinical trials report fevers, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and soreness around injection sites.
The biggest rubber glove maker in the world said it was shutting down some of its factories after a coronavirus outbreak among its workers.
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 5:38 AM.
