Coronavirus update, Nov. 30: Hospitalizations on the rise in Stanislaus County
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Hospital use for COVID-19 cases again rose in Stanislaus County, which reported 129 new positive tests on Sunday.
The state reported that the county’s positivity rate stood at 21.06% on Sunday, based on 1,847 tests. The high daily rate came as the state reported 389 positive tests for the county; that daily rate is likely a two-day total as the day before the state reported a decline in cases for Stanislaus, by one. The cause is likely a lag in updating records. The rolling seven-day average was 11.64%. The 14-day average was 11.43%.
The state requires a positivity rate of under 8 percent to advance to the next less restrictive tier in its system.
No additional deaths were reported locally in the last day. A total of 424 Stanislaus residents have died from the virus, the county Health Services Agency announced.
The county has 21,714 people who have tested positive, 223,703 who tested negative and 19,549 who are presumed recovered.
A total of 182 people were hospitalized Sunday with confirmed cases of the virus, up from 179 the day before. The number was around 40 for much of early fall but has risen on most November days. Six intensive care beds for adults were available Sunday, the same as the day before.
The demographic breakdowns of the positive tests as of Friday:
- 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 7,562 positive cases
- Turlock has 2,879
- Ceres has 2,348
- Patterson has 1,093
- Riverbank has 987
- Oakdale has 496
- Newman has 413
- Waterford has 280
- Hughson has 200
- Supervisorial District 5 has 1,216
- District 3 has 1,139
- District 2 has 913
- District 1 has 451
- District 4 has 142
In other nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 502 COVID-19-related deaths among 25,675 cases.
- Merced County has 179 deaths among 11,537 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 981 cases and eight deaths.
- Mariposa County has 128 cases and two deaths.
San Joaquin and Merced counties have not updated since Wednesday.
As of Monday morning, there were 1,216,784 confirmed cases in California and 19,152 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 13,386,251 U.S. cases and 266,887 deaths.
Modesto family loses parents hours apart.
Two weeks ago, on Friday the 13th, Ed Pugh of Ceres — suffering with COVID-19 in a Modesto hospital — took his last tortured breath. Sixteen hours later, so did his wife, Retta. Both were 61.
Learning hubs help students struggling most
Students who were struggling with distance learning are finding success in returning to school in small groups. Modesto City Schools set up learning hubs at both elementary and secondary sites, to serve the district’s most at-risk students, including homeless and foster youth.
Vintage Faire isn’t quite itself
It was a subdued Black Friday this year, with the coronavirus pandemic keeping many shoppers home across the nation. It looked to be a similar situation at Vintage Faire Mall on Friday
Modesto doctor: Virus really does kill
She looks at the box of dead people on her desk. It is almost full. Whenever she hears someone say that COVID-19 is not dangerous, that masks are not necessary, or that most people don’t die, she wants to invite them to visit her box of dead people.
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.
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.
From around the state, nation and world
A Salem, Oregon, nurse has been placed on leave following a social media uproar over a TikTok video mocking COVID-19 precautions, hospital officials say.
The recent resurgence of coronavirus cases is causing stress to nurses who care for them. “It’s paralyzing, I’m not going to lie,” said Christina Nester, who’s worked at a Worcester. Mass. hospital for nearly two decades. “My little clan of nurses that I work with, we panicked when it started to uptick here.”
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday that the U.S. may see “surge upon a surge” of the coronavirus in the weeks after Thanksgiving, and he does not expect current recommendations around social distancing to be relaxed before Christmas.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 5:52 AM.
