Coronavirus update, Dec. 10: Stanislaus tops 25,000 cases. ICU capacity shrinks again
Latest facts on COVID-19 testing in Modesto area
Stanislaus County added 464 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and lost ground again on a key hospital indicator.
Four more residents died, raising the total to 454, the county Health Services Agency said.
The new cases brought the total to 25,271. The county also has 246,247 people who have tested negative and 21,782 who are presumed recovered.
A new stay-home order from the state took effect Sunday in Stanislaus and 11 other counties in the San Joaquin Valley Region. It was triggered when available intensive-care beds for adults dropped below 15% of the total.
That figure has continued to decline. It was 4.2% on Wednesday, compared with 5.6% on Tuesday and 6.3% on Monday.
Stanislaus County hospitals reported 254 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, including non-ICU beds, up from 247 on Tuesday. Six ICU beds were free, up from four.
The county’s single-day infection rate, according to the state dashboard, fell to 12.21%, down from 16.25% the day before.
The county’s 14-day rolling positivity rate fell slightly to 14.25% from 14.95%, according to the California Department of Public Health. The seven-date rate also dropped to 16.22%, down from 16.97%.
The demographic breakdowns of the positive tests 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 9,043 positive cases
- Turlock has 3,402
- Ceres has 2,747
- Patterson has 1,245
- Riverbank has 1,137
- Oakdale has 678
- Newman has 515
- Waterford has 302
- Hughson has 239
- Supervisorial District 5 has 1,352
- District 3 has 1,309
- District 2 has 1,063
- District 1 has 567
- District 4 has 161
- San Joaquin County has 532 COVID-19-related deaths among 30,579 cases.
- Merced County has 201 deaths among 14,058 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 1,458 cases and 15 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 167 cases and four deaths.
As of Thursday morning, there were 1,454,124 confirmed cases in California and 20,469 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 15,392,194 U.S. cases and 289,450 deaths.
Details on vaccine rollout in Stanislaus
Nearly 4,000 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to Stanislaus County, but don’t roll up your sleeves just yet. First in line are health care workers in acute care hospitals with the highest risk for exposure.
So what exactly has closed here?
While in many ways the order is similar to the one issued in March, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there are significant differences in Stanislaus and nearby counties.
Stan State and sister campuses eye fall 2021
Spurred by the approval of coronavirus vaccines, the 23-campus California State University is planning to return to mostly in-person learning by fall 2021, according to an announcement Wednesday from outgoing CSU Chancellor Timothy White.
High schools pause athletic conditioning
With Stanislaus County under a new stay-at-home order due to the spread of the coronavirus and available hospital ICUs falling under 15% capacity, the county’s health department has suspended athletic conditioning workouts for all high schools.
Tenth Street Place limits public again
Modesto has closed its offices to the public at Tenth Street Place, the city-county government center in downtown, because of the spike in COVID-19 and the governor’s recent stay-at-home order for the San Joaquin Valley.
Drive-thru flu vaccine clinics expand
Starting this week, Stanislaus County public health will host drive-thru flu vaccine clinics in Patterson and Ceres, and additional locations are slated in the coming weeks. All of the vaccines are free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Editorial: We know the stay-home drill
The current stay-home order will last a minimum of three weeks. If we refuse to follow proven safety protocols, the burdens borne by the sick, the dying and our businesses will extend beyond.
Area residents discuss need, impacts of lockdown
Stanislaus County residents talk about the need and devastating impacts of Gavin Newsom’s COVID lockdown after ICU bed availability falls to less than 15%.
How to help Stanislaus businesses survive holidays
Modesto and Stanislaus County restaurants and retailers suggest best ways to help them survive new COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home lockdown order.
What Modesto neighborhood has highest rate of cases?
The Modesto ZIP code 95351 has the highest rate of coronavirus cases in Stanislaus County, showing how the pandemic affects low-income and Latino communities. One family tells a heartbreaking story.
From around the state, nation and world
The Greater Sacramento region will be placed under the state’s strictest shutdown order Thursday night, just before midnight, state health officials said.
The White House on Tuesday offered a COVID-19 relief proposal that would include another round of stimulus checks — jumping back into lawmakers’ negotiations on an aid package.
Mrs. Claus was set to join Santa for Christmas photos at a Saturday event at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ stadium. But the holiday tradition has been canceled, as Mrs. Claus tested positive for COVID-19.
