Coronavirus update, Dec. 18: Stanislaus deaths reach 499. Past two days brought 16
Latest facts on COVID-19 in Modesto area
Stanislaus County announced nine more deaths to the virus Thursday, for a total of 499 residents lost to the pandemic since spring.
Sixteen deaths have been reported over the past two days by the county Health Services Agency. It continues to report high hospital patient counts, amid scant progress on the key ICU indicator.
December has brought 71 deaths, following two months where the daily count usually was zero to three. Stanislaus had 102 deaths in September and 148 in August.
A stay-home order has been in place since Dec. 6 for Stanislaus and 11 other counties in the San Joaquin Valley Region. It was prompted by available ICU beds for adults falling below 15% of the total. That index was at 0.7% on Thursday, up from zero the day before.
The total number of COVID-confirmed hospitalized patients in the county’s five hospitals was at 331 on Thursday, up from 322 on Wednesday.
After 401 more reported cases Thursday afternoon, 28,667 residents have now tested positive, 268,091 have tested negative and 24,401 are presumed recovered.
The rolling 14-day positive rate was 15.31%, down from 15.5% the previous day. The seven-day rate was 15.46%, up from 14.96%.
The demographic breakdowns of the positive tests as of Thursday:
- 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 10,375 positive cases
- Turlock has 3,925
- Ceres has 3,080
- Patterson has 1,410
- Riverbank has 1,307
- Oakdale has 840
- Newman has 616
- Waterford has 327
- Hughson has 273
- Supervisorial District 3 has 1,502
- District 5 has 1,487
- District 2 has 1,226
- District 1 has 658
- District 4 has 187
- San Joaquin County has 556 COVID-19-related deaths among 34,641 cases.
- Merced County has 212 deaths among 15,601 cases
- Tuolumne County has 2,076 cases and 19 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 185 cases and four deaths.
As of Friday morning, there were 1,759,823 confirmed cases in California and 22,177 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 17,214,177 U.S. cases and 310,792 deaths.
Stanislaus vaccines could start Friday
Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Stanislaus County on Thursday morning with the possibility they could be administered as early as Friday to healthcare workers.
Modesto nurses say staffing ratios are ‘not safe’
Nurses at two Kaiser Permanente hospitals in the Northern San Joaquin Valley are protesting a state executive decision to allow more flexible nurse-to-patient ratios as medical centers struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.
Stanislaus County’s COVID death rate among worst
Stanislaus County has the third highest death rate per capita in California from the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statewide tracking system.
Harder: Get pandemic relief done
Our ICUs are filling up. 750,000 Californians are about to lose their only source of income as federal unemployment benefits dry up. My colleagues in Congress need to put their political games aside and get a COVID relief deal done.
Free money part of the RAD Card program
Everyone could use a little free money this time of year. And now the RAD Card is going to give Stanislaus County residents even more just in time for the holidays.
Live Q&A will feature Dr. Mink of The Bee
Join Modesto Bee editor Brian Clark and health reporter Dr. ChrisAnna Mink at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21, for a live Q&A about COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID keeps spreading at Stanislaus nursing facilities
Ongoing outbreaks pushed the number of COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents in Stanislaus County past new records this week.
Where will patients go for ICU care?
The number of staffed intensive care unit beds available in Stanislaus County fell to just four of the approximately 115 beds, or 4.6%, on Friday. The capacity of ICU beds in the San Joaquin Valley region, Stanislaus County’s next tier for medical resources, is also stretched to its limit, with only 4.5% of staffed beds available.
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.
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.
From around the state, nation and world
Federal prosecutors have charged four women in California’s ongoing unemployment fraud scheme, including a former Employment Development Department worker who allegedly filed 100 claims — one of them in the name of a sitting U.S. senator.
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is urging one of the nation’s most at-risk communities to have faith in the COVID-19 vaccine as it begins to roll out.
Taco Bell just announced some exciting menu news: Nacho Fries are coming back! The fan-favorite menu item is making its return to participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide starting Christmas Eve.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 5:21 AM.
