Coronavirus update, Jan. 1: Stanislaus ends 2020 with 616 deaths, strained hospitals
Latest facts on COVID-19 in Modesto area
Stanislaus County ended 2020 with eight more deaths to the virus, for a total of 616, and continued stress on its hospitals.
December was by far the worst month, with 188 deaths announced by the Health Services Agency. August was second with 152 residents lost to the pandemic.
The county’s five hospitals had 315 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, down from 323 on Wednesday and the lowest since Dec. 20, which also was at 315. It was the fourth straight decline but still about 100 more patients than during the summer surge.
A stay-at-home order took effect Dec. 6 because of tight ICU space in Stanislaus and 11 other counties in the San Joaquin Valley Region. It was triggered when available staffed ICU beds for adults fell below 15% of the total. The index has been at zero for 14 straight days, and the order could last through January.
The county reported 324 new cases Thursday, for a total of 34,465. Stanislaus also has 305,698 negative test results and 30,383 people who are presumed recovered from the virus.
The 14-day positive rate was at 14.67% and the seven-day rate at 12.91%. The infection rate in December when the final day is tabulated by the state on Friday will likely be at or a little above 15%. November’s rate was 10.37%.
Information regarding vaccinations in Stanislaus County is on the county dashboard at schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.
The demographic breakdowns of the positive tests in Stanislaus County as of Thursday:
- 53.9% are female
- 46.1% male
- 7.5% are 14 years or younger
- 16.1% are ages 15 to 24
- 19.7% are 25 to 34,
- 17.6% are 35 to 44,
- 15.1% are 45 to 54
- 12% are 55 to 64
- 6.5% are 65 to 74
- 3.5% are 75 to 84
- 2% are 85 or older.
- Though they make up 47 percent of the population, Latinos represented 63.7 percent of the positive cases.
Geographically:
- Modesto has 12,408 positive cases
- Turlock has 4,716
- Ceres has 3,698
- Patterson has 1,691
- Riverbank has 1,541
- Oakdale has 1,035
- Newman has 749
- Waterford has 390
- Hughson has 329
- Supervisorial District 3 has 1,777
- District 5 has 1,689
- District 2 has 1,450
- District 1 has 767
- District 4 has 235
- San Joaquin County has 651 COVID-19-related deaths among 45,583 cases.
- Merced County has 260 deaths among 19,444 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 2,962 cases and 21 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 252 cases and four deaths.
As of Thursday evening, there were 2,297,039 confirmed cases in California and 25,986 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 19,975,978 U.S. cases and 345,844 deaths.
Vaccine allotment nears 15,000
Almost 15,000 vaccine doses have now been allocated to Stanislaus County, pushing forward an effort to vaccinate health care workers nd other priority groups against COVID-19.
Staying safe on an odd New Year’s weekend
Modesto police want residents to ring in the new year safely, but officers’ efforts Thursday night and into the holiday weekend will be focused primarily on impaired drivers and armed revelers, not shutting down celebratory gatherings.
Stay-home order isn’t going anywhere soon
Stanislaus County and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley region remains under a state stay-home order designed to slow a winter surge of the coronavirus pandemic.
Modesto bus drivers, staff contract COVID-19
Modesto Area Express buses are making fewer trips after about a dozen of its employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to the city.
State Theatre saves some money
If you drive past Modesto’s State Theatre and see its marquee has gone dark, worry not — the lights will shine again. The marquee went off Friday, according to executive director Kirstie Boyett, to save money while the theater is closed.
Health officer has year-end message
This week we mark the end of 2020. This has been a truly difficult year with the pandemic taking an enormous toll. There has been great loss of life; one of every 1,000 Stanislaus County residents has lost their life to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These Modesto, Stanislaus businesses defied odds
These are the restaurants, retailers and other businesses opened in Stanislaus County in 2020 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Nursing homes in Stanislaus County to get vaccine
CVS Pharmacy is beginning a vaccine rollout starting, bringing coronavirus vaccinations to residents and staff members in nursing homes in Stanislaus County.
Opera Modesto has online plans
Opera Modesto plans a slate of Festival @ Home productions through the summer of 2021. The on-demand online shows will run for eight months, beginning with “Mansfield Park,” from a January production at the State Theatre.
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.
From around the state, nation and world
Following a 193-person COVID-19 outbreak at the Cherry Avenue Foster Farms poultry plant in south Fresno earlier this month, a worker recently died from complications related to the virus.
Every 10 minutes, someone in Los Angeles County dies from COVID-19, LA Public Health said. Each person who dies is someone with a story, not just a number — and a chilling social media campaign is highlighting that.
A Sacramento-area megachurch with a long history of brazenly flouting the state’s COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic appears to be going forward with a New Year’s Eve wedding ceremony for the lead pastor’s daughter
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 6:07 AM.
