Coronavirus update, Feb. 3: More deaths in Stanislaus; Turlock vaccination site open
Stanislaus County announced eight more deaths to COVID-19 on Tuesday but a nearly two-month low in hospital cases.
The deaths total 842 residents since the first one last April, the county Health Services Agency said. January was the worst month, with 212 deaths.
The 197 cases added Tuesday brought the county’s total to 46,465. Stanislaus also has 393,613 negative test results and 43,093 people who are presumed recovered from the virus.
The county’s five hospitals had 222 confirmed COVID-19 patients Tuesday, down from 227 on Monday. The count has not been that low since the 215 on Dec. 7 and is about 120 fewer than early January. Available ICU beds for adults rose to five from two.
The seven-day rolling positivity rate was 13.25%, down from 14.66%. The 14-day rate was 13.78%, up slightly from 13.75%.
Over the last seven days, Stanislaus County’s infection rate per 100,000 residents ranks 21st highest among the state’s 58 counties and rate of death is 17th, according to the Los Angeles Times COVID-19 tracker. Its overall death rate per 100,000 residents remains fourth in the state. Its infection rate per 100,000 residents is 16th.
A long-term projection of easing ICU capacity prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 25 to lift the stay-home order in the 12-county San Joaquin Valley Region. Stanislaus remains in the purple tier, the most restrictive for business and gatherings.
As of Tuesday, 41,200 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been allocated to Stanislaus County, unchanged for several days. This includes 19,660 doses to health care providers and 21,540 to public health. The numbers do not include federal allocations to staff and residents at nursing care facilities and some provided directly to hospital systems.
One of the four Stanislaus County vaccination centers will open today – Stanislaus State University in Turlock at 1 University Circle from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. On Thursday, only the site in Oakdale – The Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Community Center at 450 E. A Street – will be open Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
On Friday, just two sites will be open – in Modesto at Modesto Centre Plaza at 1000 L Street and in Patterson at Creekside Middle School at 535 Peregrine Drive. Both are open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Modesto Centre Plaza site is only for second doses. The others are only for first doses.
Information regarding vaccinations in Stanislaus County is on the county dashboard at http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.
California has administered 3,543,817 as of Tuesday, up from 3,453,284 doses on Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 36th in the country, having administered 8,969 doses per 100,000 residents. Alaska ranks first, Idaho 50th among the states.
Here are the demographic breakdowns of the positive tests in Stanislaus County as of Tuesday:
- 53.6% are female
- 46.4% male
- 8% are 14 years or younger
- 16.4% are ages 15 to 24
- 19.5% are 25 to 34
- 17.3% are 35 to 44
- 14.9% are 45 to 54
- 11.9% are 55 to 64
- 6.6% are 65 to 74
- 3.4% are 75 to 84
- 1.9% 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 17,051 positive cases
- Turlock has 6,206
- Ceres has 4,851
- Patterson has 2,305
- Riverbank has 2,109
- Oakdale has 1,444
- Newman has 1,057
- Waterford has 541
- Hughson has 502
- Supervisorial District 3 has 2,420
- District 5 has 2,245
- District 2 has 1,917
- District 1 has 1,075
- District 4 has 339
- San Joaquin County has 871 COVID-19-related deaths among 62,737 cases.
- Merced County has 357 deaths among 26,801 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 3,615 cases and 49 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 371 cases and five deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 3,355,781 confirmed cases in California and 41,902 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 26,436,594 U.S. cases and 446,901 deaths.
Some schools balk at reopening money
The deadline has arrived for school districts to apply for the $2 billion in grants Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to set aside to help them safely return to in-person instruction. In Stanislaus County, though, not all districts are pursuing the funding, and even among some that are, there’s caution.
Vaccine distribution plan raises concerns
Stanislaus County officials are wary of a new state strategy for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in California and how it could change deployment of vaccines needed to battle the pandemic.
Modesto bus company preserves 400 jobs
Storer Coachways of Modesto had to cut about 400 of its employees when COVID-19 idled the tour bus business last spring. No problem. They are back at work in mobile testing and vaccinations against this very same virus.
How to cure Stanislaus’ ailing economy
Stanislaus County’s successful economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on meeting vaccination and economic goals in the first few months of the year, according to a study from California State University, Stanislaus.
Denair arms parents with mental health resources
Denair Unified School District is piloting a program of teaching parents how to recognize and support mental health issues for their children, using videoconferencing with Dr. Neha Chaudhary, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University.
MJC might play football after all
A month after the school opted out of a football season, Modesto Junior College football coach Rusty Stivers wants his team back on the field.
Stapley: Why we reported on rule-breaking eatery
Some people were surprised — and a little disturbed — to see a recent Modesto Bee “Business Beat” column featuring a new restaurant serving diners indoor and out, in clear violation of then-COVID public safety rules (as of Monday, it’s OK to dine outdoors).
High school sports take key step
In a big step to allow all high school athletes to have a chance to play sports this school year, the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section voted 47-10 in a Board of Managers Meeting to allow each league to create its own sports schedule for the rest of the year.
Stanislaus is ‘not out in the clear’
Stanislaus County’s health officer said Tuesday the county continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, even though the state lifted a regional stay-home order Monday.
From around the state, nation and world
Foster Farms launched the first large scale effort to vaccinate employees at a major food processing facility in Fresno County on Tuesday at their South Cherry Avenue plant.
President Joe Biden’s administration encouraged people living in the country illegally to get the coronavirus vaccine when it’s available to them and that it will not hold enforcement activities at vaccination sites.
Kelsey Townsend of Wisconsin gave birth to her daughter Lucy while a coma due to COVID-19. She met her daughter nearly three months later.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 5:56 AM.
