Coronavirus update, Feb. 22: Stanislaus County numbers continue in a positive trend
Stanislaus County’s coronavirus numbers continued to improve in key factors on Sunday.
Hospitalizations, the number of cases reported and the 14-day positivity rate all fell while the number of available staffed adult intensive care unit beds reached double figures.
There were no reported deaths, although that has appeared to be a trend for Sundays the last two months, .
Nevertheless, the tapering off is mirroring of what’s occurred across the country since early February.
The county reported just 94 new cases on Sunday, raising the total to 49,739. Stanislaus also has 439,260 negative test results and 47,471 people who are presumed recovered.
The single-day positivity rate was 10.89%, up from the previous day’s 7.95%, according to state data. The seven-day rolling rate was 8.23%, up from 7.93%. The 14-day rate was 8.33%, down from 8.7%.
The county’s five hospitals reported 103 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases Sunday, down from 120 on Saturday. The count was well over 300 at the worst of the winter surge in early January. The number of staffed adult ICU beds Sunday afternoon was at 13, up from seven on Saturday.
According to the Los Angeles Times COVID-19 tracker, Stanislaus County has the eight-highest rate of infection per 100,000 residents in the last week among the state’s 58 counties. Its rate of death if 12th highest. Since the pandemic’s start, its infection rate is 15th highest and death rate fourth highest.
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 Saturday, 77,310 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been allocated to Stanislaus County, unchanged from Friday after the county announced weather issues in Texas and the east had stalled allocations. This includes 36,135 doses to health care providers and 41,175 to public health.
Due to vaccine shortages, Stanislaus County clinics will be closed until further notice, according to a message late Friday afternoon on the agency’s Facebook Page. More information is on the county dashboard at http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.
California has administered 7,453,468 vaccines as of Sunday, up from 7,201,713 on Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 30th in the country, having administered 18,864 doses per 100,000 residents. Alaska ranks first, Alabama 50th among the states.
Here are the demographic breakdowns of the positive tests in Stanislaus County as of Sunday:
- 53.6% are female
- 46.4% male
- 8.2% are 14 years or younger
- 16.4% are ages 15 to 24
- 19.4% are 25 to 34
- 17.2% are 35 to 44
- 14.9% are 45 to 54
- 12% 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 18,308 positive cases
- Turlock has 6,723
- Ceres has 5,098
- Patterson has 2,410
- Riverbank has 2,305
- Oakdale has 1,608
- Newman has 1,116
- Waterford has 598
- Hughson has 546
- Supervisorial District 3 has 2,572
- District 5 has 2,380
- District 2 has 2,078
- District 1 has 1,160
- District 4 has 378
Here’s a look at the numbers from nearby counties:
- San Joaquin County has 1,026 COVID-19-related deaths among 65,891 cases.
- Merced County has 388 deaths among 28,489 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 3,870 cases and 56 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 389 cases and seven deaths.
As of Monday morning, there were 3,531,806 confirmed cases in California and 49,345 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,134,803 U.S. cases and 498,901 deaths.
Stanislaus County education officials upset
A state announcement Friday allowing more sports to resume while tougher COVID-19 restrictions still keep seventh- through 12th-grade schools largely shut has frustrated Stanislaus County health and education officials.
Cold weather elsewhere slows vaccines here
A continued shortage of COVID vaccine went from bad to worse Friday as Stanislaus County postponed additional community vaccine clinics until further notice.
The latest on high school football
High school football took a huge step in returning to California on Friday as the state’s Department of Public Health released new guidelines. Unfortunately, Stanislaus County doesn’t meet this criteria.
What you need to know about vaccines, COVID-19
The Modesto Bee’s ChrisAnna Mink, our children’s health reporter who also is a doctor in Southern California, was the guest on a podcast hosted by Jeffrey Lewis, CEO of the Turlock-based Legacy Health Endowment. Mink shared great updated information on all things COVID-19. If you have a few minutes, it’s worth a listen. Click here.
Girl Scout cookies have landed. How they’ll be sold this year
Girl Scout cookie season could not escape the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the biggest impact was that cookie booths shut down a week earlier than scheduled. But for this year, Girl Scouts of the USA has adapted its sales methods to keep girls and their families and customers safe while still serving up their iconic snacks.
How you might be eligible for more stimulus money
Did your income drop in 2020? Have a baby? You could be eligible for more economic stimulus money from Washington – quickly.
How to get help for your small business in Stanislaus County
As business struggle to stay afloat, local groups like the Valley Sierra Small Business Development Center and Stanislaus County Workforce Development are helping guide small business owners through the variety of federal and state programs available at no cost.
From around the state, nation and world
A San Diego Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday that will allow students in San Diego County to play youth sports freely, even after a recent decision from Gov. Gavin Newsom to open up the possibility for outdoor sports in less-infectious areas.
Just one year ago, America had no idea. Precisely a year later, America is hurtling toward a horrifying milestone of 500,000 deaths from COVID-19.
There’s growing evidence that vaccines not only save lives, but can stop or greatly slow spread of the COVID-19 virus — portending a day when we can see each other’s faces again. But because the findings are not yet conclusive, the impact of vaccines on viral transmission remains one of the biggest issues affecting the shape of a post-pandemic world.