Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, Feb. 25: Stanislaus County surpasses 50,000 cases in less than year

Just 15 days short of one year since its first reported positive coronavirus case, Stanislaus County surpassed its 50,000th on Wednesday, according to data from the Health Service Agency.

The county reported 105 more positive test results, bringing to 50.,075 the number of cases since it announced its first on March. 11.

The county also reported four more deaths, which puts the number of reported fatalities at 941 since April.

On a positive note, the county’s health care facilities reported 96 patients with confirmed COVID-19 cases, the first time that number has dropped below 100 since Nov. 15. However, it’s available staffed adult intensive care unit beds fell from 16 to 10.

It took 44 days to get from 40,000 to 50,000 cases, just 14 days less than it took to get from 20,000 to 40,000 cases during the winter surge.

According to data released by the state, the county’s single-day positivity rate stood at 10.47%, up from the previous day of 6.93%. The 14-day rolling rate fell from 8.07% to 7.96%, a 3% decrease from the previous 14 days. The state’s positivity rate is at 3.2%, down by 2.1% from the previous 14 days.

Overall, while the county surpassed 50,000 positive tests, it has 444,013 negative test results and 48,059 people who are presumed recovered.

According to the Los Angeles Times COVID-19 tracker, Stanislaus County has the ninth highest rate of infection per 100,000 residents in the last week among the state’s 58 counties. Its rate of death also is 10th highest. Since the pandemic’s start, its infection rate remains 15th highest and the death rate fourth highest among all California counties.

As of Tuesday, the county remained in the highest widespread purple tier, along with 47 of the state’s counties. It had 20.8 adjusted positive cases per 100,000 residents. Nine counties are in the red, or second-highest-graded substantial tier, while two are in the orange, or “moderate” tier.

New tier assignments, closely watched by schools, high school athletic departments and restaurants, will be released on Tuesday by the state.

As of Wednesday, 77,310 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been allocated to Stanislaus County. This includes 36,135 doses to health care providers and 41,175 to public health.

The public clinic schedule for the rest of the week:

  • Thursday, Modesto: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 L St.
  • Friday, Oakdale: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Community Center, 450 East A St.
  • Friday, Patterson: First and second doses, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hammon Senior Center, 1033 West Las Palmas Ave.

More information is on the county dashboard at http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.

California has administered 7,872,193 vaccines as of Wednesday, up from 7,724,412 on Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 28th in the country, having administered 25,711 doses per 100,000 residents. Alaska ranks first, Texas 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
  • 8.3% 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 18,418 positive cases
  • Turlock has 6,765
  • Ceres has 5,115
  • Patterson has 2,418
  • Riverbank has 2,315
  • Oakdale has 1,617
  • Newman has 1,122
  • Waterford has 601
  • Hughson has 554
  • Supervisorial District 3 has 2,580
  • District 5 has 2,393
  • District 2 has 2,084
  • District 1 has 1,168
  • District 4 has 381

Here’s a look at the numbers from nearby counties through Wednesday:

As of Thursday morning, there were 3,545,090 confirmed cases in California and 50.972 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,336,566 U.S. cases and 505,899 deaths.

When is Stanislaus County headed to red?

The winter surge of COVID-19 illness has faded and trend lines suggest Stanislaus County will qualify sometime next month for a new tier with fewer restrictions on businesses and activities.

Stanislaus vaccine supply suddenly improves

Stanislaus County suddenly has a much larger allocation of coronavirus vaccine and is rolling out new efforts to get it into arms.

Modesto City Schools board OKs 7-12 reopening plan

At a special meeting Monday, the Modesto City Schools Board of Education approved a plan to open junior high and high schools on a hybrid learning schedule.

When will kids, teens get vaccines?

Children and teenagers fare better with coronavirus than adults, so they’re last in line to get the COVID vaccines. Here’s when kids, teens get their shots.

Are we ready for some football?

Local counties are moving the chains and inching closer to a touchdown with San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties showing major decreases in their weekly adjusted coronavirus case rate, which the state released on Tuesday.

Public vaccine clinics return after glitch

Stanislaus County will reopen public clinics for coronavirus vaccinations Tuesday after a one-day hiatus attributed to delayed shipment of vaccine.

‘Ghost kitchens’ help restaurants survive

Restaurant delivery is nothing new. But, thanks to the pandemic, these days the food you order in the Central Valley could be coming from a “ghost kitchen” instead of a regular restaurant.

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.

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 to get help for your small business

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 whistleblower who accused a COVID-19 testing lab she managed in California of improper work is being sued by the company for violating a confidentiality agreement.

California workers could get two more weeks of paid sick leave to care for themselves or their loved ones affected by COVID-19, under a proposal introduced by Democratic legislators this week.

Los Angeles County on Wednesday reported another 806 deaths from coronavirus during the winter surge, pushing California’s toll above 50,000, or about one-tenth of the U.S. total from the pandemic.

This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 5:35 AM.

Related Stories from Modesto Bee
Brian Clark
The Modesto Bee
Editor Brian Clark has worked at The Modesto Bee since 1990. He’s worked in various departments, including sports, news and on the digital side for a decade before being promoted to editor in 2018. He’s a native of Berkeley and a graduate of San Diego State University. Prior to The Bee, Brian worked at the Turlock Journal and Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER