Coronavirus update, Feb. 28: Stanislaus County monthly infection rate best since October
Stanislaus County’s February coronavirus infection rate will likely wind up below 9%, its lowest mark since October after three straight months in double digits.
Data from the state website shows the county with an 8.86% infection rate as we head to March with a more hopeful outlook thanks to the lower rate of spread and the start of vaccinations.
The infection rate in January was 16.97%, December was 15.3% and November 10.37%.
There were zero deaths tied to COVID-19 reported for the first time in the county on a Saturday since November, leaving the total at 946, according to the Health Services Agency.
The county did report 97 more positive tests, bringing that overall total to 50,401 since the first was recorded nearly a year ago. Stanislaus also has 451,299 negative test results and 48,428 people who are presumed recovered.
The county’s five hospitals had 96 patients with confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, down from 107 on Friday. That was the third time in the last four days that total fell below 100. There were 12 staffed intensive care unite beds available for adults Saturday, down from 13 on Friday.
According to data released by the state, the county’s single-day positivity rate was 5.7%, down from 8.43% the previous day. The seven-day rolling rate was 7.32%, down from 7.66%. The 14-day rate was 7.43%, down from 7.81%. The state’s positivity rate was 2.8%, down by 1.7% from the previous 14 days.
According to the Los Angeles Times COVID-19 tracker, Stanislaus County has the 10th highest rate of infection per 100,000 residents in the last week among the state’s 58 counties. Its rate of death also is 20th highest. Since the pandemic’s start, its infection rate remains 15th highest and the death rate fourth highest among all California counties.
The county is in the highest widespread purple tier, along with 47 of the state’s counties. It has a 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. None are in yellow, the tier designating counties with minimal spread and allowing those counties to fully open most indoor businesses, including restaurants.
New tier assignments, closely watched by schools, high school athletic departments and restaurants, will be released on Tuesday by the state.
As of Saturday, 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 upcoming week:
- Wednesday, Turlock: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Geer Road entrance to California State University, Stanislaus
- Thursday, Modesto: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 L St.
- Thursday, Oakdale: Second dose of Moderna, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Community Center, 450 East A St.
- Friday, Oakdale: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lemmons Center
- Friday, Patterson: First and second doses, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Hammon Senior Center, 1033 West Las Palmas Ave.
- Saturday, Turlock: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Geer Road entrance to Stan State
More information is on the county dashboard at http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.
California has administered 8,562,171 vaccines as of Saturday, up from 8,310,945 on Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 32nd in the country, having administered 27,965 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 Saturday:
- 53.6% are female
- 46.4% male
- 8.3% are 14 years or younger
- 16.4% are ages 15 to 24
- 19.3% 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 18,575 positive cases
- Turlock has 6,836
- Ceres has 5,154
- Patterson has 2,472
- Riverbank has 2,341
- Oakdale has 1,642
- Newman has 1,139
- Waterford has 610
- Hughson has 554
- Supervisorial District 3 has 2,608
- District 5 has 2,404
- District 2 has 2,101
- District 1 has 1,178
- District 4 has 385
Here’s a look at the numbers from nearby counties through Saturday:
- San Joaquin County has 1,101 COVID-19-related deaths among 66,709 cases.
- Merced County has 397 deaths among 28,971 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 3,950 cases and 59 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 395 cases and seven deaths.
As of Sunday morning, there were 3,563,578 confirmed cases in California and 51,953 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,554,938 U.S. cases and 511,999 deaths.
Modesto-area landlords getting $36M in federal funding
Modesto-area landlords whose tenants are behind in the rent due to a pandemic-related economic hardship can get help through $36M in federal stimulus money.
Here’s the latest on vaccines in Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County will hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics from Wednesday to Saturday next week as it stretches a finite supply of vaccine to eligible residents.
Single-dose vaccine moves ahead
On Friday, Johnson & Johnson received the go-ahead for Emergency Use Authorization for their single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults 18 and older from an advisory panel to the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Sheriff seeks vaccines for school, ag workers
Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse made a plea to the state for larger allocations of coronavirus vaccine. The supply is still short as agricultural workers are now eligible for inoculations and school staff need protection, the sheriff wrote.
Some CVS stores have fresh vaccines
CVS Pharmacies in California are making a fresh supply of coronavirus vaccine available for eligible residents, including select stores in Modesto and Merced.
The latest on Sylvan Union schools
The Sylvan Union School District Board of Education received an update Tuesday night on efforts to bring fourth- through eighth-grade students back to campuses for in-person learning.
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.
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.
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.
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
New reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have some worrying findings for people itching to go back to the gym amid the coronavirus pandemic — especially if proper precautions to slow transmission aren’t taken.
Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a COVID-19 update Friday at a vaccine clinic in Fresno, where he addressed initiatives aimed at serving the hardest-hit and most at-risk communities in the Central Valley.
New preliminary data adds real-world evidence that coronavirus vaccines can reduce severe COVID-19 cases on a national scale, according to a report released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published February 28, 2021 at 6:07 AM.
