Coronavirus update, March 1: Death, infection rates, hospitalizations continue to fall
Death rates, infection rates and hospitalizations tied to COVID-19 continue to decline in Stanislaus County, according to data released on Sunday.
The county, which has the fourth highest death rate per 100,000 residents in the state, reported zero deaths for the second straight day on Sunday and have announced just two since Thursday.
The number of patients with confirmed cases in the five county hospitals dropped to 88, the first time below 90 since mid-November, according to the Health Services Agency.
And Sunday’s positivity rate of 5.48% helped its seven-day rolling rate fall to 6.54% and its 14-day rate to 7.38%, a 2.1% decline over the previous two weeks, bettering the state’s downturn of 1.6%.
The county remains hopeful that it will move from the purple tier, the most restrictive in the state’s grading system, to red when its weekly numbers are updated on Tuesday.
The county reported Sunday that its cases per 100,000, with a seven-day lag, fell to 15.3. The state announced more youth sports can start if the per 100,000 count falls below 14.
However, the origin of the state’s number is unclear.
Last Tuesday, the state announced Stanislaus County had an adjusted case rate of 20.6 per 100,000 while the county dashboard on the same day showed 19.9.
Nevertheless, the recent pattern of key COVID-19 figures mirrors the declining statewide numbers.
The county did report 93 more positive tests, bringing that overall total to 50,494 since the first was recorded nearly a year ago. Stanislaus also has 452,866 negative test results and 48,520 people who are presumed recovered.
Total overall deaths remained at 946. In the last week, there were 15 reported deaths. The previous seven days, 27 had been reported.
The county’s five hospitals had 88 patients with confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, down from 96 on Saturday. There were nine staffed intensive care unit beds available for adults on Sunday, down from 12 on Saturday.
According to data released by the state, the county’s single-day positivity rate of 5.48% was down from 5.7% the previous day. The seven-day rolling rate was 6.54%, down from 7.32%. The 14-day rate was 7.38%, down from 7.43%. The state’s positivity rate was 2.7%.
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 18th 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. 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.
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 8,816,425 vaccines to those 18-and-older as of Sunday, up from 8,562,171 on Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 34th in the country, having administered 28,796 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
- 8.3% 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 18,609 positive cases
- Turlock has 6,850
- Ceres has 5,181
- Patterson has 2,472
- Riverbank has 2,343
- Oakdale has 1,646
- Newman has 1,141
- Waterford has 610
- Hughson has 552
- Supervisorial District 3 has 2,616
- District 5 has 2,404
- District 2 has 2,108
- District 1 has 1,183
- District 4 has 386
Here’s a look at the numbers from nearby counties through Sunday:
- 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 Monday morning, there were 3,566,914 confirmed cases in California and 52,158 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,606,187 U.S. cases and 513,092 deaths.
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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
California farmworkers lined up for the coronavirus vaccine at a mobile clinic that organizers hope will be a model for outreach to a community that’s been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
Germans flocked to the salons Monday as hairdressers across the country reopened after a 2½-month closure, another cautious step toward normality as Germany balances a desire to loosen restrictions with concerns about more contagious virus variants.
Across Africa and Southeast Asia, governments and aid groups, as well as the World Health Organization, are calling on pharmaceutical companies to share their patent information more broadly to meet a yawning global shortfall in a pandemic that already has claimed over 2.5 million lives.
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 5:44 AM.
