Coronavirus update, March 4: Stanislaus hospital cases turn back down. Deaths at 953
Stanislaus County reported three more deaths to COVID-19 on Wednesday and a drop in hospital cases.
A total of 953 residents have died since the pandemic emerged last spring, the Health Services Agency said.
Stanislaus added 88 positive tests Wednesday, for a total of 50,727. The county also has 456,874 negative test results and 48,905 people who are presumed recovered.
The county’s five hospitals had 83 patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, down from 91 on Tuesday. The count had been well over 300 in early January. There were 17 staffed intensive care unit beds available for adults on Wednesday, up from 12 on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s positivity rate of 7.47% put the county’s seven-day rolling rate at 6.39% and its 14-day rate at 7.23%. This last figure was a 1.8% decline over the previous two weeks, bettering the state’s downturn of 1.3% over that same time frame.
According to the Los Angeles Times COVID-19 tracker, Stanislaus County has the seventh highest rate of infection per 100,000 residents in the last week among the state’s 58 counties. Its rate of death also is 31st highest. Since the pandemic’s start, its infection rate remains 15th highest and the death rate fourth highest among all California counties.
Stanislaus remains in the purple tier, meaning the virus is “widespread,” following the state’s reassessment of conditions Tuesday. It seeks to reach red, orange and finally yellow, with few limits on business and gatherings.
As of Wednesday, 91,800 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been allocated to Stanislaus County. This includes 43,335 doses to health care providers and 48,465 to public health.
The public clinic schedule for the remainder of this week:
- 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 9,731,169 vaccines as of Wednesday, up from 9,497,125 on Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 26th in the country, having administered 24,628 doses per 100,000 residents. Alaska ranks first, Georgia 50th among the states.
It’s important to note that if you’ve had part or full vaccination, wearing a mask and keeping with all the safety precautions like social distancing is still recommended by the Centers for Disease for Control and Prevention. Also, those who have had COVID-19 still need to be vaccinated.
Here are the demographic breakdowns of the positive tests in Stanislaus County as of Wednesday:
- 53.5% are female
- 46.5% 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 18,715 positive cases
- Turlock has 6,880
- Ceres has 5,206
- Patterson has 2,446
- Riverbank has 2,358
- Oakdale has 1,653
- Newman has 1,143
- Waterford has 614
- Hughson has 553
- Supervisorial District 3 has 2,629
- District 5 has 2,414
- District 2 has 2,118
- District 1 has 1,186
- District 4 has 387
Here’s a look at the numbers from nearby counties through Wednesday:
- San Joaquin County has 1,150 COVID-19-related deaths among 67,123 cases.
- Merced County has 407 deaths among 29,264 cases.
- Tuolumne County has 3,966 cases and 59 deaths.
- Mariposa County has 395 cases and seven deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 3,582,320 confirmed cases in California and 53,083 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,761,702 U.S. cases and 518,459 deaths.
Stanislaus County relaxes restrictions on COVID vaccines
Adults of any age who work in education, food and agriculture and other sectors in the Phase 1B priority group are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Stanislaus County.
South Modesto pharmacy welcomes new vaccine
Johnson & Johnson began shipping its COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, joining Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in getting out to communities. Its arrival is good news to Stanislaus County vaccine providers, including Familia Farmacia.
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Stanislaus remains in most restrictive tier
Stanislaus County did not meet the data requirements Tuesday for qualifying for the red tier of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan.
Local vaccine supply could grow soon
Stanislaus County officials said Tuesday they are pleased with a much-improved outlook for coronavirus vaccine allocations for people of any age or occupation.
San Joaquin County can play ball
With a COVID-19 case rate of 11.6, which the state announced Tuesday, San Joaquin County fell below the 14 cases per 100,000 residents or under standard allowing football and a few other outdoor sports to return to action.
Schools welcome Newsom move on reopening
California schools will be pressured to reopen this spring under a deal Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Monday morning.
Biz Beat has latest on new restaurants
Spring is always a sign of rebirth, in nature and hopefully for valley restaurants in business, too. As the valley weather warms up and vaccinations offer a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the region should also see several new eateries springing up starting in April.
Home prices rise in face of pandemic
Median home prices in Stanislaus County have increased over 10% in the past year, despite effects on the market from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Modesto-area landlords can get $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.
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
Millions of higher-income Californians would get lower federal economic stimulus payments, or none at all, under a new Senate plan unveiled Wednesday, an economic research firm’s analysis found.
Not long after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he’s lifting the state’s mask mandate and reopening the state — despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — sports stars began sounding off.
Spring break season has started, sparking fears of COVID-19 spread as more states ease coronavirus-related rules.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 5:32 AM.
