Coronavirus

Coronavirus update, March 7: Hospitalizations below 80 for first time since November

As Stanislaus County closes in on the one-year anniversary of its first reported COVID-19 case, hospitalizations Saturday reached a low not seen in nearly four months.

The five county hospitals reported they had a combined 78 patients with confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the first time that number has fallen below 80 since Nov. 13.

The hospitalization count has hovered between 80 and 96 for the past week but is far below the 300-plus in early January. There were 12 staffed intensive care unit beds available for adults Saturday afternoon, down from 13 Friday.

The Health Services Agency also announced zero deaths from the virus. The total remains at 957 since last spring. There have been 11 reported fatalities in March, appearing the month might be the least deadliest since November.

Cases total 51,018 with the 92 added Saturday. The county also has 463,480 negative test results and 49,242 people who are presumed recovered.

The single-day positivity rate was at 6.15%, the 10th straight day it had remained below 10%, according to the state website. The rolling seven-day rate was 6.18%, up from 6.1% a day before and the 14-day rate stood at 6.8%, down from 6.94% and a decrease of 1.5% from the previous two weeks.

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 28th 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.

A new reassessment will be released Tuesday.

As of Saturday, 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 next week:

  • Wednesday, Turlock: First and second doses, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Geer Road entrance to Stanislaus State University
  • Wednesday, Patterson: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Hammon Senior Center, 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave.

  • Thursday, Modesto: First and second dose, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 L St.

  • Friday, Modesto: First and second dose, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 L St.

  • Friday, Oakdale: First and second dose, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Community Center, 450 East A St.

  • Saturday, Turlock: First dose only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Geer Road entrance to Stanislaus State University

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

California has administered 10,408,901 vaccines as of Saturday, up from 10,071,476 on Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker. The state ranks 33rd in the country, having administered 26,359 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 Friday:

  • 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 18,850 positive cases
  • Turlock has 6,923
  • Ceres has 5,240
  • Patterson has 2,450
  • Riverbank has 2,370
  • Oakdale has 1,665
  • Newman has 1,144
  • Waterford has 618
  • Hughson has 559
  • Supervisorial District 3 has 2,655
  • District 5 has 2,437
  • District 2 has 2,126
  • District 1 has 1,192
  • District 4 has 389

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

As of Sunday morning, there were 3,596,760 confirmed cases in California and 54,134 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. There were 28,953,217 U.S. cases and 524,362 deaths.

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Foster Farms gets shots to 1,000 workers

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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.

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 has hit a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19, reaching 10 million vaccinations Friday as infectious activity continues to slow to a trickle. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced via his official Twitter account that the state had successfully administered 10 million doses.

Counties across California are increasingly asking to opt out of the state’s centralized vaccination program run by Blue Shield, further complicating Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to smooth out what has been a confusing and disjointed rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed an emergency order adjusting the minimum distance between performers and audience members that previously challenged the return of productions in Las Vegas.

This story was originally published March 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.

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.
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