So you think you know COVID and its impact in Stanislaus County? Take our quiz.
Which number is greater? See answers below.
1.
a) COVID-19 deaths in the United States
b) Population of Stanislaus County
2.
a) COVID deaths in California (population 40 million)
b) COVID deaths in Vietnam (population 98 million)
3.
a) COVID deaths in the world
b) Population of Puerto Rico
4.
a) Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants) seating capacity
b) Stanislaus COVID cases
5.
a) COVID deaths in New Zealand, population 5 million
b) COVID deaths in Modesto, population 222,335
6.
a) John Thurman Field (Modesto Nuts) special events capacity
b) COVID deaths in Greece
7.
a) COVID deaths in India
b) COVID deaths in Brazil
8.
a) COVID cases in the United States
b) Population of Canada
9.
a) 1918 Spanish flu deaths in Stanislaus County
b) Stanislaus COVID deaths
10.
a) COVID deaths in New York state
b) Population of Ceres
11.
a) Mexico’s COVID deaths
b) Modesto’s population
12.
a) COVID deaths in Texas, population 29 million
b) COVID deaths in Taiwan, population 24 million
13.
a) Population of unincorporated Stanislaus County
b) COVID deaths in the U.K.
14.
a) Vaccine doses allocated to Stanislaus County
b) Stanislaus residents born in another country
15.
a) Presumed recovered in Stanislaus County
b) COVID deaths in Iran
Answers
1. b) At 557,700 people, our Stanislaus population soon will be exceeded by the number of COVID victims across the entire nation, which as of Friday was 543,877. Think about it: The mighty United States has lost to this virus nearly the equivalent of every man, woman and child in Stanislaus County.
2. This one isn’t close. California has lost 55,137 people, while Vietnam — with decisive central leadership, aggressive testing and more than twice our population — has lost 35 people. The answer is a).
3. b) More than 2.6 million people have died of the virus across the globe, while Puerto Rico has 2.8 million.
4. Again, not even close — 51,468 of our people have tested positive in Stanislaus County, while the home of the Giants seats only 41,265. The answer is b).
5. b) Although New Zealand has 22 times our population, Modesto has lost 410 souls, while the island nation with strict containment policies has lost 26.
6. It’s a distant memory, but the home of the Nuts can fit 7,500 people for concerts and other special events, while Greece has lost 6,900 people to COVID. It’s a).
7. Although India has six times as many people as Brazil (1.4 billion to 214 million), COVID cases are about the same for both, at just over 11 million each. But Brazil has suffered far more deaths: 273,000, to India’s 158,000. So the answer is b).
8. b) Canada still has more people (nearly 38 million) than we have cases (nearly 30 million). Will we someday match that number?
9. The last pandemic of sweeping magnitude — the Spanish flu of 1918 — killed about 50 million people, including 174 here in Stanislaus County. Our COVID deaths passed that threshold way back on Aug. 11, and stood at 963 as of Thursday, so the answer is b), by a long shot.
10. Remember when New York City’s COVID death toll was higher than anywhere? Other places caught up and passed The Big Apple. New York State now has 48,950 deaths, nearly equal to Ceres’ 48,430 population. The answer is a), by a nose.
11. Mexico’s 193,142 COVID deaths is smaller than Modesto’s population of 222,335, so the answer is b). By the way, the United States’ COVID deaths surpassed Modesto’s population in late October.
12. a) Everything is bigger in Texas: 46,226 deaths compared to 10 in Taiwan where everyone wears masks. Not 10,000. Just 10.
13. More than 113,000 people live outside cities within Stanislaus County. But the United Kingdom has lost 125,343, so the answer is b).
14. a) About one in five Stanislaus residents was born in another country, for a total of 110,000. We’ve received 121,870 vaccine doses so far.
15. Nearly 50,000 Stanislaus residents are presumed recovered from COVID, while 61,000 have died in Iran, so the answer is b).
Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t score well on this quiz. It’s meant to provide a little reflection around the anniversary of the coronavirus arriving here. Also, the answer options to many questions are so close to each other that it didn’t really matter which you chose.
What matters is what we’ve learned, where we’re headed and our commitment to each other.
Let’s keep our masks handy and get vaccinated when it’s our turn.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
