New data reveals how many younger people in Stanislaus County are dying of COVID-19
The COVID-19 delta variant has infected younger adults more than any other age group, but that segment of the population still accounts for a relatively small proportion of COVID-19 deaths in Stanislaus County.
County public health released mortality data by age group for the period in which the delta variant has spread across the county.
The data shows 10 county residents from 25 to 54 years old died from COVID-19 between July 1 and Sept. 4. County officials had previously not released age information for COVID deaths, citing confidentiality laws.
The recent surge resulted in 17 deaths among adults age 55 to 64 during the same period, which was about 5 percentage points above the norm.
About 30 percent of the 89 deaths during the delta surge through Sept. 4 were adults younger than 65; the age bracket was a smaller proportion of deaths in previous surges. Adults 65 and older have accounted for 75 percent of mortality over the 18 months of the local epidemic. They have represented 70 percent of deaths during the recent surge.
This week, county public health added deaths by age group to COVID-19 surveillance reports, which are completed every two weeks and posted on the county health services website. Age information on COVID deaths since Sept. 4 has not been released yet. A total of 115 deaths were reported from July 1 to Tuesday.
Adults 18 to 44 years old represented 42 percent of the 4,636 cases tallied from Aug. 22 to Sept. 4. Those younger adults make up around 35 percent of the county population, have lower vaccine coverage (about 45 percent fully vaccinated) and many are raising families in a state that’s seen some devastating outcomes.
“They don’t see themselves as being at risk,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer. She said vaccine coverage in that age group needs to substantially increase for the county to stop the contagious disease.
More than 85 cases per day in young people
Children and adolescents were the second largest age group affected by COVID transmission, representing 26 percent of positive tests during the two-week period. From Aug. 22 to Sept. 4, more than 1,200 cases, or 86 per day, were reported among kids up to 17 years old.
No children or adolescents have died from COVID-19 since July 1.
Vaishampayan said she does not think much of the transmission comes from school classrooms, thanks to the mitigation measures. It more likely results from students congregating at lunch, walking around together or engaging in after-school activities, she said.
Vaishampayan added that more testing is done because of medical quarantines and a testing strategy that can keep students in class. The testing has detected more infections.
The public health officer said there are signs the delta wave has peaked, but she is still watching for a possible spike from Labor Day weekend. The 7-day case average has declined from a high of 55 per 100,000 population Sept. 1 to 39 per 100,000 on Tuesday. Test positivity was 8.9 percent Tuesday, down from 12.5 percent Aug. 25.
She said it’s too early to draw conclusions, as the numbers could rise again.
The number of COVID hospitalizations in the county, dropping from 292 last week, was at 266 on Tuesday including 69 in intensive care units.
The San Joaquin Valley region is still under state surge protocols for hospitals due to limited availability of ICU beds.
One reason for the pressure on hospitals is the large number of patients who have traditional medical needs. “The hospitals are full of non-COVID patients. This would have been a busy period even without COVID-19,” Vaishampayan said.
County reports 34 outbreaks
As of Sept. 4, the county had identified 34 outbreaks of COVID-19, including 23 outbreaks that were newly reported in the previous two-week period.
The total included six outbreaks at food processing or manufacturing facilities, two at distribution warehouses, four at residential care facilities, three at retail stores, two at grocery stores, five at offices and two at public safety facilities, according to the surveillance report, which does not identify the locations.
A county public health order, issued Sept. 2, requires face coverings in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. The rules apply at stores, offices, worksites, bars and local government meetings.
According to language in the order, the mask requirement will be lifted when the county’s 7-day average case rate falls to 20 per 100,000 population. The daily case rate is currently twice that level.
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
