No Merced County COVID-19 deaths for almost a week. Positive tests rise slightly
For the first time in recent weeks, no additional novel coronavirus-related deaths of Merced County residents were reported over the weekend, according to the Merced County Department of Public Health.
The local COVID-19 death toll, in fact, has not risen for nearly a week. The county’s last reported deaths were on Oct. 13, when two fatalities raised the number of lives claimed by the pandemic locally to 152.
The declining number of deaths is a positive indicator for the county, which regularly suffered multiple fatalities each week for many recent months.
Active coronavirus as of Monday and outbreaks remained stable as well. Ten workplaces are currently listed as having active outbreaks, meaning the facilities have not yet gone two weeks without a new COVID-19 case being traced back to the location.
New laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections since Friday tallied 61, according to County Public Health. Cases numbered 24 on Saturday, 13 on Sunday and 24 on Monday.
The additional cases increased Merced County’s total caseload to 9,375 known infections to date.
Of those total cases, infections presumed active as of Monday increased by 13 since Friday to 294. Following a consistent period of decline, active cases have slightly fluctuated up and down recently.
Active cases are an estimate calculated via the number of new laboratory confirmed infections over the past two weeks.
Also on the rise Monday was Merced County’s positivity rate, which indicates the percentage of individuals screened for COVID-19 over the past week who tested positive.
The county’s testing positivity increased to 4.1% as of Monday. Testing positivity has not exceeded 4% since Sept. 23.
The data point is one of two criteria looked at by the state to determine what sectors of the local economy may reopen. Merced County’s COVID-19 data currently puts it in the second strictest reopening tier.
Generally, a lower testing positivity percentage means more county sectors can reopen.
Merced County’s testing positivity is still well within the range of acceptable percentages for tier two, despite the increase. Counties are only reverted to a stricter tier if local data metrics worsens for two consecutive weeks, according to the state’s reopening plan.
One county metric that decreased over the weekend was active hospitalizations of residents due to severe COVID-19 cases. With three fewer patients hospitalized since Monday, the tally decreased to 28.
Just six individuals are hospitalized within Merced County. The rest are cared for at outside facilities.
Locally, 59,958 coronavirus tests have been conducted since the pandemic’s start and 15.87% have tested positive.
Statewide there are 870,791 known COVID-19 cases and 16,970 deaths as of Monday.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
