Merced County has 10th confirmed coronavirus case, opens 2 mobile testing sites
The number of Merced County coronavirus cases reached double digits Monday, as the Department of Public Health confirmed 10 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19.
The latest case was acquired as a result of travel, a Public Health news release said. Only one of the 10 cases was community spread, with the remaining nine all contracted after travel outside of Merced County.
Public Health is tracing who may be at risk of exposure from contact with the person in the latest case.
Mobile testing
Also Monday, Public Health said it opened two drive-thru-style mobile specimen collection sites in the county following a “soft opening” last week.
One site is on the county’s east side and the other on the west side, each open four hours a day. The specific location is provided once patients secure an appointment, according to a news release, and hours may increase “if supply and personnel availability increase.”
Patients may only be tested at the mobile sites after being referred by a physician and approved by Public Health. Testing is only available for symptomatic patients.
“This is a huge victory for the residents of Merced County,” said Public Health Director Dr. Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp in the release. “Being able to offer these Mobile Specimen Collection sites will help ensure a more accurate depiction of how the COVID-19 pandemic in affecting Merced County.”
The public can call 209-381-1180 for more information about mobile testing in Merced County.
Coronavirus cases Fresno, Tulare, Merced and Madera counties collectively reported 23 new patients Monday, with confirmed positive tests for the contagion.
In its first update since Saturday, Fresno County Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra said 10 new cases cropped up by Monday afternoon, increasing Fresno County’s total to 53.
Nine additional cases reported Monday morning in Tulare County grew the number of patients there to 43, with one death over the weekend. And Madera County acknowledged three more positive tests, raising the patient count to 21, including one death earlier this month.
Across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties, health officials have reported a total of 129 cases since the COVID-19 outbreak reached the Valley earlier this month.
Of the 53 cases now present in Fresno County, Vohra said eight are attributed to “community transmission,” which means that health investigators cannot determine precisely how the patient was exposed to the virus.
Seventeen cases are believed to be related to travel to areas where the virus is known to be, and nine cases are deemed close person-to-person contact with someone who’s infected. The rest of the cases remain under investigation.
Two of the three new patients in Madera County are 60 years or older and are under home isolation. The third is a man under the age of 25, also under home isolation.
Three of the new Tulare County cases are among adults ages 65 or older, said Tammie Weyker-Adkins, a spokeswoman for the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency. One is between the ages of 41 and 64.
Five of the new Tulare County cases are patients under the age of 40, including two children under 17 years old.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 6:18 PM.
