Merced County reports new daily record for coronavirus. Total cases rise above 700
Total confirmed coronavirus infections in Merced County shot past 700 Tuesday, as the 49 new cases reported by County Public Health raised the total to 710.
In less than a week, just over 200 additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed locally -- a noticeable uptick in the pace of new infections.
The 49 infected residents reported Tuesday is an all-time high for new infections in a single day, County Public Health officials confirmed.
The number of active cases approached the number people who have recovered, with 336 and 365 respectively.
The new infections increased the positive case percentage, meaning the rate of people screened for coronavirus who test positive, to 6%. Total residents having been ill enough to require hospitalization also rose to 68.
Local deaths held steady at nine. The most recent COVID-19 related death, a man over age 65 with no underlying health conditions, was reported over the weekend.
As cases increase locally, County Public Health announced this week that a new COVID-19 testing site is slated to open in Los Banos on Wednesday. The state-contracted testing site with OptumServe at the Merced County Fairgrounds, which has the capacity to do at least 100 tests daily, is set to expire at the end of June.
Coronavirus around the Valley
Fresno County Tuesday reported three more COVID-19 related deaths and 187 new cases, according to health officials. Fresno County now has seen 70 fatal cases of the coronavirus among its 3,672 cases, numbers show.
Stanislaus County reported 1,714 total positive COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 37 deaths.
Tulare County added 257 new cases on Tuesday, bringing its countywide total to 3,434. The number of deaths remained unchanged Tuesday at 116.
Kings County has seen 942 cases of coronavirus and 20 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the evening update. That includes 28 new cases and one death reported Tuesday.
The county’s prisons have found 1,129 cases and single death. Nursing facilities in Kings County have recorded 106 cases but no deaths, according to health officials.
Madera County reported 15 new positive cases, bringing the total there to 359, but the county did not report any new deaths Tuesday. The total number of fatal cases remains at five.
Mariposa County has confirmed 21 cases of the coronavirus and reported a single death.
Fresno Bee reporter Thaddeus Miller contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 5:46 PM.
