Merced County COVID-19 data shows some improvement. Latest reopening plan takes effect
As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new statewide reopening plan went into effect on Monday, Merced County — and much of the state — was officially categorized into the most restrictive of four reopening tiers.
Counties in that tier are labeled as having widespread risk for reopening, with more than seven daily new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test result rate of more than 8%. This means many nonessential businesses must remain closed.
But the new system isn’t all grim news for Merced County businesses. Hair salons and barbershops across the state are now permitted to resume business inside, with precautions.
Nail salons, massage therapy studios, and aestheticians, however, may only conduct business outside.
Merced County grocery stores may operate at just 50% capacity, while other retail stores are limited to being 25% full.
To move toward less restrictive orders, Merced County data must drop to four to seven new daily cases per 100,000 residents and 5-8% testing positivity. Currently, Merced County’s positivity rate stands at 9.6% and about 27.7 positive cases exist per 100,000 residents, according to state data.
“If we want to move forward through these new tiers, we need to continue wearing face coverings, avoiding large group gatherings and practicing social distancing,” Merced County Public Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval said in a county news release.
“We have a long way to go, but if we collectively commit to slowing the spread of COVID-19 by practicing preventative measures, our numbers will continue to improve.”
Some local COVID-19 data still improving
Two additional Merced County residents were confirmed to have died from the novel coronavirus since Friday, the Merced County Department of Public Health reported on Monday.
The two new deaths raise the county’s total number of fatalities since the pandemic started to 117.
One of the most recently deceased residents was female and one was male. Both were age 65 or older. One of the individuals had underlying health conditions prior to their death, while the health status of the other is unknown, according to County Public Health.
Also since Friday, 142 more Merced County residents tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the county’s infection tally past 8,000. The caseload now stands at 8,032 total.
Active infections, however, continued a notable decline.
For the first time since early July, infections presumed active dipped below the quadruple figure mark to 991. Due to the high volume of cases, the active infections count is an estimate based on the number of positive COVID-19 tests within the last two weeks.
The falling quantity of active infections is reflected in the recently declining number of new daily COVID-19 cases.
Sixty three, 22 and 57 new cases were confirmed by County Public Health on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively. This compares with daily case norms during much of July and August that numbered in the hundreds.
The percentage of residents screened for coronavirus within the last week who tested positive also shrank to 9.6% on Monday, bringing Merced County closer to its target goal of less than 8%.
Less consistent is the number of active hospitalizations. Merced County residents currently hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 cases has bounced up and down in recent days.
On Monday, the active hospitalization count grew to 96 from 82 on Friday. Of those, 27 individuals are being cared for at facilities in the county, while the others are looked after elsewhere.
The number of residents ever hospitalized due to COVID-19 rose from 565 to 579.
While the county’s running list of active COVID-19 outbreaks fell on Monday as well from 21 to 19, the decline is overshadowed by the ongoing issue of the large and deadly outbreak at the Foster Farms plant in Livingston.
At least 392 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least eight have died.
The plant is scheduled to shut down on Tuesday. United Farm Workers on Monday floated the concept of a Foster Farms boycott.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 5:22 PM.
