Merced County reports one new death, 54 more coronavirus cases on Friday
There were 54 new coronavirus cases and one reported COVID-19 related death in Merced County on Friday, according to the Merced County Department of Health.
Fatalities of Merced County residents after contracting the coronavirus now stands at 127 since the start of the pandemic.
The deceased resident was a man in the age range of 50-64 and it was unknown whether he had underlying health conditions.
Coronavirus cases presumed active continued a recent declining streak and fell to 727 countywide. There have been 8,541 Merced County residents infected with the virus since the pandemic was first reported locally in March.
Active cases, however, are an estimate based off of the number of known positive COVID-19 cases within the last two weeks.
Merced County’s case positivity percentage dropped to 5.8%. The data point indicates the percentage of residents screened for the novel coronavirus during the last week whose results return positive.
In order to progress through the most recent plan to reopen California’s economy, counties like Merced that are subject to the most limited opening rules must remain below 8% positivity for 14 straight days.
The most recent state data shows the county as having a 9.1 positive cases per 100,000 residents. That number must dip below seven for more businesses to reopen.
The amount of Merced County residents ever hospitalized increased slightly from 633 on Thursday to 647 on Friday. The number of current residents hospitalized also increased from 67 on Thursday to 71 on Friday.
Other counties in the region
Madera County: 71 new cases as of Friday, 4,150 to date, no additional deaths, 58 to date; 24 hospitalizations; 3,644 people recovered.
Fresno County: 59 new cases, which brings the county total to 26,783 since pandemic’s start. The county has 326 total deaths. The county reports deaths on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Mariposa County: No new cases reported Friday, 74 to date; no additional deaths, two to date; one hospitalization; 71 people recovered.
Stanislaus County: 310 deaths, 15,838 positive cases, 14,967 recoveries since pandemic’s start.
Tulare County: 147 new cases as of Friday, 15,114 to date; one additional death, 247 to date; 59 hospitalizations; 14,401 people recovered.
Kings County: 24 new cases as of Thursday, 6,918 total cases to date, no new deaths; 32 hospitalizations; 4,568 people recovered. More than 2,922 of the cases and six deaths are connected to prisons in Avenal and Corcoran, while 171 cases and 24 deaths were linked to nursing home facilities.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Merced County reports one new death, 54 more coronavirus cases on Friday."
