Merced County COVID-19 deaths remain stable, but hospitalizations rise
An additional 19 Merced County residents have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Merced County Department of Public Health reported on Friday.
To date, a total of 9,149 COVID-19 cases have been laboratory confirmed locally since the pandemic began.
No further pandemic-related deaths were added to the county’s list of fatalities on Friday. Known COVID-19 deaths tally 150, with five occurring within the past week.
Active hospitalizations of Merced County residents due to COVID-19, despite improving recently, saw a notable setback on Friday. Active hospitalizations had decreased by 14 patients between Tuesday and Thursday, but rose again by six patients on Friday.
There are currently 30 county residents hospitalized with the increase. Of those, seven are being looked after at local facilities, while the remaining majority are cared for outside of the county.
While the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths are still rising, infections presumed active are generally on the decline. Active cases, which are estimated based off of the number of new cases within the past two weeks, fell to 277 on Friday.
Another improving data point is the county’s testing positivity percentage. Although fluctuating slightly in recent days, testing positivity has consistently remained below the 4% threshold. On Friday, it was 3.6%.
Testing positivity is one of two key data points looked at by the state to determine to what extent a county can reopen its local economy. Lower testing positivity and new daily cases per 100,000 county residents allow for increased reopening.
On Tuesday, Merced County was permitted to advance from the most strict to second strictest reopening tier. The shift means more local businesses and schools can reopen, with precautions against the virus.
The county’s overall percentage of positive tests compared to total tests conducted is also declining. On Friday, it decreased to 15.94%. A total of 57,446 Merced County residents have been tested for COVID-19.
Active coronavirus outbreaks did not change on Friday. There are currently 12 workplace locations on the outbreak list. Locations are removed from the list when no additional cases are traced to the workplace for two weeks.
