Five COVID-19 deaths, 264 new cases recorded in Merced County since Friday

Merced County health officials on Monday reported 264 new cases of residents infected with the novel coronavirus and five new COVID-19 related deaths.

Monday’s numbers, Merced County’s most recent virus update since Friday, brings the total local coronavirus deaths to 93.

According to the Merced County Department of Public Health, one death reported Friday has been reclassified as a non-coronavirus case.

Of the five recent deaths, three were men and two were women. Three of the dead were age 65 or older. The fourth person was between the ages of 50 and 64, while the fifth was between the ages 35 and 49, according to a county news release. All five had underlying health conditions.

Of the latest cases, 58 were recorded Saturday, 72 on Sunday and 134 on Monday.

Since the first positive case was reported on March 22, there have been 7,041 laboratory confirmed cases in Merced County.

Presumed active cases, which means they were laboratory confirmed within the past 14 days, rose to 2,622.

A total of 454 Merced County residents have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Ninety-one residents are currently hospitalized, according to Monday’s data. Of those, 40 residents are hospitalized in Merced County, while others are being cared for elsewhere, according to health officials.

Merced County’s positivity level — the percentage of residents screened in the last seven days who tested positive — stayed at 21.5 percent, according to health department data.

There have been 624,926 confirmed cases in California and 11,244 deaths.

Grant program for businesses

According to Merced County officials, the Ready2Open Small Business Assistance Program is currently available to small businesses in the county.

The program, which is funded by federal CARES Act funds, assists businesses by providing COVID-19 financial reimbursement of up to $50,000 for operating expenses related to COVID-19 health and safety measures,.

According to officials, the grant is available to businesses with 25 or fewer full-time employees.

Additional information about the grant as well as eligibility and requirements can be found on the Reopen Merced County website.

This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 6:53 PM.