Coronavirus update: Merced County reports one new death, 168 cases
The Merced County Department of Public Health reported one new death and 168 new COVID-19 confirmed cases on Tuesday.
There have been eight deaths reported since Friday, bringing the total to 332 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The latest death was a male, 65-years or older. It is unknown whether he had underlying health conditions.
While Merced County is back in the purple tier, restaurants can return to outdoor dining, hairstylists and nail salons can reopen, and retail stores can now operate at a slightly higher capacity.
Purple Tier 1 of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy is the most restrictive of the state’s four level for, representing “widespread” risk of spreading the virus.
There have now been 25,743 residents infected with the virus since the start of the pandemic.
There are currently 3,094 residents estimated to be active — a drop of 135 cases since Monday . The number of residents hospitalized in Merced County due to the virus is 51 — a decrease of three cases since Monday — with 15 people in the ICU.
According to the state, Merced County hospitals have one ICU bed remaining.
Merced County currently has a positivity rate of 13.6 percent, meaning the level of people among those who’ve been tested who had a positive result. That number is unchanged from Monday.
About 1,200 total new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday in the central San Joaquin Valley, which includes Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, and Kings counties, according to the California Department of Public Health and county health departments.
San Joaquin Valley COVID-19 case and death totals
Fresno County: 528 new cases with 86,336 total cases and 1,084 deaths.
Stanislaus County: 410 new cases and seven new deaths with 44,852 total cases and 803 deaths.
Madera County: 61 new cases with 14,004 total cases and 175 deaths.
Mariposa County: Two new cases, with 357 total cases and five deaths.
Kings County: 85 new cases with 20,223 total and 161 total deaths.
Tulare County: 356 new cases with 43,930 total and 552 deaths.
Statewide totals
The California Department of Health on Tuesday reported:
- California has 3,153,186 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
- There were 17,028 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.
- There have been 41,010,770 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 321,862 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.
- As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 37,527 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
- As of January 26, providers have reported administering a total of 2,587,736 vaccine doses statewide. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. As of January 26, a total of 4,695,625 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.
The Fresno Bee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 5:48 PM.
