Merced Union High School District hosting COVID vaccination clinic for students this week
The Merced Union High School District will be hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics for area high school students this week
The district is working with the Merced County Department of Public Health and Castle Family Health Centers to offer the clinics Wednesday at Golden Valley High and Thursday at Atwater High. Both clinics will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The clinics will be held in the school gymnasiums and open to students age 16 and up.
Merced on Tuesday remained in the red Tier 2, the second-most restrictive level of California’s color-coded program for reopening businesses, along with broad measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Data released Tuesday by the state Department of Public Health showed Fresno County, as well as neighboring Kings, Mariposa and Tulare counties, all maintained their places in orange Tier 3 under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Madera County also remained in the red tier.
The red tier indicates that “substantial” transmission of the novel coronavirus is continuing in a county, based on the rate at which new daily cases of COVID-19 are arising and the percentage of people tested for the virus for whom results come back positive.
Orange Tier 3 denotes “moderate” spread of the virus in a county.
The differences in what can be open, and to what extent, are significant between the red and orange tiers. In the red tier, restaurants can open their dining rooms to serve customers, but only at 25% of capacity. Movie theaters, museums and some other indoor activities are also limited to 25% of capacity, while fitness clubs and gyms are limited to 10% of capacity.
In the orange tier, restaurants, movie theaters and museums can expand to 50% of their capacity, while gyms can be open at up to 25% of capacity.
Restrictions are also loosened in the orange tier for such activities as private gatherings, private events, family entertainment centers and outdoor live events such as sports or concerts.
Merced County reports no deaths
The Merced County Department of Public Health reported no new COVID-19 related deaths on Tuesday. The number of fatalities remains at 454 since the start of the pandemic.
There were 37 new COVID-19 confirmed cases reported Tuesday, raising the total of residents infected by the virus to 31,489 since the start of the pandemic.
There are 384 residents who are estimated to actively be infected by the virus.
The number of residents hospitalized in Merced County due to the coronavirus is 13 — with five people in the ICU.
According to the state, Merced County hospitals had 10 ICU beds remaining as of Tuesday.
Merced County has a positivity rate of 3.5%, indicating the level of people among those tested who had a positive result.
Around the Valley
Fresno County reported 38 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 101,099 the number of Fresno County residents who have been infected with the coronavirus since March 2020.
Five deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, and no additional fatalities have been reported since. To date, 1,662 residents have lost their lives to the virus and the respiratory disease it causes.
Kings County: Three new cases Tuesday, on the heels of 26 cases reported over the previous three days; 28,850 cumulative cases to date. No additional deaths have been reported in Kings County since April 21, 246 to date. About 24% of residents have gotten at least one shot of vaccine, and 16.3% are now fully vaccinated.
Madera County: Thirteen new cases Tuesday, in addition to Monday’s report of 27 new cases since Friday, 16,268 to date. No additional deaths have been reported since April 20, for 240 to date. One-third of the county’s residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and 22.7% are fully vaccinated.
Mariposa County: Three new cases Tuesday afternoon, along with two cases over the weekend, for 441 to date. No additional deaths, seven to date. Just over 33% of Mariposa County residents have gotten at least one shot of vaccine, and 15.2% are fully vaccinated.
Tulare County: 32 new cases Tuesday, in addition to 22 cases reported over Saturday, Sunday and Monday, for 49,547 to date; one additional death, 834 to date. Almost 31% of Tulare County’s residents have gotten at least one dose of vaccine, and 22.5% are fully vaccinated.
