Merced County ICU beds at capacity, as nearly 800 COVID infections reported in five days
The Merced County Department of Public Health’s report of local COVID-19 numbers on Friday showed concerning increases over the course of the last week.
Since Monday, 793 new local cases of the virus have been reported. Thursday accounted for the majority of those new cases with 212 reported infections that day, marking the highest number of new daily cases since Jan. 22.
When the county ceased releasing daily COVID-19 updates at the end of June due to a rapid decline of new cases, only 91 COVID-19 infections were estimated to be active. Just one patient was hospitalized for the virus at that time.
A total of 73 residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the past week, according to County Public Health. That’s up from 48 last week and 37 two weeks ago.
Regional intensive care unit capacity is about 14%, according to the state formula for the San Joaquin Valley area.
But in Merced County as of Thursday, zero ICU beds were available, the latest state numbers show.
Seven more people since last week have died after contracting the virus, raising Merced County resident deaths to 499. Only six deaths were reported in both June and July, making August the deadliest month this summer.
A glimpse at the county’s COVID-19 dashboard shows that the current case wave is approaching heights seen during the first major spike during summer of last year. At that time, daily case counts frequently tallied upward of 200.
A total of 35,485 county residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic’s start and an estimated 1,724 residents are currently infected with COVID-19, according to County Public Health.
That figure is calculated via the number of residents who have tested positive for the virus in the last 14 days.
Current COVID-19 numbers are still lower than the worst peak during last winter. Then, daily infections often broke 300. The ongoing high quantity of cases was a burden to regional hospitals, as workers fought to manage the virus and save lives under an overwhelmed healthcare system.
Public Health officials have urged Merced County residents to get fully vaccinated if they have not, and to use precautions by wearing a mask in public spaces and practice social distancing.
Officials encourage residents who are not yet vaccinated to schedule an appointment online using MyTurn.CA.gov or by calling 833-422-4255.
Residents can also visit their primary care provider or pharmacy, as well as the COVID-19 Mobile Vaccination sites throughout Merced County, which offer walk-ins with no registration necessary.
