Category archive

Health - page 10

Stanislaus hospital cases top 100. Vaccine supply grows

in Health

Hospital cases of COVID-19 surpassed 100 for the first time in nearly two weeks Thursday in Stanislaus County.

It also reported three deaths, for a total of 963 residents lost to the pandemic since last spring.

The county Health Services Agency added just 69 positive tests, raising the total to 51,468 since the first was announced a year and a day ago. Stanislaus also has 472,450 negative test results and 49,779 people who are presumed recovered.

Other details:

Hospital cases: The county's five hospitals reported 101 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 95 on Wednesday. The count had stayed under 100 since Feb. 27 and is far below the 300-plus in early January. The hospitals had 10 staffed intensive-care beds available to adults Thursday, versus nine Wednesday.

Infection rates: The single-day infection rate was 11.66%, up from 10.26% the previous day, according to the state website. The rolling seven-day rate was 6.93%, up from 6.57%. The 14-day rate was 6.57%, up from 6.47%.

Continue Reading on MSN

Statewide inequity remains in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

in Health

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 15 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in California, but the most updated statistics show that distribution has been out of step with California’s diversity.

"It's kind of alarming because again, the conversation of equity. Here you hear the slogan 'equity in action.' I guess this is what equity looks like in-action for African Americans," said Berry Accius, community advocate and founder of Voice of Youth.

While state leaders emphasize their efforts for a fair distribution – numbers revealing white Californians have received 30.7% of the vaccinations, and the lowest distribution is seen among the most vulnerable, with Black people only receiving 3%.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye with the Sacramento County Public Health and Human Services said, "This disparity came about because of the way the state set up the prioritization where we started with certain occupational sectors; health care, teachers and law enforcement."

In Sacramento County, state officials identified 12 of the most underserved ZIP codes that they are focusing on. To facilitate the process starting Monday, people still lacking access to computers, the internet or those with language barriers will be able to sign up by calling 211.

Continue Reading on KCRA

COVID variant first found in UK now detected in Stanislaus County | Need to know

in Health

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — The coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom has been found in Stanislaus County, public health officials said. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this was the variant predicted to become the dominant strain in the United States by the end of March. 

It was first reported in the US at the end of December 2020 in Colorado.

The first known case in Yolo County was detected by Health Davis Together and the UC Davis Genome Center in February.

“The detection of the B.1.1.7 variant in Stanislaus County is a sobering reminder that this pandemic is not over,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, Stanislaus County Public Health officer said in a press release.

Continue Reading on ABC 10

School district acquiring thousands of COVID tests for athletes

in Health

As Turlock Unified School District prepares for the return of football next week, a robust COVID testing regimen has been adapted so that teams can meet guidelines set forth by the state and remain safe while playing. 

On Tuesday, Stanislaus County fell below the adjusted daily case rate of 14 or fewer per 100,000 residents which was previously required in order for high- and moderate-contact outdoor sports to be played, dropping down to 13.6. However, updated guidelines released by the state last week following a lawsuit in San Diego specify that all sports teams can return to play no matter their county’s daily case rate, as long as they adhere to the stricter requirements in place for college teams. 

One of those requirements is the regular testing of athletes and support staff in order to prevent any COVID outbreaks. With Central California Athletic League football play set to begin next week, weekly testing is already underway for players at Turlock and Pitman high schools. For indoor sports like volleyball, baseline testing and ongoing screening testing must be completed on a regular basis. The CCAL is looking into the viability of scheduling indoor sports, but football is scheduled and the first games will be played next Friday.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Vaccine Equity Metric Could Mean More Doses Locally

in Health

The Newsom Administration on Thursday announced that California has set aside 40 percent of vaccine doses for the hardest-hit communities and established a vaccine equity metric – which seeks to increase vaccinations in those communities – as a prelude to adjusting the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which governs the conditions under which California’s economy can safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California’s approach, according to information from the Governor’s Office, will continue to focus on masking and effective use of testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation. The state is also updating its recommendations about the most effective use of masks and when to consider double masking.

“With more vaccines online and administered, California is now in a position to take steps toward ending this pandemic by keeping our guard up and by vaccinating those Californians most at risk and most exposed,” said Governor Newsom in a news release posted by his office. “Vaccinating our most impacted communities, across our state, is the right thing to do and the fastest way to end this pandemic.”

Continue Reading on The Riverbanks

5 Things to Know: Blue Shield takes over California’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution

in Health

On Monday, Blue Shield took over California's COVID-19 vaccination distribution in an attempt to streamline the process and create a single, statewide criterion, remove the responsibility from individual counties.

San Joaquin and Stanislaus were among the first counties impacted by the shift to Blue Shield, as the insurance company focused its efforts on communities where the virus disproportionately affected families.

Here are five things to know about the shift:

1.Blue Shield's goal is to fully inoculate 25 million people by the summer. In a statement sent to KCRA 3, the insurance company said its plan is to increase the doses per week from one million to four million by the end of March.

The transition began Monday, March 1, and is expected to finish the change to the statewide criteria by end of the month.

Continue Reading on KCRA

County seeing progress in COVID-19 fight

in Health

Vaccination efforts in Stanislaus County are growing and COVID-19 cases are decreasing, giving some room to hope that the area will be able to move into a less restrictive tier by mid-March.

“This is the first good news we’ve had in a while,” said Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa after being briefed on the current COVID-19 status at Tuesday’s meeting.

As of Monday, Stanislaus County expanded the vaccination efforts to Phase 1B, which is for people 50 years and older who work in education and childcare, emergency services and food and agriculture sectors.

For this week the County was allocated about 9,000 vaccines, up from the 5,800 from the previous week.

The County also is seeing COVID-19 cases drop recently. Since Feb. 8, Stanislaus County has seen cases dropping at a small but steady rate, according to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency data.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

California’s new vaccine delivery system launches in parts of state, including in SoCal

in Health
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2021, file photo, motorists wait to get their COVID-19 vaccine at a federally-run vaccination site set up on the campus of California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles. California's new system of delivering, tracking and scheduling coronavirus vaccines goes live Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, for 7 million people in a handful of counties as Gov. Gavin Newsom attempts to smooth out what has been a confusing and disjointed rollout hampered by limited national supply. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

California’s new system of delivering, tracking and scheduling coronavirus vaccines is being rolled out in select counties, a first step in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to smooth out what has been a confusing and disjointed rollout hampered by limited national supply.

Newsom announced last month that his administration had tapped insurer Blue Shield to design and manage a centralized system to get doses out quickly and equitably. He said the state also needs robust data to ensure vaccines are distributed equitably and reach low-income communities, largely Latino and Black, disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

An initial list provided by the state showed 10 counties in the inland sections of central and Southern California chosen to be the first to make the transition to the Blue Shield system this week.

Counties in the initial group include Riverside, Kings, Imperial, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno and Kern counties. Starting March 3, another group that includes Los Angeles, which has 10 million of California’s nearly 40 million residents, will be added.

Continue Reading on KTLA

‘That’s not right’ | Stanislaus, San Joaquin say they’re getting short end of vaccine allocation

in Health

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif — Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties say they’re ready to vaccinate thousands of people every day, but like many others in California, they just need the vaccine. However, unlike some of the other counties, some believe they are on the short end of the vaccine allocation.

“I can tell you that it’s not a claim. It’s real,” said Vito Chiesa, Stanislaus County Supervisor. “When you look at the statistics on vaccinations per 100,000, you have areas of the state that have been more successful. They receive more vaccines than we have.”

In an earlier Board of Supervisors meeting, Chiesa vented some frustration over the vaccinations per 100,000 in the county as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The LA Times vaccination tracker had places like Stanislaus and San Joaquin County on the lower half of their ranks. Chiesa said the ranking is not a lack of effort on the county’s part because they’re putting vaccines in arms as fast as they can.

Continue Reading on ABC 10

County Expands Clinics For COVID Vaccinations

in Health

Stanislaus County Public Health will continue vaccinating individuals over the age of 65 and expand operations to include those over age 50 in the food and agriculture, education, and emergency services sectors starting Monday, Feb. 22. As Stanislaus County continues to expand its capacity to administer the vaccine, the vaccine supply allocations from the State remain limited.

To provide accessibility to residents in Stanislaus County, four high volume mass vaccination clinics are operating in the cities of Modesto, Turlock, Patterson, and Oakdale. The County is also working on a Mobile Vaccination Unit to make accessibility to the COVID‐19 vaccine as convenient and equitable as possible, particularly in neighborhoods that were impacted most by the pandemic.

Public Health officials said that while the County is working on vaccinating as many residents as possible, it is still critical that all residents continue to follow the recommendations to wear a mask, avoid gatherings, wash hands often, stay six feet from others whenever in public places, and get tested if exposed or experiencing symptoms.

Continue Reading on The Riverbank News

1 8 9 10 11 12 22
Go to Top