Merced County hits 301 total confirmed coronavirus cases, 10 weeks after first infection
Merced County total infections of coronavirus hit 301 on Monday, roughly 10 weeks since the first case was reported, according to Merced County Department of Public Health.
The tally includes 18 additional infections from Friday. A total of 203 residents have recovered, 91 remain still ill and seven have died.
Three separate outbreaks hit the county over the weekend when seven individuals tested positive for COVID-19 between Anberry Transitional Care skilled nursing facility, a Foster Farms turkey ranch and S & A Manufacturing and Welding.
The extent of the outbreaks will not become clear until at least Wednesday, when test results for the more than 170 persons potentially exposed to the infected individuals are expected to become available, County Public Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval told the Sun-Star.
Sandoval said its likely more cases linked to the outbreaks will crop up.
The news of the infections at the three separate facilities came on the heels of Public Health officials last week warning that a recent drop in new COVID-19 infections could be temporary, and isn’t necessarily indicative of the current state of coronavirus infections locally due to a lag in testing.
“We’ve been seeing an increase in cases steadily, so it’s not a surprise,” said Sandoval.
The ill Anberry resident was only discovered to have contracted the disease because of the facility’s policy of testing any patient who leaves, Sandoval said. The individual was asymptomatic but was tested after returning to Anberry from a hospital following issues after a recent surgery.
Due to the number of high-risk patients at a skilled nursing facility, the state considers one positive case an outbreak. A mobile strike force testing team was sent by Public Health to Anberry Saturday.
Although the Anberry resident had left the skilled nursing facility, it still’s unknown exactly where they contracted the virus, Sandoval said. The person since then has been been discharged and quarantined in their apartment. County Public Health is not aware of any other symptomatic individuals connected to Anberry.
Increased testing of residents and staff at facilities like Anberry Transitional Care was already set to take place per recommendation by the state, Sandoval said. Specifics are still being developed, but testing of employees and residents who regularly leave such facilities, for reasons like seeing a medical specialist, will begin as further state guidelines are released.
Sandoval said the county’s 12 similar facilities have met weekly with county and state Public Health to develop a plan for this significant increase in testing.
“We’re going to be using all the resources that are available,” Sandoval said.
Gatherings amid coronavirus
A crowd assembled in Merced on Saturday to protest the killing of George Floyd — an unarmed black man who died after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes.
“I think any time you have people who are not social distancing, you have concerns,” Sandoval said. “They should definitely have a mask on when they’re doing it.”
From what he saw of the protest, a good number of marchers were wearing masks, Sandoval said. He noted that this contrasted with behavior at recent protests at the State Capitol against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order restrictions.
“For some reason, we think it (wearing a mask) violates our rights,” Sandoval said. “But we’ve got to consider the right to life for other people we’re around.”
Messaging lately, including statements from elected officials, has disseminated confusing information to the public about the importance of wearing a mask, he said. Studies show that cloth masks are even more effective in trapping saliva droplets containing the novel coronavirus than seasonal influenza, Sandoval said.
“The masking is something we’re really going to have to look at, because we don’t have an effective vaccine yet,” he said, adding, “It’s really one of our best weapons along with maintaining social distancing as much as we can.”
Sandoval said he worries people think things have gone back to normal, when that is not the case. Although the healthcare system is not overwhelmed locally, hospitalizations and the number of critically ill patients have risen, he said.
Two more Merced County residents were hospitalized between Friday and Monday, bringing the total of locals having ever been hospitalized due to COVID-19 to 40.
When asked if the growing number of new COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations could impact the county’s plans to reopen more sectors of its economy with state approval, Sandoval said its “certainly a possibility.” Reopening guidelines are contingent upon the county’s epidemiological parameters remaining stable.
“I think at this point, we are still within the guidelines of the state,” he said. “We’re having to monitor it closely.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Merced County hits 301 total confirmed coronavirus cases, 10 weeks after first infection."
