Merced County cases rise to 173 since start of pandemic. More businesses look to reopen
As of Monday, Merced County has reported a total of 173 total coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, according to County Public Health.
Of those, 99 individuals have recovered, 71 are still ill and three have died. No new COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the county for over four weeks.
County Public Health is now only releasing coronavirus updates once a day Monday through Friday. Merced County stood at 163 cases Friday.
A majority of the new coronavirus cases are in the City of Merced. Up six from Friday, Merced claims 56 of the total county cases.
Los Banos comes in next highest at 41 total infected residents, up three from Friday.
County Public Health only releases community-specific numbers for areas with five or more cases. Delhi, Livingston, Atwater, Winton and Gustine each make the list, although none tally more than 20 cases.
A total of 3,256 tests have been performed in Merced County so far, including tests through both the commercial and public health lab systems. Negative results account for 2,616 tests and positives 173 tests, but 467 tests are still pending.
Officials confirmed Monday that a suspicious letter circulating Merced County residents’ social media is a scam. The letter targeted those receiving state benefits, and falsely asserted that COVID-19 tests are mandatory to continue collecting those benefits.
Following numerous requests from many small business owners and concerns about the economy, Merced County officials are working toward reopening the county at a faster rate than the rest of the state.
The Board of Supervisors met for a special meeting last Friday to begin the process of submitting a readiness plan to the state. If approved, it will allow more Merced County businesses to open faster.
The county and its six cities recently launched www.reopenmercedcounty.com to provide information, resources and guidance for local businesses to reopen.
In partnership between Merced County and the California Employers Association, a webinar will take place Wednesday from 12-1 p.m for businesses. It will help business owners prepare for running their businesses under the new normal.
Business owners can register on the CEA website.
Coronavirus cases around the Valley
Stanislaus County Coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic tallied 508 Monday. At 367, over half of those individuals have recovered and 21 have died.
Fresno County health officials reported an increase of 60 cases of coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total number to 945.
Fresno County still leads the rest of the central San Joaquin Valley with total number or recoveries. Monday’s update showed six more people recovered, bringing the total of recoveries to 319.
Tulare County had 50 deaths, with two new fatalities reported Monday. The county had 1,159 positive cases; another 969 people were in self-quarantine and being monitored by health officials. The county also had 171 people who have recovered.
Kings County jumped to 287 total positive cases as of midday Monday. One person has died and 50 have recovered.
Mariposa County stands at 15 cases total. A dozen of those cases have recovered.
Merced County was at 173 cases total as of an update Monday. Three people have died and 99 have recovered.
Madera County had a total of 67 cases as of Sunday. Two people have died and 40 have recovered.
In California Monday, there are 68,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,721 deaths.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Merced County cases rise to 173 since start of pandemic. More businesses look to reopen."
