San Benito County Public Health officials are reporting the number of new Covid-19 cases are still on the rise, including another death in their latest newsletter.
As of Dec. 17, the county reported a 23rd death of the novel coronavirus in San Benito County. It’s the first death reported since Dec. 15 and the seventh fatality reported this month.
The county’s Covid-19 dashboard shows that there are 2,687 confirmed cases and currently 450 active cases, including 45 new cases as of Thursday, Dec. 17. It also shows that 10 people are hospitalized within the county, with two of those in the intensive care unit.
Confirmed cases include patients who have since recovered and those who are deceased. There’s been 22,582 tested for the novel coronavirus locally. Of these, 19,860 have tested negative and 2,214 patients have recovered.
The data from the Public Health Services’ latest community newsletter shows that of the 2,538 positive cases of Covid-19, 87 patients are in the 0-4 age group; 685 are in the 5-24 age group; 1,189 are in the 25-49; 506 patients are in the 50-64 age group; and 219 are age 64 or older.
The newsletter also shows that San Benito County continues to be at the most restricted purple “widespread” risk level as of Dec. 17. The county, according to state data, had a case rate of 54.7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of 13.9 percent from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5.
These numbers are beyond the “widespread” risk level factors for each county, which is more than seven daily new cases per 100,000 residents, and a positivity rate of more than 8 percent.
The statewide data shows 63.9 daily new cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of 11.3 percent from Nov. 29 to Dec.5.
At a minimum, counties must remain in a tier for at least three weeks before moving forward from the purple “widespread” tier to the red “substantial” tier after meeting the criteria of the less restrictive level for 14 consecutive days.
The limits for the “substantial” tier are no more than 4 to 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents, and a positivity rate between 5-8 percent.
