At least 51 at Turlock nursing home test positive for coronavirus | Local coronavirus updates

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Here are the latest updates on coronavirus and how local governments are responding to the illness, with a focus on California for Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26.

CALIFORNIA STATUS UPDATE

The California Department of Public Health reports:

• Confirmed cases: 42,164 (As of April 26).
• 1,710 deaths 
• 22 state and county labs processing tests for COVID-19.
• Click here for complete information on coronavirus, unemployment, and more from the state of California.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS 

• Turlock nursing home has at least 51 positive for coronavirus: A Turlock nursing home has at least 51 positive cases of coronavirus among its staff and residents, with more than 200 tests still pending. 34 residents have tested positve and 17 staff members have tested positive so far. On April 22, the Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center announced they were testing their whole staff and all of their residents after three of their residents and three of their staff tested positive for the virus. 87 test results are still pending for residents and 115 test results are pending for staff. The center is now devoting a wing of their facility specifically for coronavirus related care and another wing for residents who tested negative for the virus.
• Overcrowding could soon make one California beach off limits: Overcrowding at some California beaches and parks has given local officials second thoughts about keeping them open next weekend at the risk of reversing progress made in slowing the spread of the coronavirus and causing a deadly surge of cases. City officials in Newport Beach called on Sunday for a special meeting to consider shutting beaches for everybody in the next few weekends. A spring heat wave lured tens of thousands people there, and residents compared the crowd size to something typically seen on July 4. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti acknowledged the sunshine is tempting, but he urged people to stay home to save lives.
  
• 6 coronavirus cases at Turlock nursing home: A Turlock nursing home confirmed six positive cases of coronavirus split among their staff and residents. On April 22, the Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center announced on their website that three of their staff and three of their residents tested positive for the virus. The nursing home says they intend to test all 123 residents once they notify them and their families.
• A lingering heat wave lured people to California beaches, rivers and trails, prompting warnings from officials that defiance of stay-at-home orders could reverse progress and bring the coronavirus surging back. Grass Valley and Pioneer Park in Nevada City were both re-opened to the public in limited capacity. Only the trails of both parks are open, all other park facilities including bathrooms, playgrounds and BBQ areas remain closed. Thousands packed the sand at Newport Beach, where residents compared weekend crowds to July 4 and lifeguards reminded people to stay apart. Los Angeles beaches, trails and playgrounds were closed, and officers on horseback were patrolling to enforce social distancing rules.
  
• The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline fell 9 cents over the past two weeks, to $1.93 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says prices at the pump have dropped 61 cents over the past nine weeks and 80 cents since mid-October. She says prices are expected to continue their slide as demand declines amid widespread stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic. The highest average price in the nation for regular-grade gas is $3.13 per gallon in Honolulu. The lowest average is $1.30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prices in the Sacramento region have dipped below the $2 mark.
  
• The number of confirmed cases in Sacramento grew from 1,019 to 1,025 from Friday to Saturday. The total number of deaths did not increase, still sitting at 41. The majority of the cases in the county (446) are people between the ages of 18 and 49.
  
• The Sacramento City Unified School District [SCUSD] will start to track student engagement as part of its distance learning plan. For students who have been unaccounted for or disengaged during the district's distance learning period, the district will reach out to the students, "to check on their academic, social and emotional needs." The Student Engagement Surveys will help the district learn which students are in need of services and support or where contact has not yet been established.
• Californians will be tempted to hit beaches, golf courses and trails in the midst of a spring heat wave this weekend, but authorities are warning people not to swarm them for fear of igniting another deadly coronavirus surge. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 80s and 90s from Sacramento to San Diego. While most recreational areas remain shuttered for weeks under various stay-at-home orders, officials fear those still open will draw crowds that will ignore social distancing rules. Those rules are praised for slowing the rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. 

OUR MISSION: FACTS NOT FEAR

Coronavirus Background

According to the CDC, coronavirus (COVID-19) is a family of viruses that is spreadable from person to person. Coronavirus is believed to have been first detected in a seafood market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. If someone is sick with coronavirus, the symptoms they may show include mild to severe respiratory illness, cough, and difficulty breathing.

Currently, there is no vaccine; however, the CDC suggests the following precautions, along with any other respiratory illness:

1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Stay home when you are sick.
4. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
5. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
6. Wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

WHY HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE SO CONCERNED

Some people have compared the low overall death toll to the flu's high annual death toll in the United States as a reason not to be concerned about COVID-19, however, doctors and health officials are concerned for three main reasons:

1. Some people have built up immunity to the flu, but few have immunity to COVID-19 version of coronavirus. 
2. Both the flu and COVID-19 are spread by droplets, but COVID-19 might be spread in the air. Scientists are researching exactly how COVID-19 spreads.
3. The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public where social distancing measures would be difficult to maintain, like at a grocery store or pharmacy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STIMULUS PACKAGE: 

• CARES Act suspends student loans for 6 months
• Stimulus Bill Checks: Watch out for of these scams
• Stimulus check calculator: See how much you'll likely be getting
• Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes

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