Coronavirus
‘COVID-19 is here.’ Fresno County declares state of emergency in response to coronavirus
Fresno County declared a state of emergency Sunday after health officials confirmed a second case of coronavirus and await results from dozens of tests.
“I can unequivocally tell you that COVID-19 is here,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer for Fresno County Department of Public Health. “The labs will be starting to come back, and we are going to see more and more positive test results in our county. These numbers are going to go up, possibly dramatically.”
The second person to test positive with coronavirus was a middle-aged man who traveled outside the country. He’s recovering in isolation at home, Vohra said. Health officials are investigating the case trace the patient’s contacts and contain any fallout, Vohra said. The patient was tested several days ago, and the county received the positive test results Saturday morning.
Vohra also provided an update on the county’s first coronavirus patient: that person is recovering and none of their family members show signs of symptoms. While Vohra couldn’t confirm the patient tested negatively, he could confirm the patient hasn’t tested positive again.
Fewer than 60 Fresno County residents have submitted swabs for testing, and 50-75 people are being monitored after they returned from travel. While Fresno County doesn’t have a lab that can test the swabs, the county has multiple labs available to send samples to, said David Pomaville, director of Fresno County Public Health Department.
One person with coronavirus on average could infect two or three others.
Declaring a state of emergency will give the county flexibility in managing its approximately 7,000 employees, many of whom have families affected by the school closures, Pomaville said. Later on, the declaration could also help the county apply for any funding relief. So far, costs incurred because of the coronavirus pandemic mostly amount to overtime pay, Pomaville said.
Vohra spent the weekend helping test people for COVID-19 out of an emergency clinic that was set up outside a medical facility. Test results for those patients will return in several cases.
‘Social distancing’
While the risk of contracting the virus remains low for many Fresno County residents, health officials recommended people prepare for “social distancing.” That means avoiding social gatherings of 250 people or more for people with low risk. More vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, it’s best to avoid gatherings bigger than 10 people.
It’s important to face the pandemic, and the public health department is ready to deal with and manage it, Vohra said.
“I’m confident we will rise to this occasion,” he said.
While Mayor Lee Brand attended the news conference where county officials gave updates, he did not make any announcements for the city of Fresno. Those will come Monday, he said.
Health officials also addressed the public anxiety and stress about the epidemic.
Dawan Utech, director of Fresno County Behavioral Health, said it’s important to establish trusted resources, such as information from the county’s health departments. It’s important for everyone to do their part to prevent the spread by practicing social distancing, she said.
“We know that keeping your mental health well is important in countering physical health issues, too,” she said.
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