Fresno area sees big jump in coronavirus cases. ‘Work to do’ on social distancing, experts say
Fresno County reported 14 additional coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total case number to 265.
Most of Fresno’s cases were acquired through community spread and travel, according to county data.
The county’s interim health officer, Dr. Rais Vohra, amended a previous health order to clarify when people can return to work after receiving direction from Cal/OSHA. The amendment requires people with febrile respiratory symptoms to isolate for seven days minimum, and even before being tested for coronavirus.
Vohra noted Fresno County continues to see new cases even as it struggles to get enough tests.
“So it means that we have more work to do in terms of social distancing, in terms of preventing the next person getting infected,” he said.
Vohra also highlighted a new plasma donation program for people who have recovered from the coronavirus.
“Their plasma may actually contain antibodies that can be used to help other patients who are currently sick,” he said.
Community-level response
Vohra said ultimately he’d like to see COVID-19 testing available in every neighborhood.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to do that testing for patients and give them the answers about whether or not they have the COVID-19 infection in their community or neighborhood,” he said.
Ramping up that sort of testing capacity will also help prevent or identify outbreaks. But, it will take time to get there, he said.
Vohra said it’s important to make sure communities that speak another language other than English have access to accurate and educational information. That’s something Dr. Elieth Martinez with UCSF Fresno has been working toward.
Martinez mainly has focused on spreading the word to the Spanish-speaking community. She participated in a Facebook Live townhall meeting in partnership with Fresno City Councilmemver Esmeralda Soria and Univision. She’s also working with the public health department to create short commercials in Spanish about hand washing and wearing masks.
Other ways to prepare
Dr. Patrick Macmillan, also with UCSF Fresno, stressed the importance of including a palliative care team early on for patients, even in outpatient situations.
He’s encouraging primary care doctors to talk with their patients about palliative care and whether people have advanced directives or a power of attorney. Doing that helps relieve patients’ family members of making tough decisions during an emotional time, he said.
“A lot of those simple conversations are so much easier when there’s not a lot of pressure or emotional stress that is occurring at the time when people are making life and death types of decisions,” he said.
Other counties
Central San Joaquin Valley counties reported the largest jump in cases on Wednesday since the region’s first reported case March 7 in Madera County. The five counties reported a total of 73 new cases. The previous daily high was 67, set Tuesday.
In Madera County, no new cases were reported on Wednesday. The county has had 33 total cases.
Tulare County reported two more deaths on Wednesday. Both patients were over 65 years old and contracted the disease at Redwood Springs, a Visalia nursing home, which has become the source of a large outbreak. Tulare County reported 352 positive cases total including 56 new cases Wednesday. The county also confirmed a new outbreak at Lindsay Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility where 11 patients have tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus.
Kings County tallied 13 total cases as of Wednesday morning’s daily report. So far one Kings County resident has died from COVID-19.
Merced County officials reported that the county is devoting $3.5 million to the care and shelter of the homeless population due to the coronavirus pandemic. The county reported two new cases Wednesday for a total of 76.
In its daily update Wednesday afternoon the California Department of Public Health said statewide there were 24,424 confirmed cases and 821 deaths.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 4:42 PM.