Coronavirus update: Outbreak at Fresno veterans home; Tulare County hits 50 deaths

Temperatures rose in the central San Joaquin Valley over Mother’s Day weekend and some residents took the opportunity to get out of the house and into the sunshine after seven weeks of sheltering in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This, as the number of positive coronavirus cases — and related deaths — continued to grow across the six-county region. In Tulare County, the number of cases grew by more than 60 on both Saturday and Sunday, with four new deaths reported for the two days.

The county added two deaths in its Monday update, bringing the total number of death to 50.

Fresno County added 44 new positive test results in its Saturday update, bringing the county’s total to 885 confirmed cases. A total of 127 people have been hospitalized and nine people have died.

In all, the region counts nearly 2,600 confirmed cases, with more than 600 people having recovered, so far.

Sixty-five people have died.

More deaths reported at nursing facilities

Close to 30 of Tulare County’s deaths are related to an outbreak at Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Visalia, though several other nursing facilities in the county have now reported deaths among residents, including Linwood Meadows Care Center in Visalia and Sierra Valley Rehab Center in Porterville, according to state data.

The data also shows there are now coronavirus cases at the Veterans Home of California, Fresno. It is at least the fifth skilled nursing facility in Fresno County with reported COVID-19. According to the date, less than 11 health care workers at the home had the virus, as of Saturday.

A spokesperson for California Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs the 300-bed long-term care facility, said Monday morning that it will provide more information soon.

How does coronavirus rank as cause of death?

A Fresno Bee analysis of deaths attributable to coronavirus shows the disease would rank No. 7 on a top 10 list of killers of residents of the Fresno region, according to data from April 2020.

There were 51 deaths in the region attributed to the coronavirus in April, as reported by health departments in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.

That number would put COVID-19 on the list just behind Alzheimer’s disease and just ahead of diabetes, when compared to the April averages of the 10 most common causes of death reported in 2016, 2017 and 2018 in this region by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its National Center for Health Statistics.

COVID-19 letter seen on social media is a hoax

Merced County Health and Human Services agency on Monday, dispelled rumors that COVID-19 testing is mandatory for anyone receiving public assistance.

“Please be aware that there is a fake letter and other rumors circulating on social media,” county officials said in a statement. According to the letter, failure to receive a test will result in suspension of benefits. The letter also makes false claims about children being removed from homes and placed into foster care, the county said.

The letter appears to be on official letterhead from the California Department of Social Services, though the county and state have confirmed the letter is counterfeit.

The public is being asked to disregard the letter if they see it on social media.

Fresno County on track for accelerated reopening?

Local governments are working to meet the new benchmarks issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Department of Health Services for the next phase of reopening their economies.

Fresno County seemed to be currently disqualified from moving forward in any accelerated manner.

The number of new cases identified in the county through increased testing over the past two weeks was 383 as of Friday. That’s 3.7 per 10,000 residents – nearly four times higher than the state’s benchmark.

The county also had two deaths from the coronavirus over the past two weeks. The county must report no new deaths for two weeks in order to move to Stage 2 of the state’s Pandemic Roadmap.

Man detained outside the Waffle Shop

Some area businesses have decided to continue operations despite state and local orders.

Though it was closed on Monday, over the weekend, Fresno’s The Waffle Shop became a flash point in the conflict between business owners and the city’s code enforcement officers.

The restaurant had opened to dine-in customers on Thursday and received a warning from the city. Despite the warning, it was open again Friday morning, attracting a line of customers and a fine.

The fine was immediately paid by supporters. The restaurant’s dining area was closed Saturday, attributed to a plumbing problem, but it opened Mother’s Day and the restaurant received an additional $5,000 fine on Sunday, when a man was detained outside the restaurant following a scuffle with a police officer.

Police say the man, who was not identified, was briefly placed in a patrol car after he grabbed a police officer as city code enforcement officers attempted to enter the business.

The father-in-law of California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula was involved in the incident, according to Felicia Matlosz, spokeswoman for the 31st District Democrat. But Matlosz did not specify the man’s role.

Police Chief Andy Hall issued a statement saying he is reviewing video of the incident posted on Facebook, along with body camera footage from the officer.

Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, who has called Mayor Lee Brand’s shelter-in-place rules “authoritarian,” took to Facebook to criticize Sunday’s actions. “The fight to end this tyranny is just starting and we will win,” Bredefeld wrote.

Bredefeld held a press conference outside the restaurant on Monday, where the owner said he would not be able to absorb a $10,000 fine. He was fined $1,000 on Friday, which was paid by patrons.

The shop was not taking to-go orders on Monday, but may re-open Tuesday.

Downtown Businesses Partner establishes CRMC relief fund

Downtown Fresno Partnership and Downtown Fresno Foundation have partnered with Root General, Jeffrey Scott Agency and TW Patterson to create a COVID-19 relief fund.

Money raised from the fund benefits the Community Regional Medical Center.

“CRMC has provided a vital piece of our downtown community,” Jimmy Cerracchio, president and CEO of Downtown Fresno Partnership, said in a statement. “Every year, the hospital brings approximately 200,000 patients, over 5,500 employees, nearly 1,400 physicians and a large amount of visitors to the downtown Fresno area. All of these associations to the hospital and research center have long supported downtown businesses through shopping, dining, hotel stays and residency. Now, it’s our turn to support them.”

You can help by: Buying a T-shirt. Root General has designed and printed a limited run ”Unity for Community” T-shirt. The shirts are $35 and available at UnityforCommunity.org.

Becoming a sponsor. Financial donations will purchase new personal protective equipment, meals and other essentials for healthcare workers at CRMC. All donations will be tax deductible and will be made to Downtown Fresno Foundation..

Sponsoring a meal. As an alternative to larger monetary donations, community members can purchase meals to be delivered to CRMC staff by a local downtown Fresno restaurant. Those interested in sponsoring a meal can email info@downtownfresno.org.

This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 8:39 AM.