Coronavirus updates: A ‘miracle’ recovery; Counties push for reopening with Yosemite
Fresno County added 30 new coronavirus infections in its Wednesday update, bringing the total number of cases countywide to just shy of 2,000.
While the number of new reported case across the central San Joaquin Valley remained in high double digits for the day, the region has averaged nearly 140 new cases, daily, for the past two weeks.
Tulare County added an additional 57 cases on Thursday. Across the six-county region, there are currently 5,669 positive coronavirus cases. Nearly, 2,500 people have recovered.
While the number of cases continues to grow, the number of related deaths has nearly doubled in the last 14 days.
Tulare County reported two more deaths in its Thursday update. The total number of people who have died of coronavrius in the county now stands at 92.
One-hundred forty-six people have died in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Kings counties.
Fresno councilmember says he won’t be bullied into wearing masks
Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld won’t wear a mask amid the coronavirus.
In a news conference on Thursday, he questions the validity of wearing masks and said he doesn’t like wearing a mask. Bredefeld spoke in advance of a council policy, which he said was an attempt for others on the council to bully him.
The policy, proposed by Councilmember Miguel Arias, would punish a council member who doesn’t wear a mask by removing them from committee assignments.
‘Miracle’ recovery. Patient returns home after two months
More than 2,000 people have recovered from the coronoavirus in the Valley since the pandemic hit in March.
That includes 35-year-old Sophia Zapata, who was released from Community Regional Medical Center on Wednesday after two months. While being treated for the coronavirus, Zapata suffered a stroke and was in a coma for several weeks.
Counties want to reopen with Yosemite
While Yosemite National Park is reopening Friday to those with existing permits to hike Half Dome or backpack into its High Sierra wilderness, officials are waiting for more state input before reopening to day-use visitors.
Mariposa, Madera, Mono and Tuolumne counties are hoping that will happen in tandem with the state allowing communities to reopen lodging to tourists, along with relaxing non-essential travel restrictions. County leaders sent a joint letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom this week, proposing “a larger opening, using a plan developed by the Park and approved by the Department of the Interior,” to occur “on or about June 11.”
“Yosemite feels like they are capable of opening by mid-to-late next week and we’d like to parallel that,” said Kevin Cann, chairman of the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors and a former Yosemite deputy superintendent. “Our businesses are dying.”
Fresno Mazda donates $35,000 in Essential Car Care
Throughout April and May, Fresno Mazda honored area healthcare workers with its Essential Car Care Program.
The program gave free oil changes and vehicle cleanings to more than 750 area healthcare workers. The program was developed in partnership with the Mazda Dealer Network, which invested more than $5 million in the nationwide initiative.
“Our dealerships are all about preserving the community, and that can only be done by putting people before profits. We pour our love and soul into the way we treat our customers, community and neighbors by being supportive however we can,” said Manuel Prieto, president of Prieto Automotive, which owns Fresno Mazda.
FCC, SCCCD trustees pass budget amid CA COVID-19 cuts
State Center Community College trustees passed a tentative budget on Tuesday that will allow the district to pay its employees over the summer, while waiting for more reliable numbers from the state later in the year.
Those numbers shoudl better show the scope of the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Already, officials are preparing for an estimated 10% reduction in funding for the 2020-2021 year, or about $15.4 million, according to Cheryl Sullivan, vice-chancellor of finance and administration.
The tentative budget adopted Tuesday avoids teacher layoffs and furloughs, but leaves some other jobs vacant and some hourly employees may not be rehired.
McClatchy hosts second part of virtual event series
Last week, McClatchy hosted the first of three-part series of livestream events focusing on combating the coronovirus. The series, called Bending The Curve, brings together top medical professionals, industry experts, patient advocates and policymakers in an hour-long discussion, moderated by representative from McClatchy’s 30 local newsrooms.
“This series intends to dive deeply into the critical work taking place in the medical community to end this coronavirus pandemic and move our communities and our country more quickly to a place of stability and growth” said Kristin Roberts, VP of News, McClatchy. “The conversations that our informed journalists will lead will spotlight the work of experts around the world who are working to beat COVID-19.
The second part on the series, “The Path to a Vaccine,” happens 12:30 p.m. Thursday, and will explore the current journey to a coronavirus vaccine with medical research underway and vaccine trials launched. The panel consists of Natalie Dean, Ph.D. , Bill Gruber, MD., Elizabeth McGraw, Ph.D., Jonathan Quick, MD. Idaho Statesman investigative reporter Audrey Dutton will moderate.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 8:30 AM.