How deadly is COVID-19 compared to other causes of death among Fresno area residents?
More residents of the central San Joaquin Valley lost their lives to coronavirus disease in May 2020 than to stroke, lung diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes or other major health concerns, ranking it among the leading causes of death in the region compared to May averages from recent years.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, was responsible for 81 deaths across the Valley, and all but nine of those were in Fresno and Tulare counties.
The combined death toll from COVID-19 last month across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties would land it squarely behind three of the deadliest May killers averaged from 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the region: heart disease, cancer and accidental death, and ahead of stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
In Tulare County, which has the second-highest rate of deaths per capita from coronavirus among California’s 58 counties, the disease was responsible for 44 deaths in May. COVID-19 claimed 28 lives in Fresno County. Compared to the May averages from 2016-2018, the virus ranks third behind heart disease and cancer in Tulare County, and sixth in Fresno County.
While the vast majority of the fatalities in the Valley are in Fresno and Tulare counties, each of the six counties has at least one death. And the number of deaths appears to be accelerating. The 81 deaths in May was a 59% increase from April, when the coronavirus was blamed for killing 51 people.
April’s deaths averaged out to 1.7 deaths per day in the region, while May’s daily average was 2.6. Through the first four days of June, 15 deaths were reported, for an average of 3.75 deaths each day.
The toll among seniors
Many of the Valley’s deaths have been among people ages 65 and older, driven in part by significant casualties among residents of skilled nursing facilities in Fresno and Tulare counties. There are 70 skilled nursing centers licensed by the state in the six-county region, and the state Department of Health Services reports that eight nursing homes have lost patients to COVID-19, including 29 at Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Visalia and 22 at Dycora Transitional Health - Fresno.
Six more nursing homes have deaths numbering fewer than 11 each – the threshold under which the state does not release details because of potential patient privacy issues.
Of the 70 nursing homes in the Valley, 13 have reported coronavirus cases among their residents, and 25 have had at least some members of their staff test positive for the coronavirus, as well, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Statewide deaths
Statewide, nearly 2,200 deaths were attributed to the coronavirus in May, more than any other cause except heart disease and cancer. Since the first death in the state was reported in early March, more than 4,400 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in California.
Among Valley counties, only the Fresno County Department of Public Health is reporting the race or ethnicity of victims who have died. As of June 2, 21 victims have been Hispanic/Latino, while 11 others are white and three were not determined.
Across California, Latinos have counted for 1,665 deaths, followed by 1,416 white victims, 619 Asians and 424 black or African American victims.
