Fresno-area COVID-19 cases fall, officials scramble to address multiple disasters
The California Department of Public Health reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 in Fresno County on Wednesday, which brings the county total to 26,640.
That’s the lowest daily increase in Fresno since mid-June.
However, officials have warned of a coming spike of positive COVID-19 cases, after reports of large gatherings over the long Labor Day weekend around the nation.
“We know this is a fragile situation and there are a lot of other challenges our county is facing, so nobody is taking a break or relaxing around here, but we do think we’re moving in a good direction,” said Fresno County Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra.
The county was preparing to open influenza vaccination clinics after Labor Day weekend. Instead, the Creek Fire burning in the Sierra National Forest became a priority for the county’s officials, authorities said during an online news conference Wednesday.
Vohra said that if the positive coronavirus case trend continues, Fresno will be in good shape to move up from the purple to red tier on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system.
That would be good news, allowing the county to reopen some of the sectors that are now closed. If Fresno County moved to the second-stage red tier and stayed there for two weeks, the state would allow local officials to decide whether to reopen schools.
Under the purple designation, many indoor businesses, deemed non-essential by the state, remain closed.
To enter the red stage, however, the county will need to lower its rate of new cases from the current level of 12.4 per 100,000 residents to seven or fewer.
As daily cases have declined, so too have the number of people hospitalized for treatment of confirmed COVID-19 cases at hospitals in Fresno County. As of Sept. 8, Fresno had 145 confirmed cases in hospitals, including 33 patients in intensive care units. The hospitals also have an additional 23 suspected cases, including three in an ICU, according to the state health department.
Valleywide, the state confirmed that 283 people were hospitalized, including 63 in ICUs; as well as 45 suspected cases in hospitals, including four in ICUs.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health reported 14 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total number of lives lost to COVID-19 in the pandemic to 326. The county reports deaths on Tuesdays and Fridays.
On average, the county reported about 193.4 new positive test results for coronavirus each day over the past two weeks.
The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday morning reported the smallest one-day increase in new, lab-positive COVID-19 cases statewide in almost four months: 1,616, the lowest tally dating back to May 18.
Around the Valley
Other updates Wednesday from Valley counties included:
Madera County: 39 new cases reported Wednesday, 4,064 cumulative to date; no additional deaths, 58 to date; 3,600 people recovered.
Mariposa County: No new cases reported Wednesday; 74 to date; no additional deaths, two to date; 70 people recovered.
Merced County: 25 new cases reported Wednesday, 8,440 to date; two additional deaths, 125 to date; 7,565 people recovered.
Tulare County: 151 new cases reported Wednesday, 14,967 to date; no additional deaths, 246 to date; 14,140 people recovered.
Kings County: 14 new cases reported Wednesday, 6,894 cumulative cases to date, including 76 deaths; 4,550 people recovered. More than 2,900 of the cases and six deaths are connected to prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 5:38 PM.
