COVID-19 cases top 62,000 in Fresno and nearby counties. Tables show how they’re trending
The number of coronavirus cases associated with state prisons in Kings County climbed to more than 3,000 over the weekend, as the number of confimed COVID-19 infections across the central San Joaquin Valley continued to edge higher in recent days.
In Fresno County, more than 400 new confirmed cases were reported by the California Department of Health Care Services since Friday, pushing the total number of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at some point since March to more than 27,000.
More than half of those residents – about 15,300 – are considered recovered from the virus based on not showing any symptoms for a period of time after their positive test results.
The total of 27,196 cases in Fresno County includes 337 people who died because of the virus, based on causes of death listed on death certificates through Friday. the Fresno County Department of Public Health updates its reports of deaths only on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Since the first local cases from the global COVID-19 pandemic surfaced in early March, the number of confirmed infections across the six-county Valley region of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties has grown to more than 62,000, and the region’s death toll from the virus and the respiratory disease it causes stands at 850.
Monday’s updates include:
Fresno County: 134 new cases reported on Saturday, 159 on Sunday and 120 on Monday by the state’s health department, for a cumulative total of 27,196; no additional deaths, 337 to date; 15,307 people recovered.
Madera County: 18 new cases on Saturday, 31 on Sunday and 27 on Monday, for a cumulative 4,226 cases to date; no additional deaths, 58 to date; 3,654 people recovered.
Merced County: 75 new cases since Friday, 8,616 to date; two additional deaths, 129 to date; recoveries not reported.
Tulare County: 156 new cases since Friday, 15,270 to date; four additional deaths, 251 to date; 1,4556 people recovered.
Kings County: 86 new cases since Friday, 7,125 to date; one additional death, 77 to date; 4,642 people recovered. Cases associated with state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran account for 3,062 of Kings County’s cases and six deaths.
Region trend
The case-count trends in Fresno County and its neighboring Valley counties continue to decline after peaking a month ago. The region has seen an average of 303 cases each day over the past week. That compares to Aug. 16, when the seven-day average of daily new cases reached 1,182.
In Fresno County, the seven-day average of new cases as of Monday was just under 104 per day. That’s down from almost 500 per day in the seven days ending Aug. 20.
2021 World Ag Expo canceled
Organizers at the International Agri Center in Tulare announced Monday that they are canceling the 2021 edition of their hallmark event, the World Ag Expo, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“After working with the Tulare County Health Department and other officials, it has become evident that given health and safety restrictions from the State of California, holding a live, international event is not responsible in February,” International AgriCenter CEO Jerry Sinift said in a statement Monday announcing the cancellation.
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 29 million people worldwide and claimed almost 926,000 lives. Since the pandemic erupted in late 2019 and earlier this year, the United States has the greatest number of cases at more than 6.5 million and almost 195,000 deaths, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The show, which features farm equipment and technology each February, attracts an average of about 100,000 visitors and 1,500 exhibitors from around the world. This is the first time in the show’s history that it has been canceled. The 2020 event was the 53rd annual edition.
1-hour drive-thru test site opens
A company promising to deliver COVID-19 test results in an hour has opened a drive-thru testing site in the parking lot of the Fashion Fair shopping center on Shaw Avenue between Fresno and First streets.
Covid Clinic began offering several different types of coronavirus testing on Monday at the Fresno site, including Quidel Corporation’s Sofia SARS Antigen test for which results can be available in 60 minutes, said Dr. Matthew Abinante, an Orange County physician and founder of Covid Clinic.
The company operates 10 other drive-thru testing sites, all in Southern California. In Fresno, the hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All testing is by appointment only. People who want to be tested need to register for an appointment at covidclinic.org.
The cost for the 60-minute Rapid COVID-19 test is $150, according to the company’s website, and must be paid up front by the patient. It’s then up to the patient to seek reimbursement from their insurance provider.
Two other tests are offered: a viral RNA test which has the greatest degree of accuracy for detecting the novel coronavirus, but for which test results take three to seven days; and a COVID-19 antibody test for people who don’t feel sick but want to learn if they have previously been infected and recovered from the virus.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 5:03 PM.
