New Fresno-area coronavirus cases drop to one of the lowest totals in months
The number of new coronavirus infections reported Thursday across the central San Joaquin Valley dipped to one of the lowest midweek totals in months.
With Kings County still to report, the other Valley counties — Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare — collectively saw only 130 new cases of COVID-19. That’s the lowest one-day total, except for weekends when several counties don’t provide updates, since early June.
The number of new cases each day over the past week averaged about 261 as of Thursday. That daily average is less than half what it was just two weeks ago, and less than a quarter of the average of almost 1,183 cases about a month ago.
In Fresno County, 69 new confirmed COVID-19 infections were reported Thursday – the seventh time in the past 10 days that the number of cases has been fewer than 100. That’s something that hasn’t happened since mid-June, when the volume of new cases each day rose above 100 and stayed there, often exceeding 200, 300 or even 400 new infections per day.
The volume of coronavirus patients being treated in Valley hospitals also continued to tumble after peaking about a month ago. As of Wednesday, 195 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections were in hospitals across the region, according to the state Department of Public Health. It’s the first time that the number has dropped to fewer than 200 since late June.
Similarly, Fresno County hospitals were treating 100 confirmed COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday — the lowest figure since June 24. That includes 31 seriously ill patients in intensive-care units at county hospitals.
Across the Valley
Thursday’s updates from Valley counties included:
Fresno County: 69 new cases Thursday, 27,381 to date; no additional deaths, 348 to date; 16,307 people recovered. Fresno County only updates its figures for deaths and recoveries on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Kings County: No update as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday. On Wednesday evening, county health officials reported a cumulative total of 7,158 cases to date, including 77 deaths, and 4,722 people recovered. More than 3.070 cases are associated with state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
Madera County: 3 new cases Thursday, 4,270 to date; no additional deaths, 58 to date; 3,724 people recovered.
Mariposa County: No new cases Thursday, 75 to date; no additional deaths, 2 to date; 71 people recovered.
Merced County: 27 new cases Thursday, 8,719 to date; no additional deaths, 131 to date; no update on recoveries.
Tulare County: 31 new cases Thursday, 15517 to date; 1 additional death, 256 to date; 14,804 people recovered.
Across the Valley, more than 63,000 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus at some point since the first confirmed local cases of the virus were confirmed in early March. That includes 872 Valley residents who lost their lives to COVID-19.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 5:23 PM.
