Coronavirus update for Oct. 13: Today is critical for Fresno-area businesses, schools
Just two weeks after Fresno County had entered the next stage of the state’s reopening plan, the county reported a surge of new cases over two days, showing an increase of 211 cases as of Monday afternoon.
The California Department of Public Health, as of Monday, reported Fresno County had a total of 29,419 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, accruing more than 200 new cases over Sunday and Monday.
The death toll remained at 406, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. The county reports deaths twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Fresno County’s 14-day average positivity rate stood at 3.2% as of Tuesday. On average, Fresno County has reported about 7.1 new positive daily cases per 100,000, according to state data.
Statewide data showed Monday that average cases in the seven and 14-day periods in Fresno County increased to 51 and 70, respectively. A total of 98 patients were hospitalized as of Tuesday morning, a slight decrease from Monday’s reported 112. Records show 29 of those patients remained in the ICU. The state reported that a total of 19, 266 Fresno County residents have recovered.
Despite the uptick in new cases, the county remained in the red Tier 2 phase of reopening, according to California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. If the county continues to see an alarming rise in new cases, its red Tier 2 status could be revoked.
That means the county would fall back into the most restrictive purple Tier 2, where some indoor business operations in restaurants, tattoo and massage parlors, gyms, and movie theaters would have to close again.
County officials will provide a critical update on its tier status Tuesday afternoon.
The update could also affect when and how some schools reopen. Many elementary schools in Fresno and Clovis have applied for waivers to reopen, and at least some of those applications could be approved or denied today. On Monday, Clovis school officials confirmed “a small number” of cases, but couldn’t immediately say when those cases occurred.
If counties see any changes in their assigned tiers, a three-day notice will be issued to implement changes and closures.
COVID-19 cases in California, across the country
California’s total case count reached 850,028 on Monday, while a total of 16,572 people have died statewide since the pandemic first hit nearly eight months ago.
The national death toll from COVID-19 topped 214,900 as of Tuesday morning, among one of the highest reported globally, while more than 7.84 million people across the country have contracted the virus. As of Monday, 351 new COVID-19 deaths and 45,927 new cases were reported.
According to a New York Times analysis, case numbers continue to rise as massive outbreaks plague the Upper Midwest and the Rocky Mountains. National deaths continue to average at about 700 per day in October, an increase from July.
On Monday, White House officials announced President Donald Trump had tested negative for COVID-19 after testing positive and being hospitalized a little more than a week ago. Trump on Monday said he was now “immune” from the virus and said he would be willing to “kiss everyone” at a crowded rally in Florida Monday night.
“I went through it, now they say I’m immune,” Trump said Monday night. “I feel so powerful, I’ll walk into that audience. I’ll walk in there I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women.”
Also, on Monday, pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announced it would pause the clinical trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after a study participant came down with an unexplained illness as a result of taking the drug.
There have been more than 37.8 million cases and more than one million deaths worldwide, while 26.3 million people have recovered. The latest high-profile celebrity as of Tuesday morning to contract the virus was soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Portugal’s soccer federation. Ronaldo reportedly had a mild case, was doing well, and experiencing no symptoms.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 9:02 AM.