Coronavirus update, Oct. 19: As infections climb nationally, is Fresno County improving?
As cases surge around the nation and Americans wait to hear this week whether the federal government will reach a new COVID-19 relief deal, Fresno County’s infections still seem to be heading in the right direction.
Fresno County remained in a less restrictive reopening tier last week under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The county reported five new deaths in its latest update last Friday, bringing the total death toll so far to 429.
In Fresno County, a total of 29,796 cases have been reported, with 19,612 people recovered. Hospitalizations dropped slightly on Saturday.
Local bank distributes masks
The local Bank of America branch is partnering with six nonprofits to distribute face masks to area farmworkers, low-income students and domestic violence victims.
A spokesperson said 174,000 masks and 800 bottles of 8-ounce hand sanitizer bottles will be given to the different groups. Some of the nonprofits joining in the distribution include Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Boys and Girls Club Fresno County, Central Valley Farmworker Foundation, and the Marjorie Mason Center, among others.
Bank of American has also provide half a million to Fresno and Visalia nonprofits as part of COVID-19 relief grants.
New COVID relief?
Nationally, top government leaders have been sparring over a deal for weeks, but so far, nothing has been reached as unemployment and business closures remain an issue nationwide. Speaker of the House of Representatives gave a deadline of Tuesday for a deal.
Republicans remain focused on confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, a task that has hampered decisions over coronavirus spending. President Donald Trump also has remained unclear about whether he supports a new relief bill.
Still, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tried to deliver an optimistic outlook by promising new direct payments for families larger than the $1,200 per adult and $500 per child that was delivered this spring — even as many in the GOP have pushed the idea aside, the Associated Press reported.
Winter could be ‘worst’ of COVID
The uncertain economic relief comes after a weekend where the United States saw one of its most significant increases in coronavirus cases yet, Americans are being warned that the worst of the pandemic may still lie ahead.
The warning came from Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
He told the CNN network over the weekend that the uptick in cases in the northern U.S. shows what was predicted during the fall and winter months: a rise in cases. Although, other factors like fewer restrictions may be at play.
Nationally, health officials recorded 70,450 new coronavirus cases and 900 deaths in a single day at the end of last week, according to the New York Times data of the pandemic.
In total, more than 8 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. The death toll rose to 219,000.
But as the weather cools, California is doing better than many other states.
The state has maintained a relatively flattened number of cases. As of Sunday, the state recorded 867,317 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16,943 deaths from the virus. The state reported that COVID-related deaths increased by 0.3%.
Officials say the state is avoiding a surge thanks to restrictions in place that residents have mostly followed.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 8:34 AM.
