Coronavirus updates, Oct. 27: Fresno County adds more cases. Are more restrictions ahead?
Fresno County on Monday had almost 400 new confirmed COVID-19 infections since Friday, putting progress made at risk — plus possibly triggering a reassignment to the most restrictive level for reopening.
A total of 106 new county infections were reported Monday by California Department of Public Health. That followed a tally of 162 new infections reported Sunday, the highest one-day increase since early September.
On Saturday, 119 new infections were reported.
Over the past seven days, an average of more than 115 new coronavirus cases were reported daily in Fresno County. The county’s total number of cases stands at 30, 858.
A total of 436 Fresno County patients have died since the pandemic’s onset in March. Fresno County reports COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Fresno County remains in the red Tier 2 of the state’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy, allowing more businesses to reopen with restrictions in place. County tier assignments are evaluated every Tuesday.
On Sept. 29, Fresno County was able to move up from purple Tier 1, which is the most restrictive level on the four color-coded tiers.
To remain in Tier 2, a county must maintain an average rate of seven or fewer new cases per day for every 100,000 residents. If a county misses that mark for two consecutive weeks, the state can put the county back into purple Tier 1, forcing a retreat from those indoor operating expansions for businesses.
Under Tier 2, restaurants can offer indoor dining at up to 25% capacity, churches can hold indoor services with the lesser of up to 100 people or 25% capacity, and gyms can reopen indoors at up to 10% capacity.
A requirement to remain in Tier 2 is that Fresno County’s adjusted case rate is 7.0 cases per 100,000 people. In the state’s most recent update last week, Fresno County’s adjusted case rate was reported at 7.3 new daily cases per 100,000 residents for the week ending Oct. 10.
On Friday, county officials told reporters they had to brace themselves for a possible fall back into Tier 1.
Statewide
Across California, there were a total of 901, 010 cases reported Monday, representing an increase of 2,981 infections statewide.
California on Monday reported an additional 12 fatalities related to COVID-19, according to state data. The death toll from COVID-19 in the state now stands at 17, 357.
The 7-day positivity rate statewide is 3.2% and the 14-day positivity rate is 2.8%, according to the state. The state says that as the number of cases continue to increase, so will those who will have serious outcomes.
Across the country
The country has averaged about 71,000 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, representing the highest number of any seven-day stretch during the pandemic, according to the New York Times.
On Monday, there were more than 73,000 new cases reported across the country, and the outlook continues to get bleaker. More than 20 states are reporting cases at or near record levels, according to the New York Times.
The Upper Midwest and Mountain West continue to see the worst of the latest surge based on a per-capita basis, the paper reported.
Texas has surpassed California with the most number of cases, with at least 916,000 cases since the pandemic began, according to the New York Times.
The latest surges across the country have prompted business curfews in some areas, and field hospitals have opened up as well to accommodate the increase of patients.
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