Coronavirus update: Fresno County adds 234 cases, state surpasses 1 million
The California Department of Public Health on Saturday reported Fresno County has added 234 cases of the coronavirus, pushing the county total to 33,693 since the pandemic began in March.
California on Saturday surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases.
Fresno County added more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases in the past seven days, with county officials on Friday recommending families should consider canceling Thanksgiving plans.
The county’s 14-day average positivity rate increased by 1.8% on Saturday for a 6.7% 14-day average, according to the state’s data.
The number of patients hospitalized in Fresno County, and those in intensive care units also increased on Saturday. A total of 147 patients were hospitalized, representing an increase of eight patients from the prior day. Twenty-two of them were in intensive care units, accounting for an increase of seven patients from the prior day, according to the state’s data.
On Friday, Fresno County added 172 additional COVID-19 infections. Three new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported Friday, bringing the county’s death toll to 459.
In the past week, the county saw an average of 200 new cases per day, compared to 106 new daily infections the prior week.
Across California, the number of cases has been significantly increasing as well.
On Saturday, the state added 9,875 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,008,377 infections since the pandemic started, according to the state’s data. The state reported an additional 81 deaths, bringing the total to 18,218.
Statewide, there were a total of 3,531 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Saturday, with 955 of them in intensive care units, according to the state’s data.
“We are experiencing the same surge that the rest of the state is experiencing,” Dr. Rais Vohra, the county’s interim health officer, told reporters Friday. “It’s a fragile time. It’s a time when we need to take the precautions very seriously to make sure we have minimal loss of life and minimal suffering throughout our county.”
During the Friday briefing with reporters, Vohra said families should plan ahead for Thanksgiving. He said families should have a safe holiday by celebrating over Zoom, testing for COVID-19 and quarantining before and after their travel, having their celebrations outdoors, or canceling gatherings altogether.
California, Oregon, and Washington state on Friday issued travel advisories advising against out-of-state travel and for anyone arriving from other states or countries to quarantine for two weeks.
Across the nation, the number of coronavirus cases as of Saturday morning stood at 10.8 million infections, with 181,194 reported on Friday, alone, according to the New York Times.
The country has averaged 140,984 new cases per day over the past week, representing a 76% increase from the average two weeks prior, the paper reported.
On Friday, a total of 1,389 COVID-19 deaths were reported nationwide, bringing the nation’s death toll to at least 244,200, according to the paper.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 8:36 AM.
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