Coronavirus update: Fresno’s deadliest week, ICU bed crisis, and local businesses fined
New coronavirus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to climb in the central San Joaquin Valley, with Fresno County experiencing its deadliest week yet since the pandemic began.
Thirty-six people with COVID-19 died over the past week in Fresno County. Public health officials announced 28 of those deaths Friday.
There were 1,375 new coronavirus cases reported Friday in the Valley from Merced to Tulare counties.
The upward trend continued in new numbers posted Saturday, with 610 additional cases reported through Friday night via state and county health department websites.
In Kings County, 136 more cases in the general populace were reported Saturday. In addition, 17 more positive results for COVID-19 were reported at state correctional facilities including the Avenal and Corcoran prisons.
About 103,000 people have been infected, and 1,285 have died from the virus in the six-county region since the first coronavirus cases were reported in March.
Around 1.5 million people in California have been infected with coronavirus since the pandemic began, and more than 20,600 people have died.
ICU beds continue to dwindle in California’s San Joaquin Valley
Dwindling intensive care unit beds are a major concern and motivator behind Gov. Gavin Newsom reinstating regional stay-home orders.
ICU capacity at hospitals in the greater San Joaquin Valley Region through the weekend was listed at 0%, according to the California Department of Health.
Valleywide, hospitals were treating 755 people with coronavirus through Thursday. Forty-six other patients with suspected cases of COVID-19 were also hospitalized.
Infections and deaths within skilled nursing facilities in the Valley also continue to grow. The majority of nursing homes reported new cases over the past couple of weeks, including two large outbreaks in Fresno, accounting for around 300 new cases.
Some good news may be on the horizon: California expects to receive its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine by early next week that will be distributed to hospitals and health care workers.
Fresno business concerns during the pandemic
As more restrictions return to combat the virus, frustrations among some business owners are also mounting. The Fresno Chamber of Commerce asked the state to offer a “fact-based, data-driven and consistent approach” to pandemic restrictions during a news conference Friday.
State Sen. Andreas Borgeas recently introduced the Keep California Working Act (SB 74) that would invest $2.6 billion in grants to small businesses affected by the pandemic.
Fresno code enforcement has issued some citations to businesses for allegedly failing to comply with an emergency order aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus, including $14,000 in fines to Pumpkin Planet and at least $6,750 at the Waffle Shop.
The new stay-home restrictions for non-essential services have also put some things on hold, including a planned opening this week for Quail State, Fresno’s first rooftop bar.
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 9:05 AM.
