Coronavirus update: Fresno adds nearly 1,300 cases as vaccine begins U.S. rollout
The California Department of Public Health reported a staggering set of new coronavirus cases in Fresno County over the weekend, adding nearly 1,300 new cases in just two days. The county tallied an additional 685 new cases on Sunday and 610 infections on Saturday, bringing the total to 43,756 since March.
Thirty-six people with COVID-19 died last week in Fresno County, the deadliest tally recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. Public health officials announced 28 of those new deaths Friday. The total number of people who have died from the disease countywide has now reached 542. The county will provide another update on the number of deaths Tuesday.
A total of 26,194 Fresno County residents have recovered.
There were 462 patients hospitalized in the county with COVID-19, of which 89 are in the ICU.
San Joaquin Valley counties remain under a regional stay-at-home order that includes Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Calaveras, Kern, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties.
Following a brutal week where the San Joaquin Valley’s intensive-care bed availability stood at 0%, conditiions improved slightly, reaching 1.5% as of Sunday, according to state data. Those numbers still represent a dangerously low threshold, as the region would need at least 15% bed availability to have its state-mandated stay-at-home restrictions lifted.
With California preparing to receive its first doses of a coronavirus vaccine, Fresno County is expected to receive at least 7,800 doses of the two-shot vaccine sometime this week and a second, potentially larger shipment at the end of the month.
California exceeds 1.5 million coronavirus cases
Across California, 33,577 new COVID-19 cases were reported over Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total to more than 1.5 million cases. About 21,043 people have died in California since the pandemic started, up by 145 as of Sunday. California is now averaging about 157 deaths per day, according to the latest numbers reported in the past week.
Over the past week, California averaged about 31,160 daily new cases, increasing by nearly 135% from two weeks ago. Hospitalizations across the state have never been higher, as more than 13,960 patients were hospitalized statewide, rising by almost 80% in the past month.
Marking what many public health experts are saying is the turning point of the ten-month pandemic, the first shipments of the drugmaker Pfizer’s approved coronavirus vaccine began distribution Monday.
California has received an initial limited supply of 327,000 doses in the first shipment, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed last week. The first round of vaccines will be distributed to healthcare workers, staff, and residents of long-term care facilities.
The Food and Drug Administration granted the vaccine’s emergency approval Friday evening after an expert advisory panel last week recommended the vaccine was safe for mass distribution. Trucks began leaving the pharmaceutical company’s Michigan manufacturing plant Sunday morning for deliveries nationally.
Once more doses are available, officials last week confirmed they would be stored at pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens, which will offer shots similar to how they provide flu vaccines.
First COVID-19 vaccinations to begin Monday
The U.S. added 184,248 new coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing the national total to more than 16.3 million cases, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
At least 1,357 new COVID-19 related deaths were also reported on Sunday. A total of 299,328 Americans have died from COVID-19. The number of deaths reported Sunday represents a 67% increase from the tally two weeks ago.
The country has averaged 210,112 daily new cases in the past week, increasing by 30% from the average 14 days ago.
The U.S. on Sunday commenced a massive coronavirus vaccine distribution effort, following federal authorities’ emergency approval of the new drug last week, The New York Times reports.
Trucks and cargo planes across the country were loaded with the first of about 300 million doses, ready to be distributed to the nation’s healthcare system. Hospitals are preparing for the arrival by setting up injection sites and meticulously tracking shipments.
On Monday afternoon, federal officials are scheduled to hold a ceremonial vaccination event to kick off the drug’s arrival by injecting five people with the vaccine to demonstrate how it will be used on healthcare workers.
Due to the limited number of early doses, most Americans will not be eligible to receive the vaccine until about late spring or early summer 2021, federal officials confirmed.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 7:59 AM.