Coronavirus update: Nearly 3,000 new COVID cases in Fresno County, 200-plus in Kings
The California Department of Public Health on Saturday reported 2,725 additional COVID-19 cases in Fresno County.
The newly confirmed positive test results for the coronavirus bring Fresno County’s total infections to 52,643 since the pandemic began in March. The county’s death toll related to COVID-19 is at 557, with no additional deaths reported by county officials on Friday.
As of Saturday, Fresno County’s 14-day average positivity rate was at 23.3%, according to the state.
A total of 598 patients were in hospitals throughout the county on Saturday for COVID-19, with an increase of six patients from the prior day, according to the state’s data. There were 13 intensive care unit beds available in the county on Saturday, according to the state.
In Kings County, 202 more cases and two additional deaths were reported in the general populace Saturday. Total cases increased to 8,063, with 2,540 considered still active. There have been 89 total deaths.
The health office in Hanford breaks out into a separate category those who test positive while in state prison facilities in Avenal and Corcoran; that number rose by six to 6,434, with 2,089 active. Fourteen inmates have died.
Ambulance crews set priorities
Fresno County officials late on Friday announced ambulance crews were being told to assess patients and deny them rides to hospitals if they are not true emergencies. The measure was put in place as emergency rooms in Fresno County and neighboring Valley counties are full with coronavirus patients and other serious illnesses.
The new policy went into effect Friday night and applies to ambulance crews in Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties.
“This is precedent setting for our area,” Dan Lynch, Fresno County’s emergency medical services coordinator, told reporters Friday. “We’ve never had to get to this point in Fresno County before.”
Across Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, hospitals were treating nearly 900 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients as of Thursday, with 153 patients in intensive-care units. On Saturday, in Fresno County alone, there were nearly 600 patients hospitalized.
Cases still surging locally, and state and nationwide
A total of 1,652 new COVID-19 cases were reported across the Valley on Friday. More than 117,000 people in the region have become infected with the virus at some point since the pandemic began in March, and 1,342 of them, have died.
Across California, a total of 43,608 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday, for a total of 1,807,982 infections since the pandemic began, according to the state’s data. Statewide, there were 272 additional deaths on Saturday, for a total of 22,432 fatalities since the pandemic started.
Nationwide, at least 2,805 new coronavirus deaths and 251,343 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Friday, according to the New York Times. Over the past week, there was a 19% increase in the number of daily average cases, compared to two weeks ago.
The daily average, nationwide, for the past week was 218,619, the Times reported.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 8:41 AM.
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