Coronavirus update: Infections climbing in Fresno as doctors brace for more deaths
The number of COVID-19 cases in Fresno County has continued to climb, rising by 816 cases to 62,251, the state Department of Public Health reported on Saturday.
Fresno County health officials have predicted the number of people infected with the highly contagious virus will likely grow as people gathered for family events and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The county and its hospitals are bracing for a rise in fatalities by bringing in refrigerated trailer units to provide additional morgue space for coronavirus victims.
The most recent statistics show the number of deaths in Fresno County due to COVID-19 has reached 646 people. Demographic data reveals that 48% of the fatalities are Latinos, 57% are male, and 74% were over 65.
The county’s test positivity rate is 30.1%, an 18.1% increase over the past 14 days.
Elsewhere in the San Joaquin Valley, the numbers are also going up.
Madera County had 223 new coronavirus cases (+2.39%) and there were 496 in Tulare County (+1.6%), 816 in Kern County (+1.4%), 241 in Merced (+1.4%), 249 in Kings County (+1.6%) and 6 in Mariposa County (+3..0%).
Statewide, the total number of cases pushed past the 2 million mark, to 2,042,290. The death toll stands at 23,947, an increase of 8.1 %.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 9:45 AM.
