Coronavirus update: Fresno cases grow, Newsom weighs relief that would help undocumented
The California Department of Public Health added another 1,100 positive COVID-19 cases to Fresno County’s tally on Wednesday, bringing the total to 70,971 cases since the pandemic first hit.
Of those, at least 711 have died as of last week, according to health officials. County health officials have not updated the number of deaths since New Year’s Day.
About 832 Fresno County residents have reported getting sick every day for the past week. The case rate is currently doubling approximately every 55 days. A total of 5,822 new cases were reported in the past seven days.
A total of 695 people were hospitalized in Fresno hospitals as of Wednesday, of which 122 were in the ICU. Just six intensive care unit beds were available in a county of nearly one million residents.
The hospital bed shortage remains the worst in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, where the state has reported 0% hospital intensive care unit availability for more than two weeks.
California reports average of 37,000 coronavirus cases a day
Just a few days into 2021, California is reporting some of the highest COVID-19 numbers of the 10-month health crisis. Public health experts fear the combination of Christmas and New Year’s Eve gatherings will continue to drive the case rate up even higher through mid-January.
Cases have poured in at an average of more than 37,000 a day in the past two weeks, which totals to more than a quarter-million every week. The daily case rate was about 4,300 a day at the start of November.
An average of about 291 California residents have been dying every day in the past two weeks, nearly quadrupling the average of 73 reported one month earlier.
Statewide, 22,820 COVID-19 patients were in hospital beds as of Wednesday, including 4,731 in intensive care units.
Gavin Newsom weighs possible new COVID-19 relief bill
To curb the pandemic’s devastating economic impact, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he is pushing a new state-funded financial relief bill that would provide an additional $600 in aid for low-income families and extend California’s eviction moratorium.
The $2.4 billion proposal, which he’s named the “Golden State Stimulus,” would provide relief in addition to the national stimulus package passed by federal lawmakers last month. The bill mirrors the federal stimulus package’s eligibility requirements, which gives $600 to people making less than $75,000.
But unlike the federal bill, undocumented residents and mixed-status families would also qualify if the state Legislature approves the proposal. Families with children would receive another $600 payment for each child under 17.
People who receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit, a credit for families earning less than $30,000, are also eligible. About 3.9 million households applied for the tax credit last year, according to state officials.
Newsom’s plan is one of several emergency measures he is proposing to revive the economy, which has ravaged small businesses and low-income workers. The proposal would allocate about $1 billion in aid for small businesses and about $2 billion to fund reopening schools earlier for in-person instruction.
The Legislature is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the new measure.
More than 21.4 million Americans infected with COVID-19
Nationally, the number of coronavirus cases exceeded 21.4 million as of Wednesday, up by 255,730 from the day before. A total of 361,382 Americans have died from the deadly disease, up by 3,963 on Wednesday. An average of 230,610 cases have been reported over the past week.
There were at least 132,476 hospitalizations in American hospitals, where 23,707 were in the ICU.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday announced a new federal program that would prioritize high-risk groups, including the elderly and frontline workers for a new round of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The vaccines would be distributed to at least 19 large pharmacy chains and associations, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Costco, The New York Times reports. Some states have already begun administering vaccines at pharmacies, primarily to healthcare workers and some seniors over 65.
Each state will decide which high-risk groups would be prioritized. About 40,000 pharmacies nationwide have already enrolled to participate in the program.