Coronavirus update: Fresno nears grim milestone; latest on vaccinations, $1,400 stimulus checks
Fresno County reported 627 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total infections to 78,278 since the pandemic started.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health recorded 58 new deaths related to COVID-19 complications, totaling 904.
As of Thursday, 644 patients remained hospitalized, decreasing by 31 patients from the day before. Of the total number of hospitalizations, 94 were in the ICU as of Thursday. The number of patients in the ICU fell by 17 patients.
Just 11 ICU beds were available in hospitals throughout the county.
Nearly 1 million Californians vaccinated for COVID-19
Across California, more than 2.8 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, while at least 32,302 Californians have died, according to the state’s data. Those numbers increased by 40,865 new cases and 637 new deaths statewide.
The California Department of Public Health reported an average of 40,800 daily new cases over the past two weeks, breaking a new record for the state. Though health officials expect lower tallies like Wednesday’s 34,000 cases and Thursday’s 36,000 should bring that number down soon.
The state reported a test positivity of 12.6% in the past seven days, lower than 13.4% from the two-week average before.
California was on the brink of reaching one million COVID-19 vaccinations as of Thursday, increasing by 82,787 new injections of the drug as of Wednesday. The total now stands at 971,829 residents who have received the new vaccine.
The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals has decreased slightly, trailing just below the state’s all-time high record numbers. The state on Thursday reported 21,300 hospitalized with 4,770 in ICUs.
The number of fatalities — a figure that lags behind hospitalizations by a couple of weeks due to the time it takes for the virus to demonstrate symptoms — will likely climb for most of January. As of Thursday, the two-week daily death rate has soared from 50 on Nov. 1 to 448 based on the state’s most recent data.
The Sacramento area was the first of the four regions to lift the tight stay-at-home restrictions implemented in December. Health officials predict the Sacramento region will be above the 15% threshold to reopen the economy within the next couple of weeks.
However, the state’s two worst-hit regions — Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley — continue to report an aggregate ICU availability of 0%.
Biden proposes $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan, including $1,400 checks
The U.S. reached more than 23.3 million coronavirus cases as of Friday morning, increasing by 238,290 from the day before. The number of deaths climbed to 388,785 on Thursday, which means at least 3,973 were added based on totals from the previous day.
In the past week, there was an average of 240,199 new cases across the U.S. per day, an increase of 27% two weeks earlier.
The number of hospitalizations stood at 128,947 as of Thursday, where 23,891 patients remained in the ICU, according to data from the Covid tracking project.
On Thursday, President-elect Joseph Biden announced a $1.9 trillion rescue plan to offset the economic downturn caused by the emergence of the coronavirus, signaling a shift in the federal government’s response to the pandemic as he assumes his new role.
As part of the plan, millions of Americans would qualify for an additional stimulus payment of up to $1,400. Unemployed residents would get an extra boost of at least $400 weekly through September.
Under the current program, eligible adults either received or are scheduled to receive $600 and another $600 per dependent child. Those who qualify have an adjusted gross income at or below $75,000 per individual, $112,500 for a head of household, and $150,000 for a couple filing federal taxes jointly.
The package also includes $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, $130 billion to help schools open, and a $20 billion vaccination program, among other efforts.
In Biden’s new relief plan, he has yet to specify who exactly would qualify for the checks as of Thursday. Some officials have indicated the new plan would mirror the requirements and eligibility from the previous federal stimulus package.