COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations fall in Fresno County. Deaths still at a troubling pace
The average number of new coronavirus cases surfacing each day from testing in Fresno County has plunged by half in just the past two weeks, an indicator that the overall COVID-19 situation may be improving.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health reported 213 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Fresno County. Over the past seven days, the average number of new cases each day was 470. On Jan. 14, the average for the prior seven days was more than double, at 982 cases per day.
With only a few days left in January, more than 21,500 infections have been reported this month in Fresno County. That’s about one-quarter of all of the coronavirus infections that have been confirmed since the first case was confirmed in the county in early March 2020.
No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported by the Fresno County Department of Public Health by mid-afternoon Thursday. So far this week, however, 79 fatalities were attributed to the virus by health officials, and of the total of 1,122 lives lost to the coronavirus since last spring, 411 have been reported in January.
Vaccination efforts
The recent declines in the average number of daily cases come as Fresno County strives to increase its ability to provide vaccinations to residents, despite receiving only about one-third of the doses that have been requested in recent weeks. The first shots were given to hospital workers – doctors, nurses, technicians and others who are most directly exposed to sick COVID-19 patients – a few days before Christmas.
Over recent weeks, the county health department operated a mass-vaccination site at the Fresno Fairgrounds, where it could give shots to about 1,500 people per day – a combination of health-care workers, first-responders and senior citizens. With a shortage of vaccines, however, this week’s public clinic at the fairgrounds was put on hold, leaving some people who had received their first doses of the two-shot regimen wondering how they would sign up for the second dose.
This week, health officials began calling, emailing or texting those who are due for their second dose in the next week or two to confirm a time for them to get the shot.
Around the Valley
Valley counties that had provided coronavirus case updates by mid-afternoon Thursday were:
Kings County: 116 new cases, 20,392 to date; eight additional deaths, 169 to date. Almost 7,100 of the county’s infections, and 17 deaths, have been among inmates at state prisons in Corcoran and Avenal.
Madera County: 85 new cases, 14,165 to date; no additional deaths, 175 to date.
Mariposa County: No new cases, 358 to date; no additional deaths, 5 to date.
Merced County: 204 new cases, 26,038 to date; 10 additional deaths, 349 to date.
Tulare County: 222 new cases, 44,257 to date; 11 additional deaths, 573 to date.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 3:45 PM.
