Coronavirus update: On day hospitalizations go down in most counties, Fresno goes up
The number of patients in California hospitals and intensive care units with COVID-19 has declined at a steady pace over the past month, and it fell again on Tuesday in several counties in the San Joaquin Valley.
Fresno County, however, was not one of them.
The county department of public health reported the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals had jumped by 27 to 508 and the number of patients in ICUs had increased by 23 to 96.
The 31.5% daily increase in ICU patients was by far the largest in the San Joaquin valley and higher than more populous counties in the state, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In Kings County there were six additional patients hospitalized with COVID-19 for a total of 90 and one in the ICU for a total of 10.
In Madera County the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals fell by seven to 44 and there were no new patients in ICUs with a total of 14.
In Merced County the number of patients and ICU patients fell by one to totals of 38 and 18.
And, in Tulare County the number of patients hospitalized dropped by seven to 142 and in ICUs by two to 22.
Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties on Tuesday all reported a decline in COVID-19 patients in hospitals and in ICUs, as did Riverside, Ventura, Sacramento and Alameda counties.
There were 420 new confirmed coronavirus cases in Fresno County with a total of 89,272. The number of deaths in the county increased by 12 to 1,185, according to a late afternoon update.
The latest update from the CDPH in the Central San Joaquin Valley …
Kings County
- 37 new cases; 20,746 total
- 7-day average 97; 14-day 106
- 6 new deaths; 177 total
Madera County
- 76 new cases; 14,572 total
- 7-day average 72; 14-day 81
- 0 new deaths; 175 total
Mariposa County
- 0 new cases; 344 total
- 7-day average 2; 14-day 2
- 0 new deaths; 5 total
Merced County
- 60 new cases; 26,282 total
- 7-day average 157; 14-day 168
- 4 new deaths; 354 total
Tulare County
- 129 new cases; 44,569 total
- 7-day average 206; 14-day 241
- 10 new deaths; 598 total
Statewide there were 12,064 new confirmed coronavirus cases, well below the 7-day and 14-day averages of 16,798 and 19,557. On the first day of 2021, there were 53,341 new COVID-19 cases reported.
The number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. is up to 26,435,563, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with 446,885 deaths.
COVID-19 vaccination plan still a mystery
The Biden administration said on Tuesday that pharmacies around the nation would start administering coronavirus vaccines later this month and CVS told the Sacramento Bee that 100 of its stores in the state would start scheduling vaccinations on Feb. 9.
But one week after state officials said it was partnering with Blue Shield of California to create a centralized vaccine system, maximizing the speed COVID-19 vaccines are made available across the state, there is no clear plan how its age-based vaccination system will work.
A letter of intent signed by the state released on Monday shows the specifics of the program have not been finalized, according to the Associated Press.
CVS officials said in a press release that the public can go to its website to enter their information and find stores where the vaccine is being offered and check their eligibility to be vaccinated.
In California, more than 5.7 million doses COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered and more than 3.6 million have been administered, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Just 7.4% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, and 1.5% are fully vaccinated.
Fresno County is only administering second doses at its vaccination clinic at the Fresno County Fairgrounds after pausing vaccination due to a shortage of doses. Sierra Pacific Orthopedic Centers and United Health Centers also are administering vaccines as supply allows.
Stuck in Purple Tier
The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday updated its tiers for under its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and while Alpine and Trinity counties did move from the Red (Substantial) to the Orange (Moderate) tier, Fresno County remained in the Purple and most restrictive tier.
The Purple Tier represents a widespread risk of COVID-19 transmission. The seven-day test positivity rate is 11.4%, according to county data, despite a steady decline in cases through January.
A positive test percentage between 5% and 8% is required to move to the Red Tier, and the number of daily cases per 100,000 in the county also remains within the Purple Tier.
There are 54 counties in the Purple Tier, one in the Red Tier (Mariposa), three in the Orange Tier (Alpine, Sierra and Trinity) and no counties are in the Yellow Tier, the least restrictive of the four tiers.