Coronavirus update: Fresno County deaths on the rise again, as officials seek more vaccine

As the Fresno City Council bypassed state officials and lobbied President Joe Biden and federal officials for more doses COVID-19 vaccines, the number of deaths in the city, county and valley continued to rise.

There were 655 deaths in the state reported on Thursday by the California Department of Health. More than 10% of those were in counties from Sacramento to the north to Kern to the south, and that number will be higher when updated on Friday by public health officials.

The CDPH had 13 Fresno County deaths in that 655, but a late Thursday afternoon update from the county department of public health had an additional 26 deaths, bringing the total to 1,224.

Valley counties are vaccinating at a lower rate than counties with similar populations in other parts of the state, which could play into the number of deaths that included 19 in Sacramento County, 15 in Kern County, 13 in Tulare County and six in Stanislaus County in the CDPH data.

Contra Costa County, which has a population around 1.1 million and administered 146,044 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, reported one death on Thursday.

San Francisco County, with a population around 875,000 with 95,802 doses administered, reported four deaths.

San Mateo County, with roughly 767,000 residents, has used 86,821 doses, and reported no new deaths.

Ventura County, with about 847,000, has administered 83,819 doses and reported five new deaths.

In Fresno County, with a population close to 1 million, there have been 80,997 doses of coronavirus vaccine administered, according to data from the CDPH.

The Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously passed a non-binding resolution to ask national leaders to increase the number of vaccine doses that are made available to the county.

Officials with the Fresno County Department of Public Health are expecting to receive about 8,000 doses of vaccine per week for the foreseeable future – far short of initial plans to provide county residents with 30,000 shots a week, and impacting plans to vaccinate 600,000 by August.

Updates from the Central San Joaquin valley

The most recent updates for the Central San Joaquin Valley from the CDPH:

Fresno County

• 206 new cases; 89,748 total
• 7-day average 409; 14-day 440

Kings County

• 46 new cases; 20,831 total
• 7-day average 89, 14-day 94

Madera County

• 10 new cases; 14,605 total
• 7-day average 59; 14-day 73

Mariposa County

• 2 new cases; 347 total
• 7-day average 2; 14-day 2

Merced County

• 93 new cases; 26,520 total
• 7-day average 154; 14-day 164

Tulare County

• 118 new cases; 44,838 total
• 7-day average 197; 14-day 217

A third vaccine could soon be available

Johnson & Johnson, which last week said its single-shot Janssen Biotech COVID-19 vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe illness and 85% effective against severe cases of the disease in a global clinical trial, has applied for an emergency use authorization.

Officials with the Food and Drug Administration said that its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee would meet Feb. 26 to discuss the vaccine candidate.

“A public discussion by the advisory committee members about the data submitted in support of safety and effectiveness of Janssen Biotech Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine will help ensure that the public has a clear understanding of the scientific data and information that FDA will evaluate in order to make a decision about whether to authorize this vaccine,” acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., said, in a statement.

“The FDA remains committed to keeping the public informed about our evaluation of the data for COVID-19 vaccines, so that the American public and medical community have trust and confidence in FDA0-authorized vaccines.”

According to a Q&A on the Johnson and Johnson website, the goal is to produce the vaccine at a rate of 1 billion doses a year, if it is authorized for use.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also may remain stable at refrigerator temperatures for at least three months, making it easier to transport and distribute than the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

It has eight manufacturing sites activating to produce and package the vaccine, including one in the United States.

The VRBPAC is an independent body of scientific and public health experts who provide advice to the agency. The final decision on whether to authorize the vaccine for emergency will be made by the FDA.