Coronavirus update: 1st South African variant cases hit state; push for more vaccine sites
The first two cases of a coronavirus variant from South Africa in California were reported on Wednesday, one in Alameda County and one in Santa Clara County.
Both cases of the variant were identified as part of genomic sequencing efforts at Stanford University, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County Public Health Emergency Operations Center, and are a concern for government public health officials. The variants circulating around the world are believed to be more contagious and deadly than COVID-19 and may render vaccines less effective.
“The issue of mutations is top of mind, not only here in the state of California, across this nation but increasingly around the globe,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at his press conference in Fresno.
In the Santa Clara County case, the individual and a household member returned from a trip abroad in mid-January and started to experience symptoms several days later. They followed Santa Clara County’s 10-day mandatory travel quarantine, according to the statement.
The case in Alameda County remains under investigation.
“As we work quickly to learn more, our best defense right now is to stay vigilant and reduce transmission as much as possible,” Dr. Nicholas Moss, Health Officer for the County of Alameda, said in the statement.
“The more chances the virus has to spread, the more opportunities it has to adapt and create new variants. This is a warning to all of us that we must stay on top of community transmission.”
Labs across the state already had identified more than 150 cases of a variant from the United Kingdom in the Bay Area, Southern California and this week one in Davis.
Fresno County updates
Fresno County public health officials reported 300 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 91,730. There also were 25 additional deaths, bringing that total to 1,283.
The test positivty rate, a metric in determining when a county might transition to a less-restrictive tier in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, has been trending down for the past month and was 9.7% for the week ending on Tuesday. The daily rate was up to 13.5% with 300 positive tests in 2,222 coronavirus tests in the county on Wednesday.
There were 369 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, down nine from the previous day.
Here are the most recent updates from the California Department of Public Health for the central San Joaquin Valley …
Kings County
- 43 new cases; 21,275 total
- 7-day average 70; 14-day 80
- 2 new deaths; 199 total
Madera County
- 25 new cases; 14,912 total
- 7-day average 45; 14-day 56
- 5 new deaths; 189 total
Mariposa County
- 0 new cases; 355 total
- 7-day average 2; 14-day 2
- 0 new deaths; 5 total
Merced County
- 84 new cases; 27,166 total
- 7-day average 106; 14-day 129
- 0 new deaths; 367 total
Tulare County
- 87 new cases; 45,704 total
- 7-day average 141; 14-day 165
- 10 new deaths; 661 total
Statewide, there were 8,930 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and the total in the state since the start of the pandemic is 3,362,981, according to CDPH data. The 7-day test positivity rate is just 4.8%, the lowest it has been since November, before the start of a post-holiday winter surge.
The CDPH also reported 518 new deaths and a total of 44,995.
The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported a higher number (45,496) in an early Thursday morning update, pushing California past New York for the most COVID-19 deaths in the nation.
New York as of 2 a.m. (PST) Thursday had 45,312 coronavirus deaths.
Valley congressmen call for more vaccine sites
Fresno County received 19,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week, a solid and unexpected bump for public health officials. But a Valley mass vaccination site at the Save Mart Center or Fresno County Fairgrounds has not yet been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
San Joaquin Valley congressmen sent a letter on Wednesday to Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting FEMA administrator Robert Fenton asking for additional vaccination sites in the Valley and urging the governor to prioritize vaccinations in areas that need it the most.
“We are encouraged by your announcement of a planned community COVID-19 vaccination site in the Central Valley as part of FEMA’s broader effort to establish 100 vaccination sites nationwide,” the congressmen wrote in the letter, which was posted to their House websites. “However, the unacceptably low vaccination rates in the Central Valley merit the establishment of multiple distribution sites throughout the region. As the largest state in the nation by population, we vitally need more than three sites in California, including additional sites in the Central Valley’s remote rural communities. …
“Vaccine distribution has been severely limited in the Central Valley communities where it is needed most. There are simply not enough vaccines being shipped and distributed to our rural communities, yet key resources are being directed to areas of the state that already have far better vaccination rates than the Valley.”
The letter was signed by Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Jim Costa, Devin Nunes, David Valadao and Josh Harder.
Fresno is not the only county struggling with a lack of vaccines, obviously.
Los Angeles County, which has a population of more than 10 million as well as the most confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the state, received only 16,000 to be used as the first of two required doses. That will not impact those in line for a second dose, but Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a briefing Wednesday night that the county will have to close a mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium and four other sites Friday and Saturday.
The county had been administering 16,000 doses on a typical day.
“That is unacceptable,” Garcetti said. “I’m not here to point fingers. I’m here, as always, to be a partner. But I want to be clear. Los Angeles needs more doses.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 7:59 AM.