More Delta variant cases of COVID confirmed in Fresno, Valley. Numbers expected to rise
At least 39 cases of the fast-spreading Delta variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Fresno County and neighboring counties, prompting concern among health officials about the large number of people who remain unvaccinated against coronavirus in the central San Joaquin Valley.
So far, the largest number of cases of the Delta, or B.1.617.2, variant in the region is in Fresno County, where genomic sequencing of COVID-19 test samples has revealed 19 cases as of Friday, according to Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer for the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
That’s almost half of the confirmed Delta cases in the region to date.
Twelve cases have been identified in Madera County, while eight have arisen in Tulare County, including seven this week. No cases have been reported in Kings County.
In Fresno County, Vohra said Friday that the tally of Delta strain cases is likely to be significantly undercounted because the genomic sequencing is delayed by two to three weeks, and only a small proportion of coronavirus tests are subjected to such advanced testing to determine what strain is involved.
“We’re only finding out about cases that become positive, what their variant status is, two to three weeks later; that really hampers our ability to track this as actively as we can,” Vohra said. “Unfortunately we don’t know how many there are today, but we expect this number to bloom because that’s basically what this variant has been doing across the country and across the world.”
The Delta variant surfaced in India last winter and has since spread globally.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that the strain is more readily transmitted from person to person than other forms of COVID-19, and is potentially more resistant to vaccines and to treatment by monoclonal antibodies. In early May, the Delta variant accounted for about 1.3% of new coronavirus cases being reported nationally. By early June, that proportion had increased to 10%, and to more than 26% by mid-June.
Across California, Nevada and Arizona, the CDC estimates that the Delta variant represents more than 38% of new cases. The California Department of Public Health reported 634 cases in the state as of June 30.
Dr. Stephanie Koch-Kumar, an epidemiologist with the Fresno County health department, said that among Fresno County patients, the Delta variant is showing up across a range of ages, including younger populations who have previously been considered less vulnerable to COVID-19 than older residents.
“We are seeing cases in those under 20, so it’s definitely something to be on the lookout,” Koch-Kumar said. “A lot of times we don’t think of children, but in youth we are definitely seeing these cases spread, particularly because they are the most vulnerable when it comes to being unvaccinated.”
Vohra added that because children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine, “that still leaves a good percentage of our county” who haven’t gotten shots.
Of Fresno County’s overall population of more than 1 million residents, almost 192,000 are under 12 years old. They are among more than 563,000 people in the county who have yet to receive even one dose of the vaccines that are available.
“Looking into the fall, if this Delta variant becomes dominant as it’s predicted to do, this might actually have some implications for school-age children,” he said, “and how we recommend different activities for different types of education in settings like schools.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 1:43 PM.
