Fresno region sees its biggest recent surge in COVID cases, as new year approaches
More than 330 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday by health officials in Fresno County, the largest one-day increase in new cases in the county since before Thanksgiving.
Earlier this week, the Fresno County Department of Public Health reported 799 new coronavirus infections, but that was for a four-day period that included the Christmas holiday weekend.
Neighboring Kings and Merced counties also reported substantially larger numbers of cases on Thursday than had occurred in more than a month in either county. In Kings County, 106 new cases came to light, while Merced County saw an increase of 200 cases.
Thursday’s report brings to 5,036 the number of cases that have been confirmed so far in December in Fresno County, and more than 149,300 since the first COVID-19 infections were detected in early March 2020. During that 22-month span, 2,364 people in Fresno County have died from the respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Kings County now has reported 1,270 cases this month and 34,377 since March 2020, including 387 fatalities.
Merced County’s December cases now stand at 1,702, bringing the total for the pandemic to 47,170. Of those infected, 699 lost their lives to the virus.
The significant increases ahead of the New Year’s Day weekend underscores the concerns of state and local health officials over the prospect of a winter surge not unlike last December and January, when as many as 2,700 new cases were being reported daily in Fresno County.
Unlike last winter, however, the widespread availability of vaccines may be tamping down the number of cases as well as the severity of illness for those who get sick.
Still, the highly contagious delta variant which has raged in the Valley and across the U.S. during the fall, and the even-more-transmissible omicron variant that is rapidly becoming the dominant strain in the U.S. after it’s first detection in November, have prompted health officials to reiterate their pleas for people to get vaccinated.
A rising number of “breakthrough” infections among vaccinated people have also given rise to calls for booster shots, as well as reminders to practice other measures to avoid spreading or catching the virus. The includes frequent hand washing or sanitizing, wearing face coverings when in public, avoiding large crowds and limiting gatherings to only a few people, and staying home and isolating if feeling ill.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 11:31 AM.
