COVID-19 cases rising while Fresno County, Valley await widespread vaccine availability
The number of total confirmed coronavirus cases in Fresno County pushed beyond 77,000 on Wednesday, and additional COVID-19 cases in neighboring counties drove the region’s total to more than 170,000.
The increase in cases – almost 1,100 new cases Wednesday in Fresno County and nearly 2,000 in the central San Joaquin Valley – indicates a continuing surge of the virus, which first reared its head in the region 10 months ago.
Since early March, the virus has sickened tens of thousands of residents and claimed the lives of nearly 1,900 people in the six county region (Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced). Efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus has also created severe financial hardships for many businesses and their employees in the region.
In the Valley and across the state, a “new normal” has emerged – at least until new vaccines against COVID-19 become more widely available to the public. Health officials in that aspect have urged residents to wear face masks or other protective face coverings and maintain physical separation of at least 6 feet from others when outside their homes. They have also asked residents to curtail social gatherings to limit opportunities for the virus to be transmitted in the community.
In the meantime, hospitals in Fresno and the Valley continue to struggle to cope with a rising tide of coronavirus patients while also dealing with other illnesses and traumas that require medical attention. That’s even as hundreds of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff miss work because they’re infected with the virus or are in isolation because of potential exposure.
Hospitals in Fresno County housed 675 patients with confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday; about 1,090 coronavirus patients were reported to be in hospitals in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties. Both the Fresno County and Valleywide hospitalization figures are about double what they were at the beginning of December.
Around the Valley
Wednesday’s COVID-19 updates from central San Joaquin Valley counties include:
Fresno County: 1,070 new cases, 77,651 to date; no additional deaths, 846 to date.
Kings County: 54 new cases, 18,164 to date; no additional deaths, 110 to date. Almost 7,000 of the total cases — and 15 deaths — are among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
Madera County: 82 new cases, 12,471 to date; no additional deaths, 130 to date.
Mariposa County: One new case, 332 to date; no additional deaths, four to date.
Merced County: 283 new cases, 22,932 to date; two additional deaths, 287 to date.
Tulare County: 438 new cases, 39,347 to date; eight additional deaths, 482 to date.
