Fresno County passes 900 total deaths from COVID-19. Did holiday parties spread it?
Fresno County has surpassed 900 total COVID-19 deaths as health officials meanwhile continued efforts to roll out the novel coronavirus vaccine to certain community demographics.
After adding 28 new deaths on Friday, Fresno County reached 932 total fatal cases of COVID-19 reported since the pandemic’s start, according to interim Health Officer Rais Vohra.
Fifty-eight deaths were reported Thursday in Fresno County by the state health officials.
An additional 755 new confirmed infections Friday brought the total number of positive cases to 79,033 since the pandemic began.
There are 648 people hospitalized because of the virus and 14 available and staffed intensive care unit beds, Fresno County health officials reported Friday.
Fresno County has begun to distribute COVID-19 vaccines at a mass level, setting up a center at the Fresno County Fairgrounds. The daily supply of about 1,500 shots are first going to health care workers and anyone 75 or older.
Online registration times filled up quickly this week.
Sierra Pacific Orthopedics near Millbrook Avenue and Spruce Way is offering about 1,500 vaccines a day to people who qualify under California’s tier system. The drive-up clinic does not require an appointment but patients are asked to fill out a form ahead of time.
Holiday gatherings’ impact less severe than first feared?
California health leaders say they are hopeful the state is turning the corner on the winter coronavirus surge. Officials say a recent trend of modestly declining hospital rates and plateauing case numbers are signs the Christmas and New Year’s holidays did not impact the state as severely as feared.
Still, the situation remains dire nationally and in California. State health officials reported more than 42,500 new COVID-19 cases Friday — 2,000 higher than the daily average for the past two weeks.
Hospitalization rates have fallen from peaks reached earlier in January. But with close to 21,000 Californians hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, including more than 4,700 requiring intensive care, hospitals across the state still range from heavily impacted to severely overloaded.
Other Valley counties
Tulare County reported 453 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total to 40,176 cases. Seven new deaths brought that total to 501 since March.
Merced County added 293 cases to total 23,492 cases since the pandemic began. Six new deaths brings the total to 296.
Kings County added 257 cases to bring the total to 18,710. No deaths changed the total of 110, officials reported.
Madera County did not report and new deaths but tallied 229 new cases, which makes for totals of 130 and 12,778, respectively.
Mariposa County reported a total of 341 cases, seven more than the previous day. The number of deaths remained at four.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 12:50 PM.
