‘Defiance of science’ partly behind Fresno County’s dismal COVID-19 numbers, says top doc
Fresno County’s top doctor said Friday that even as the county ramps up its vaccination efforts, he and other Valley health officers are bracing for an increase in COVID-19 infections related to family and social gatherings around the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Those new infections, interim county health officer Dr. Rais Vohra said, will inevitably be followed by corresponding increases in hospitalizations “and very tragically by a rise in the number of deaths.”
Vohra, in a video briefing with reporters Friday afternoon, said it is “disappointing” to see businesses and restaurants that have opted to remain open — and residents ignoring advice to wear masks and maintain physical distancing.
That’s despite a regional stay-at-home order implemented by the state six weeks ago to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The order was issued because a surge in the number of people sickened by the virus has reduced the availability of intensive-care units beds across the region to critical levels.
“I don’t think it’s defiance of the stay-at-home order; it’s defiance of the science and the reality of where we are,” Vohra said. “When people are not paying attention to the consequences of their actions, that leads to these really hard truths related to where we are in terms of our cases.”
Since Christmas, more than 18,500 new coronavirus infections have been confirmed by testing among Fresno County residents. The county has also reported almost 290 deaths in that span.
“I think frankly all of us are bracing for a possible uptick related to Christmastime and New Year’s and the gatherings that happened around those holidays, because this is the weekend when we’re kind of due to see that uptick happening,” Vohra said.
“We know that if it does happen, we’ll see a rise in the number of cases, followed by a rise in the number of hospitalizations, followed very tragically by a rise in the number of deaths.”
Since Christmas, the two-week average of people being treated in hospitals each day for COVID-19 in Fresno County has climbed from about 550 patients to almost 630 as of Thursday. The number of seriously ill coronavirus patients in intensive-care units has grown from an average of 104 to about 115 on Thursday, peaking at an average of almost 130 on Jan. 5.
Vohra reiterated his call for businesses and residents to heed the guidelines for the welfare of the broader community.
Under the regional stay-at-home order that took effect Dec. 6 across the 12-county region from Stockton in the north to Bakersfield in the south, many types of businesses are supposed to be closed, while retailers face limits on how many people can be in their store at any given time.
Restaurants are expected to be closed for both indoor and outdoor dining, instead providing only to-go or delivery service.
At the same time, residents are urged to stay home except for necessary trips. If people do go out, they are supposed to wear face masks or coverings and maintain 6 feet of space from others. Social or family gatherings outside one’s immediate family are also forbidden under the regional order.
“I wish our community was a little more united and supportive of the guidelines and recommendations that we’re making,” Vohra said. “All of us have the same goal, which is (to) reopen, (to) get back to normal.”
“We’re just asking what I think are very reasonable, small steps for people to take to keep themselves and their families safe and ultimately keep our community safe,” Vohra said. “I hope we can get through to people. I know we won’t get through to everybody, and that’s just life,” he added.
“But I hope we can get through to people to bear with us and have patience … and allow us to get these vaccines out to people as soon as we can so we can start to protect our elderly and our vulnerable populations.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 6:51 PM.
