As COVID-19 vaccine doses increase, new-case rates flatten in Fresno, nearby counties
About 36,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine were administered into the arms of Fresno County residents in the past week, and those numbers will increase even more with the arrival of another 43,000 doses this week.
The state Department of Public Health reported that as of March 1, just under 176,000 shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines had been given in Fresno County since the first shipment came in mid-December. By Sunday, that had risen to 211,791 doses
Most of the shots given to date have been of the Pfizer and Moderna products; Fresno County received a small initial shipment of the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week and expects to get another 10,000 doses this week, but won’t receive more of that product until the week of March 23.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots, given either three or four weeks apart, for full effectiveness. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one-shot product.
Across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties, about 400,000 vaccine doses have been administered, the state reported on Monday. Statewide, the number of vaccinations given stands at more than 10.5 million.
The increase in doses comes as the region wrapped up one full year since the first local COVID-19 cases were confirmed, both passengers who returned from a cruise aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship last February. Since that time, almost 213,000 people in the six-county area have tested positive for infection by the novel coronavirus, and 3,143 have died.
Fresno County’s death toll passed the 1,500 mark on Monday, with 17 additional fatalities driving the cumulative number of lives lost over the past 12 months to 1,505.
More than 180 new cases of coronavirus were reported Monday by the Fresno County Department of Public Health as a result of testing. Since Friday, 526 additional COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the county. To date, the number of people in Fresno County who have tested positive for the virus over the past 12 months is 96,549.
Around the Valley
In neighboring central San Joaquin Valley counties, Monday updates included:
Kings County: 27 new cases on Monday, 61 since Friday, and 22,211 to date. The county reported two additional deaths, bringing the toll to date to 229. More than 7,200 of the Kings County cases, and 17 deaths, have been among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
Madera County: 74 new cases since Friday, 15,540 to date; no additional deaths, 214 to date.
Mariposa County: No new cases, 395 to date; no additional deaths, seven to date.
Merced County: 181 new cases since Friday, 29,557 to date; two additional deaths, 415 to date.
Tulare County: 116 new cases since Friday, 48,319 to date; three additional deaths, 773 to date.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 5:18 PM.
