Fresno County experiencing rise of COVID-19 cases among younger population, doctors say

More and more of the younger population in Fresno County is catching COVID-19, the Fresno County Department of Public Health reported on Wednesday.

In the same week that coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have increased across the state, the Fresno County Department of Public Heath (FCDPH) said those under 18 years old have gone to the emergency room for COVID-19 symptoms than those by the 65+ population.

“The increase in youth case rates and the dramatic overall increase in cases is most likely due to the Delta Variant, which is much more contagious and affecting younger populations,” said Dr. John Zweifler, Public Health Physician. “Our goal is to prevent as many hospitalizations and deaths as possible, which means everyone needs to take precautions against the spread of the Delta variant.”

In the latest data provided by the FCDPH, there have been 104,288 positive cases of COVID-19 with 1,746 coronavirus-related deaths.

Among those 10 years and under, there have been approximately 6,700 cases of COVID-19. The 10-19 age group has recorded about 12,000 cases. And those in the 20-29 age range have the highest number of cases recorded at about 22,000.

The data that shows a rise of COVID-19 cases among the age group of 10 to 30 years old has prompted the FCDPH to share its concerns with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.

“These data are a sobering premonition for what we can expect once schools reopen this fall,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, Interim Health Officer. “We anticipate that Fresno County will continue to see a rise in COVID-19 case counts in our younger populations during the first few weeks of school.

“This is a critical moment in our community’s response to the pandemic, and the best way to protect school-aged children, their families and our whole community, is to use the prevention measures that we know can work to decrease case transmissions, and to get vaccinated as soon as possible if you are eligible.”

Currently, all residents at least 12 years old are eligible to receive a vaccination to protect against COVID-19.

In Fresno County, 937,292 vaccines have been administered with 411,204 having received their final dosage.

Health officials are reminding residents that vaccines take 4-6 weeks before maximum protection goes into effect.

Health officials also said that the best defense against preventing severe disease and death from COVID-19 is to get the coronavirus vaccine.

To help protect younger children who are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine, FCDPH recommends that residents return to universal masking indoors statewide to protect against the spread of more contagious (Delta) variant now circulating statewide.

The indoor masks policy aligns with the new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings that was released earlier today, which is also in alignment with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

Vaccine information is available at www.fcdph.org/covid19vax.

The FCDPH also recommends that residents experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 get tested as soon as possible. For testing sites in Fresno County visit www.fcdph.org/covid19testing.

“We want parents to protect themselves and their children,” said Joe Prado, Interim Assistant Director. “Help us slow the spread and get yourself and your children vaccinated today if they are eligible.”

This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 8:36 PM.