See where Fresno-area communities rank in vaccinations, as doctors fear possible surge
%20(1)%20(2)%20(1)%20(1).jpg)
Hospitals across Fresno County and the central San Joaquin Valley remain strained by a high volume of patients – not only people with COVID-19 infections who require hospital treatment, but also a wide range of other illnesses, injuries and conditions that warrant admission.
And medical professionals fear that the region’s continuing lag in vaccination rates and increasing apathy over wearing face coverings could result in another winter surge following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Throughout Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, only Fresno County has accomplished getting more than half of the eligible population – everyone ages 5 and older – fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one shot of the single-dose Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Among those who are vaccine-eligible, Valley counties’ rates are:
- Fresno County: 56.4% fully vaccinated; 36.2% unvaccinated.
- Kings County: 41.3% fully vaccinated; 52.3% unvaccinated.
- Madera County: 49.7% fully vaccinated; 43.7% unvaccinated.
- Tulare County: 49.4% fully vaccinated; 43.8% unvaccinated.
Statewide, about two-thirds of eligible California residents, or 66.2%, were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.
Variances in the Valley
Vaccination rates vary widely within the central San Joaquin Valley. In some Valley communities or ZIP codes, 60% or more of the eligible population have received the full complement of shots.
In others, more than half of those who are eligible for the shots remain wholly unvaccinated, yet to receive even one dose of any of the vaccines.
The highest vaccination rate in Fresno County is in the sprawling but sparsely populated 93664 ZIP code encompassing the mountain town of Shaver Lake and surrounding areas. More than 78% of residents in the ZIP code are fully vaccinated, according to data from the California Department of Public Health, while less than 12% are unvaccinated.
On Shaver Lake’s heels is the farming town of Biola, west of Fresno. There, more than 76% of eligible residents are now fully vaccinated, and fewer than 14% are unvaccinated.
Other high rates in Fresno County are in the 93619 ZIP code of rural Clovis, at almost 74%; northeast Fresno’s 93730 ZIP Code at almost 72%; and the community of Pinedale at the north end of Fresno at almost 68%.
Those communities with lagging rates include Coalinga, where about 36% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated; Squaw Valley, at almost 39%; and Tollhouse, at about 41%.
In other Valley counties, the highest and lowest rates are:
- Kings County: The highest fully-vaccinated rate is in Kettleman City, at more than 64%; the lowest rate is in Corcoran, where less than 27% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
- Madera County: The highest rate is in the Bonnadelle Ranchos/Madera Ranchos area east of Madera and north of Fresno, at just over 60% fully vaccinated; the lowest is in the foothill town of Raymond, where less than 33% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
- Tulare County: The town of Lemon Cove, at the base of the Sierra foothills along Highway 198 east of Visalia, boasts the highest rate of fully vaccinated residents at more than 70%; the town of Tipton, south of Tulare along Highway 99, has the lowest rate with less than 34% of residents fully vaccinated.
This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 8:48 AM.
