Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Hospitals Overflow With COVID Patients As Fewer People Get Vaccinated
Liz-Juarez
By Liz Juarez
Published 3 years ago on
February 3, 2022

Share

 

While the rest of California has seen COVID-19 case rates drop, hospitalizations in Fresno County are at their highest peak since the last previous surge.

While the state has an 80% vaccination rate, in Fresno County only 57.4% of individuals are fully vaccinated.

“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of lives have been lost as a result of this omicron surge,” said interim director Dr. Rais Vohra. “We continue to see fatalities going up among all age groups.”

California Sees A Drop in COVID Cases

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, infection rates and hospitalizations have continued to fall across the state.

While still high, the state had 22,000 hospitalizations in mid-January. As of last week, that number had dipped to 15,000.

The state’s positivity rates are down 15% from January.

While the omicron variant seems to have been the reason for this winter’s surge due to its transmissibility, early studies have shown omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the delta variant.

Health officials say vaccinations and boosters still offer the best protection from serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

Why Does Fresno County Trail Other Counties?

As earlier trends have indicated, Fresno County has often lagged behind other counties in the state after hospitalizations and COVID positive cases begin to come down.

The number of hospital patients with COVID in the state of California is steadily decreasing. (CovidActNow)

Fresno County’s emergency medical services director, Dan Lynch, says that while some parts of the state are making a downward trend in regards to the number of hospitalized patients, Fresno County hasn’t turned the corner yet.

Health officials can’t quite explain the delay, but Vohra attributes some of the challenges to the strain on hospitals and emergency departments.

“We had a bit of a delay when the omicron variant actually came into our county compared to northern and southern California and there are delays in every single step,” said Vohra. “We have a more vulnerable population and less of a vaccination rate than more of these metropolitan areas.”

Fresno County Hospitals Are Full

Lynch says he hopes Fresno will hit its peak soon.

Currently, there are 607 individuals hospitalized with COVID in the county, a number that has increased significantly in the last few weeks, said Lynch.

However, Vohra says that high number doesn’t tell the whole story of what is happening in the hospitals.

The number of hospital patients with COVID in Fresno County has remained high since January when the omicron surge began. (CovidActNow)

“As a working hospital physician, I have the privilege to work in one of our big busy emergency departments and everything is coming in, the COVID, the trauma, the car crashes, the emergency surgeries, the heart attacks, the strokes,” said Vohra. “Life doesn’t wait for a COVID infection, but all of our hospital operations do have to balance all of these different demands.”

To ease some of the strain, a large majority of hospital staff that have been out with COVID infections is coming back, said Lynch.

Vaccine Doses In Fresno Decline

Joe Prado, the county’s health department manager, says the county has also seen fewer people getting vaccinated, specifically those in the youngest age groups.

“We’re monitoring our 5-11 and 12-17 populations and in those respective populations, in 5-11, 22% have received at least one dose and in the 12-17, approximately 60% have received one dose,” said Prado.

Prado says they will continue to utilize their mobile clinics as well as work with school districts to raise the vaccination rates.

In addition, they will continue messaging about the importance of vaccines whether it’s through social media, TV, radio, or community organizations.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Looking for a Perfect Companion? Mittens Is One Handsome Kitten

DON'T MISS

White Smoke Billows From Sistine Chapel as New Pope Elected

DON'T MISS

AI Execs Say US Must Increase Exports, Improve Infrastructure to Beat China

DON'T MISS

More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them

DON'T MISS

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

DON'T MISS

Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials

DON'T MISS

Catholic Cardinals Signal With Black Smoke There Is No New Pope Yet

DON'T MISS

Cancer Before Age 50 Is Increasing. A New Study Looks at Which Types

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Invokes State Secrets Privilege in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Case

DON'T MISS

US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

UP NEXT

White Smoke Billows From Sistine Chapel as New Pope Elected

UP NEXT

AI Execs Say US Must Increase Exports, Improve Infrastructure to Beat China

UP NEXT

More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them

UP NEXT

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

UP NEXT

Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials

UP NEXT

Catholic Cardinals Signal With Black Smoke There Is No New Pope Yet

UP NEXT

Cancer Before Age 50 Is Increasing. A New Study Looks at Which Types

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Invokes State Secrets Privilege in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Case

UP NEXT

US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested Again on Child Sex Crime Charges, Investigators Say

More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them

1 hour ago

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

1 hour ago

Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials

1 hour ago

Catholic Cardinals Signal With Black Smoke There Is No New Pope Yet

1 hour ago

Cancer Before Age 50 Is Increasing. A New Study Looks at Which Types

1 hour ago

Trump Administration Invokes State Secrets Privilege in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Case

1 hour ago

US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

1 hour ago

Fresno Man Arrested Again on Child Sex Crime Charges, Investigators Say

2 hours ago

Wall Street Bonuses to Drop as Uncertainty Prevails, Consultancy Says

2 hours ago

Madera County Teen Revived With Narcan After Overdose, Ahwahnee Man Faces Felony Charges

2 hours ago

Looking for a Perfect Companion? Mittens Is One Handsome Kitten

Mister Mittens is a classically handsome playful 7-month-old boy with dapper white feet. If he’s not playing with his foster siblings, you c...

9 minutes ago

Mister Mittens GV Wire's adoptable pet of the week, May 8, 2025
9 minutes ago

Looking for a Perfect Companion? Mittens Is One Handsome Kitten

White smoke rises from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has been elected at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/DYLAN MARTINEZ
31 minutes ago

White Smoke Billows From Sistine Chapel as New Pope Elected

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Cantwell (D-WA) listen as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing titled “Winning the AI Race: Strengthening U.S. Capabilities in Computing and Innovation,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
33 minutes ago

AI Execs Say US Must Increase Exports, Improve Infrastructure to Beat China

1 hour ago

More Older Americans Worry Social Security Won’t Be There for Them

1 hour ago

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

1 hour ago

Sen. John Fetterman Raises Alarms With Outburst at Meeting With Union Officials

People watch as a screen shows black smoke rising from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating no decision has been made to elect a new pope, as seen from Rome, Italy May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
1 hour ago

Catholic Cardinals Signal With Black Smoke There Is No New Pope Yet

1 hour ago

Cancer Before Age 50 Is Increasing. A New Study Looks at Which Types

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend