After two solid days of meetings and tours, the state’s COVID-19 support team is leaving Fresno County. But, that doesn’t mean the county is in the clear.

The team next travels to Madera County to assist COVID-19 efforts there before returning to Sacramento.

Fresno County leaders expect to receive an action report from the team by the end of this week or early next week. The report will guide county leaders on tangible steps to bring down coronavirus numbers and eventually get the county off the state’s coronavirus watch list.

Fresno County only has 11% of its ICU beds available according to the state’s dashboard. Over the past two weeks, the county has seen 5,054 new cases, the total since the pandemic’s beginning to 15,945. There have been 157 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Response Plan

“They have a high priority on making sure that we are moving together,” said Fresno County Health Director David Pomaville during a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday.

Pomaville said the two days of meetings with the state team were productive: “I think the urgency with regard to getting plans in place was really impressed upon folks.”

According to information officer Monica Vargas from Cal-OES, the state’s unified assist team represents the following agencies:

• Cal OES
• California Department of Public Health
• California Department of Food and Agriculture
• California Department of Social Services
• Agricultural Labor Relations Board
• Cal OSHA
• California Department of Aging

Interim Fresno County health officer Dr. Rais Vohra says he wants several items addressed in the state’s action plan. Vohra wants to see a working group to help the ag industry, and another to help hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

Help With Testing Delays

Some COVID-19 test results have been delayed by seven days or more because labs are overwhelmed. While the county has relied heavily on large labs like Quest and Labcorp, it is now looking at smaller labs to help get the tests back faster.

Pomaville said Tuesday that the county had just signed a contract with Fulgent Genetics in southern California to speed up test results.