Paramedics rushed another critical COVID-19 patient into the emergency room, and Chicago nurse Cynthia Riemer felt her adrenaline kick in. “Your heart starts racing,” she said. “You're thinking, 'How quickly and safely can we get them intubated?' Because if we don't, in the next five or 10 minutes, they could...
Fresno Extends Shelter-in-Place: Fines for Violations, Masks Mandatory for Workers
The city of Fresno has strengthened and extended its shelter-in-place emergency ordinance through May 6 to combat the coronavirus. The previous shelter-in-place order was set to expire at the end of Sunday. At a Friday morning teleconference, Mayor Lee Brand announced new measures that include requiring employees at essential businesses...
California Lawmakers Want Details on Newsom’s Big Mask Buy
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers want a fuller accounting of Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to buy 500 million protective masks, with a top budget official on Thursday seeking details on how the state will distribute the masks and ensure they are good quality. In a letter to Newsom's finance director, state...
Special Report: Fresno Unified Parents Want More Learning Amid COVID-19
When schools across the Valley abruptly closed after March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators scrambled to pull together lesson plans to keep students learning as they sheltered at home. Some teachers banded together to get classes posted onto YouTube channels, while others quickly set up teleconference classes and...
Newsom Encouraged by Drop in ICU Placements
SACRAMENTO — California saw its first daily decrease in intensive care hospitalizations during the coronavirus outbreak, a key indicator of how many health care workers and medical supplies the state needs, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. The rate of all virus hospitalizations has slowed this week. Those in the ICU...
Virus Diary: ‘The Most Passover of Passovers I’ve Ever Had’
NEW YORK — Every year, it’s the same. I return to my childhood home in Phoenix for Passover, my favorite holiday, with my parents, sisters and our family friends, the Zvidas. For a quarter century, the Arbel-Zvida Seder has been my constant. This year is different. We are all isolated,...
10 Los Banos Health Clinic Workers Positive for COVID-19
Ten workers at a healthcare clinic in Los Banos have tested positive for COVID-19, Merced County public health officials said Thursday evening. The 10 people work at Sutter Health's clinic, which is at 1253 W. I Street. The clinic is closed while it is disinfected and people who had contact...
No Fresno Social-Distancing Fines for Right Now
The Fresno City Council did not discuss councilman Luis Chavez's plan to institute a warning then fines for not practicing social distancing at its Thursday meeting. But, something could still be in the works. There is a tentative City Hall news conference (through Zoom) Friday. While no one is officially...
Fed Pumps $2.3T More into Economy for ‘Main Street’ and Local Governments
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve unleashed a new series of moves Thursday to try to make loans available to states, localities and companies that have been hard hit by the coronavirus. In doing so, the Fed will pump an additional $2.3 trillion into the U.S. economy. The central bank, in...
From Puppy Pads To Medical Masks: How A ‘Shark Tank’ Entrepreneur Is Helping Fresno Hospitals
[aggregation-styles] KVPR Even before the coronavirus, Tiffani Quinto had some experience with pandemics. “You know I lived through H1N1,” she said. “I was a buyer at the time at Valley Children’s. And it’s similar to that.” Now she’s the supply chain management contract coordinator for Community Medical Centers in Fresno....