Masks appears to do more than protect others during COVID-19. They protect the mask user, too. That's the finding of a report written by infectious disease experts that'll publish soon in the Journal of Internal Medicine. GV Wire℠received an advance copy of the report from Dr. Monica Gandhi, one of...
Break The Barriers Stays Open as Essential ‘Health & Wellness’ Provider
After Gov. Gavin Newsom's Monday announcement that the doors on churches, gyms, nail salons, and other public places had to close again to slow the spread of COVID-19, Jared Hergenrader spent part of his afternoon explaining to numerous callers why Break the Barriers in northeast Fresno remains open. Hergenrader, the...
Final Phase of COVID Vaccine Trials is Here. CA Volunteers Needed.
Moderna is targeting July 27 to begin phase 3 testing of their COVID-19 vaccine. The company is looking for thousands of volunteers to participate. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company is the first to announce an estimated start date for phase 3 trials in the United States. Newly released data from...
California Revamps Testing Guidelines as Virus Surges
SACRAMENTO — California revamped its guidelines for COVID-19 testing to focus of those in hospitals or considered at high risk of infection as the surging pandemic strained testing capacity. The state health department on Tuesday released a four-tier priority system for testing. Those hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms top the list...
Fresno Teachers Union: Schools Can’t Safely Reopen by Aug. 17, Teachers Shouldn’t Return
Fresno Unified School District schools can't reopen safely by Aug. 17, the district's teachers union says, because of rising coronavirus infection rates in the county and the need to maintain health and safety guidelines set by local, state, and federal health and education officials. "It is abundantly clear that we...
Are COVID Death Counts Accurate? Here’s How Fresno County Makes the Call.
The issue of how to determine whether a person died from COVID-19 or some other underlying health condition has turned political in parts of the country. Some politicians believe the numbers are inflated and have called for changes to how they are calculated. In Florida, state officials have been accused of...
As COVID Shutdowns Expand, Will Area Schools Open Next Month?
Local school officials were huddling Monday to talk about how the latest COVID-19 closures ordered Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom might impact back-to-school plans. Central Unified spokeswoman Sonja Dosti said Central Unified superintendent Andy Alvarado and other superintendents were conferring with Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino about preparing...
Defiant Restaurant Owner Hires Top Attorney to Challenge Closure Orders
Dave Fansler says he's called the dining space at his Pismo's Coastal Grill restaurant a patio for well over a decade now. The Fresno County Health Department says it falls under the definition of indoor dining, which is prohibited under the state's COVID-19 emergency order. Fansler has continued to serve...
Suicides Spiked in Fresno County Last Month. Official Points to COVID-19.
Suicides were up significantly in Fresno County last month — a consequence, a top health official says, of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen suicides were recorded in June. That's the most suicides for a single month in the last two-and-half years, data shows. "We saw a significant increase of completed suicides...
US Grapples With Pandemic as Its Origins Are Traced in China
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — The United States was grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world on Monday, as Florida shattered the national record for a state’s largest single-day increase in new confirmed cases and the World Health Organization warned that the pandemic is worsening globally and that “there...