The lull Fresno County Health officials spoke of about a week ago has now turned into a scramble to find ways to entice people into getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The Fresno County Department of Public Health re-allocated 70% of the 43,000 doses it received last week to other counties. The...
In ‘Huge Win’ for Restaurants, Fresno County Gives Fee Credits Due to COVID-19
Fresno County is giving restaurant owners a break on Environmental Health Permit fees to help off-set financial hardships due to the pandemic. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors recently approved permit fee credits for restaurants with seating that can demonstrate closure due to COVID-19 in the calendar years 2020-2021. "It's...
Fresno Supervisors Repeal COVID-19 State of Emergency
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 Tuesday morning (Supervisor Sal Quintero voted no) to repeal the proclamation of a local emergency due to COVID-19. Additionally, the board is asking all county departments that interact with the public to reopen. "We've seen this in Sacramento for the last year...
Fresno County Weighs Repeal of COVID-19 Emergency Order
On March 17, 2020, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors passed a COVID-19 local emergency order. Now, more than a year later, the board will consider ending the order at Tuesday's meeting. A late add to the agenda reads in part: "As Fresno County and the State of California enter...
‘Thousands’ of Local Vaccination Slots Open as Eligibility Expands to 16
Anyone 16 years and older can get Pfizer vaccines, and those 18 years and older can get either the Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Fresno County officials announced Thursday. Occupational and age restrictions have been lifted in order to fill all open appointment slots and to ensure all...
While Fresno County COVID Rates Slide Backward, State Aims To Fully Reopen in June
Fresno County's COVID-19 numbers went the wrong direction this week, though officials continue to eye a move into the state's orange tier by April 21 — the soonest possible date for a move into the less restrictive designation. The California Department of Public Health announced they've now administered more than...
‘Decent’ Chance of Getting to Orange COVID Tier Soon, County Officials Say
The words tier, quartile, metric, positivity and case rate have reverberated across tongues since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in layman's terms, Fresno County is inching ever so close to loosening more life restrictions in the coming weeks. First, the numbers that matter most right now. The county...
More Contagious California Strain of COVID Found in Fresno County
The strain of COVID-19 known as the California variant is more contagious and may lead to more severe disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And unfortunately for Fresno County, the variant is here. This week, California officials told the Fresno County Health Department that four cases of...
County Health ‘Vehemently’ Denies Wrongdoing in Foster Farms COVID Inspection
Fresno County health officials are disputing charges that they tipped off a large poultry processing plant about a surprise inspection following outbreaks of COVID-19 at the site. Members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus believe Fresno County Department of Public Health employees alerted Foster Farms ahead of a Cal/OSHA health...
New Vaccine Clinic Could Speed Return to Fresno City Campus: Goldsmith
Cars lined up through the parking lot of Fresno City College Tuesday, not for class, but for a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The drive-thru site, run by UCSF-Fresno, hopes to ramp up to 600 COVID-19 vaccine doses a day soon, and eventually up to about 2,000 a day....