A month after COVID-19 infections began to surge following the Thanksgiving holiday, the virus continues to devastate the San Joaquin Valley. Hospitals are reporting more patients with COVID-19 than ever, intensive care units continue to report only a handful of open beds each day, and hundreds of healthcare workers who could otherwise be caring for patients or staffing medical facilities are currently unable to work after either testing positive for the virus or entering quarantine following a

The first batches of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the Valley this week , and for many of us, the milestone represents a light at the end of a very long and traumatic tunnel. Healthcare workers with high patient exposure will be the first to receive this initial delivery of 17,000 doses, and the Valley is slated to receive tens of thousands more by the end of December. It’ll still be months before the general public has access to the vaccine, however, and in the meantime, new cases are being

Five days into a regional stay-at-home order, COVID-19 infections in the San Joaquin Valley are soaring and hospitals are scrambling to make space on floors already crowded with flu patients. On Thursday of this week, the California Department of Public Health estimated that intensive care units in the San Joaquin Valley reported fewer than 2 percent of their beds were available, all while more people are dying of the virus than they have in months. In stark contrast, an FDA advisory panel has

For months, even as other parts of the U.S. hit record after record for newly reported COVID-19 cases or the number of patients being treated in hospitals, virus infections in California and the San Joaquin Valley had been holding steady. In the last few weeks, however, the numbers suggest our local bout with the pandemic has taken a turn for the worse. Across the Valley, the number of cases being reported daily has more than tripled in the last month, and two counties in particular—Kings and

More than 3,300 inmates and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Avenal, which is the highest total of any prison in California and possibly in the entire country . So far, the virus has killed eight of the prison’s incarcerated men. However, Avenal isn’t the only prison in the San Joaquin Valley—or even in Kings County—struggling to contain a massive outbreak. This week’s COVID-19 update highlights the recent surge in cases inside prisons, which parallels a concerning rise in the outside

After many weeks of holding steady, COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise, not just in other parts of the country, but also statewide and here in the Valley. Daily new cases are at the highest they’ve been since early September, case rates and positivity rates are increasing, and all Valley counties—other than Madera and Tulare Counties, which are already in the “widespread” tier of the state’s reopening blueprint—are in danger of retreating back to more restrictive tiers. Virus cases rates

Nearly eight months in, the COVID-19 pandemic is still looking grim: Nationwide, the virus has killed more than 230,000 people, and this week, for the first time, more than 100,000 cases were reported in a single day. Twice. Although California has so far avoided the surge afflicting other parts of the country, we wanted to know: Are hospitals here ready for a second surge? How are they preparing? For this week’s COVID-19 update, we learn how local hospital systems are grappling with the

It’s the end of October, which means we’re stuck with a pandemic holiday weekend. With health experts across the board discouraging trick-or-treating and gathering indoors, how can we celebrate safely? Rest assured that there are ways to minimize the risks of celebrating Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. We offer some safety tips and creative alternatives to traditional festivities as part of this week’s COVID-19 update. Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot for Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa,

Now that most counties in the San Joaquin Valley have graduated out of the most restrictive “purple” tier of the governor’s reopening blueprint , many schools are preparing to bring students back to campus, and some already have. How are schools phasing in-person instruction back in, what’s the fate of extracurricular activities, and what precautions are schools taking to keep students safe? This week’s COVID-19 update breaks down what in-person learning could look like across the Valley. Here’s

As local COVID-19 case numbers continue to improve, five counties in the San Joaquin Valley have now advanced beyond the purple “widespread” designation of the state’s reopening plan known as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy . Fresno, Kern, Kings and Merced are now designated red for “substantial” virus spread, which means that many businesses are now permitted to open indoors with some restrictions , while Mariposa is two tiers ahead, in yellow for “minimal” spread. What does this mean for