Healthcare
Surging COVID-19 Cases Across US Worry Fresno’s Top Doc: “I Think Our Time Is Coming”
The city of Milwaukee is very similar in population to Fresno with roughly 585,000 residents. COVID-19 cases are rising there at such a rapid pace, the mayor just issued updated health orders requiring more shutdowns of the local economy.
“This is a very serious situation,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told Fox 6.
“Milwaukee County continues to have some of the worst disease that we’ve had at any point during the pandemic,” Darren Rausch of the Greenfield Health Department said.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Wisconsin is on track to run out of ICU beds and, more importantly, the nurses to staff them, in as little as two weeks if the number of COVID-19 cases does not drop.
Vohra: Surges Are Unpredictable
Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County interim health officer
“Honestly, I think our time is coming.”–Fresno County interim health officer Dr. Rais Vohra
Fresno County’s health officer says when surges of COVID-19 happen, they are very unpredictable.
When asked how concerned he was about the large increase in cases in places like South Dakota and Wisconsin, Dr. Rais Vohra gave a sobering response.
“Honestly, I think our time is coming,” he said. “Either through chance or luck we’re not seeing those surges the midwestern states are seeing. But there’s no telling with this virus.”
Vohra believes that when the weather in Central California gets colder, it will drive more people indoors and increase the risk of virus transmission.
He’s also worried about the combination of the seasonal flu with COVID-19. “We’re certainly hoping people choose to get vaccinated,” said Vohra. “We need to choose to stay safe so that we don’t have some of the nightmare scenarios that are unfolding across Wisconsin, where I have in-laws and relatives, and other states that are currently experiencing such high numbers.”
“As good as our numbers are looking statewide, we still have much improvement to make here in Fresno County,” Vohra said.
Number of Cases in Fresno County:
Last updated: October 30, 2020 at 4:10 PM
- Total Cases: 31,321 (+126)*
- Total Deaths: 443 (+4)
- Currently Hospitalized: 87 (-7)**
- Recovered: 20,692 (+357)***
- Test Results Received and Processed: 360,440 (+7,620)
Deaths Increase by 33% in Wisconsin
The USA Today Network tracking project reports on the past week in Wisconsin, the state has added an average of 4,231 cases per day, 22% higher than the previous week.
Meanwhile, 32 people are dying per day from the virus, which is 33% higher than the previous week. The test positivity rate of 28.9% over the past week is higher than the week before.
State Leaders Resist Steps to Curb Virus
Even as a new surge of coronavirus infections sweeps the U.S., officials in many hard-hit states are resisting taking stronger action to slow the spread, with pleas from health experts running up against political calculation and public fatigue.
Days before a presidential election that has spotlighted President Donald Trump’s scattershot response to the pandemic, the virus continued its resurgence Friday, with total confirmed cases in the U.S. surpassing 9 million.
Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers pleaded with residents this week to shelter in place to slow the spread. He issued a formal stay-at-home order in March, but the state’s conservative Supreme Court struck it down in May. He was subsequently sued over a mask mandate and limits on gatherings in bars and restaurants.
COVID-19 case map shows areas of red where cases are most prominent as of October 30th throughout the country. (John’s Hopkins University Medicine)
(Associated Press contributed to this story.)
MGomez
October 31, 2020 at 10:01 am
Time for “top doc” to retire.
Paul
November 2, 2020 at 8:01 am
Pinheads like you are what exacerbating will become a worse pandemic. I want to see kids attend graduation ceremonies in May along with opening day for baseball, and especially arrenting games at CSUF. But people like Gomez have no sense of civility or discipline to get this country back to a better sense of normalcy. Get real.
Steve
November 2, 2020 at 9:39 am
Paul? I notice that you, like Vohra, use hyperbole and emotion to bolster your point. You either don’t know the data or death rates associated with the China virus, or you don’t care. You also haven’t taken the time to undertand the increases in deaths associated with the side effects of gov’t intervention in trying to control something that really can’t be controlled. I would invite you to find the Stanford based study recently released that shows the overall death rate to be .002. That’s on par with the seasonal flu. Tell us, Paul, why has the seasonal flu all but disappeared this year? And PLEASE share with us any reasons for wearing masks since EVERY actual scientific mask study shows ZERO differences in infection rates between the 2 groups.
commonsense
November 3, 2020 at 1:17 pm
The only one using hyperbole and emotion is you Steve. Calling this a “China virus” just stigmatizes and polarizes an issue (not to mention outing yourself as an overt racist jerk) rather than getting things back on track which is to honor science, something Trumpers consistently fail to do again and again.
On that, your link (so high and mighty of you not to provide and tell us commoners to google) was not peer reviewed.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.13.20101253v3
An epidemic need not be regarded as deadly simply because initially it is not deadly, but the fact it can and already has mutated while causing serious life long complications.
Regardless, our nation is divided but that means nothing if we don’t get back on track. Which we won’t at the rate we’re going because we frankly can’t control stupid.
So continue downplaying the virus and wear your red MAGA caps. Those who have common sense will know to give you clear berth.
A normal guy
November 1, 2020 at 8:48 am
Why all the hysteria if per the CDC the survival rate is 99.97% ? between the ages of 0-19
99.98 for 20-49? and 94.6 if you are over 70?
Dr Vohra, please stop being hysterical. it is not becoming.
Nick Hero
November 2, 2020 at 11:58 am
All these naysaying comments but I don’t feel people who have lost their loved ones no matter what age is going to agree with you.
People just care about themselves. They have the attitude “Money talks COVID-19 walks.” Certain people attack the opinions of others.
Are these people going to argue with a person who has a medical doctorate? Do they understand that medical doctors are trying to stop the spread of COVID-19? That they care that people die from this virus. It is not hysteria it’s called protecting and educating people (this is what doctors do as they want to save lives).
Do naysayers even care who lives and who dies? Do these naysayers have a doctorate in virology or in medical field? Or they just running their mouths?
There are some people who care about this disease and care about their family members.
No matter what the percentage, no matter what the age (even one death is too much), as one person caught this virus and now millions around the world are contracting the virus and thousands have died.
The majority of the Chinese commented naysaying when the virus started because they wanted to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the virus spread. (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-virus/) (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/frontlines-first-major-documentary-on-covid-19-premieres-tonight/).
Are we proud as Americans to be the number one in COVID-19 cases? Are naysayers going to say that the numbers are false too, some have.
I don’t care what the hell you believe because I am going to protect my family from naysaying spreaders.
But if you’re going to assert any comments provide updated links to back up your naysaying.
Here’s some links to educate naysayers.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm