As of this week, more than a half million San Joaquin Valley residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For some, that means being able to more safely visit grandkids or elderly parents, while for others it’s a ticket to spending more time in public or feeling more secure in person-to-person interactions at work.
But even if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you likely still have questions—for instance, when can you take your mask off, and what should you do if you’re exposed to the virus? For this week’s COVID update, we solicited questions from our listeners via social media and through people-on-the-street interviews, and we sought out answers to your questions from Juris Grasis, an immunologist and vaccine expert at UC Merced. The conversation features questions and other input from Fresno residents Raelynn Aziz, Dave Poss, Lauren Sierra, Robert Hernandez, Alyssa Medlock, and Gloria Nazzaretta, as well as Twitter user FresnoTransplant.
Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot for Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare Counties (note that some numbers may have changed between the interview and publication):
As of April 15:
- 4,731 total deaths out of 328,059 total cases
- 179 people hospitalized and 36 in ICUs
- 46 deaths reported in the last week
- 257 average cases reported daily in last week
- 1,415,376 vaccine doses administered to date
As of 1 week previous, April 8:
- 4,681 total deaths out of 326,219 total cases
- 229 people hospitalized and 51 in ICUs
- 57 deaths reported in the last week
- 267 average cases reported daily in last week
- 1,273,798 vaccine doses administered to date
As of 4 weeks previous, March 18:
- 4,250 total deaths out of 320,695 total cases
- 354 people hospitalized and 72 in ICUs
- 95 deaths reported in the last week
- 364 average cases reported daily in last week
- 843,772 vaccine doses administered to date
You can always find up-to-date information for your county here.
