Tulare County has largest single-day spike in COVID-19: Eight new cases, 43 total

Tulare County announced its largest single-day spike in confirmed coronavirus patients on Monday, with eight new cases — 43 total.

Seven of the new cases were contracted through person-to-person contact. It's unknown how the final case was contracted, pending an investigation by the Public Health Branch, officials said.

The ages of the new patients also run the gamut:

Ages 0-17: 1 new patient

Ages18-25 : 1 new patients

Ages 26-40: 2 new patients

Ages 41-64: 1 new patient

Ages 65+: 3 new patients

Four Tulare County cities — Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and Dinuba — have been affected by the pandemic so far.

The surge follows the county's first COVID-19-related death on Saturday. The patient, a woman in her 60s, had been in critical condition since mid-March, according to Tulare County health officials.

On Tuesday, Kaweah Delta Medical Center will expand its testing facilities to an entire city block. City officials will close Floral Street between Main Street and Acequia Avenue so patients can park and get swabbed while staying inside their vehicles.

Specimens collected from the swabs will then be sent to the Public Health Lab for processing. Only patients cleared by the Tulare County Public Health Department are eligible for the test, hospital officials said.

The hospital has collected 528 specimens as of 9 a.m. Friday. Of those, 110 are pending a diagnosis while 397 tested negative.

More: 21 of 24 COVID-19 patients swabbed at Kaweah Delta in Visalia

More: Kaweah Delta to close down street for COVID-19 drive-up testing

Tulare County's upward trend in coronavirus cases is reflected nationally.

The country as a whole saw a spike in COVID-19 cases with more than 155,000 cases and 2,800 deaths in the United States as of noon Monday.

Over the weekend, the U.S. became the epicenter of the pandemic, surpassing China and Italy for the most confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Public health officials caution that those numbers are expected to rise dramatically in the coming days and weeks as testing kits become more readily available.

Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency advises if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing, to call your primary physician or 2-1-1 rather than walking into a medical office or hospital. Your physician will connect with Tulare County Public Health to determine if testing is appropriate.

Everyone should frequently wash their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face and maintain distance from others for the duration of the pandemic.

Statewide, the governor's stay-at-home order remains in effect. Businesses deemed "essential services," such as grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies, remain open.

These measures are in place to reduce the total number of COVID-19 cases and spread the cases out over a long period of time — known as "flattening the curve" — so local hospitals aren't overwhelmed with an influx of patients.

Update: The Tulare County Public Health Department originally reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Monday as a result of duplicated paperwork. In fact, there are eight new cases.

Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks and housing for the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.