Fresno County preparing for arrival of COVID-19 vaccine doses

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Coronavirus cases are climbing fast, and health officials worry the choices people will make over the holidays could leave them searching for more hospital bed space.

"I'm worried if this surge doesn't abate, and if people don't make good choices, we'll exceed the capacity," says Dr. Rais Vohra with the department of public health.

Dr. Vohra says the number of people being hospitalized is increasing.

California state officials on Thursday announced a statewide curfew starting Saturday to combat the surge and Vohra is hoping people will head the warning.

"We want people to voluntarily confirm, stay indoors," he says.

In the meantime, the county is working on meeting the state's demand for testing.

On Friday, Vohra showed off a Binax rapid test, one of thousands that were delivered by the state and already distributed throughout the county.

He says they're working to open additional test sites in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

At the same time, Vohra says the health department is working to be ready when a vaccine becomes available.

"We don't know how many doses we'll get, we think the first wave we'll distribute will be in December," he says.

The county says they're looking into storage and transportation for the vaccine, as it will need to be in ultra low-temperature freezers to keep it cold.

If you are looking to get tested, click here for a map that shows every testing location in all Central Valley counties.

The green pins will show you open locations, their hours, and the type of tests they conduct.