Coronavirus update: California reports lowest one-day case total in almost 4 months
While raging wildfires continue to devastate California, the state continues to get some much-needed good news regarding its other major crisis: coronavirus numbers are continuing a steady decline.
The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday morning reported the smallest one-day increase in new, lab-positive COVID-19 cases in almost four months: 1,616, the lowest tally dating back to May 18.
It’s worth noting that Wednesday’s figure comes amid about 76,000 tests performed. That’s lower than the recent daily average of more than 100,000-plus tests the state has processed in recent weeks — but well over that of the mid-May point of comparison, when the state’s capacity was below 50,000.
The state now says just 3.6% of diagnostic tests processed in the past week have returned positive, less than half the rate experienced during a surge that lasted most of July into early August. It’s a metric health officials are optimistic is reflecting true decline of COVID-19 spread.
The 1,600 new cases pushed California’s all-time total for the six-month pandemic to just over 739,500. An additional 83 deaths reported Wednesday pushed the state’s fatality toll to 13,841 all-time.
Hospitalization totals and the number of patients in intensive care units with confirmed COVID-19 cases have fallen statewide, back to about the same level where they had stabilized from mid-April to mid-June before a surge of new infections translated to higher hospital totals from late June through early August.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as state and local health leaders, attributed that surge to too many private get-togethers — things like birthday and graduation parties, or backyard barbecues — that were bringing large groups friends and extended family members together with little attention paid to social distancing or mask use, which Newsom ordered mandatory in most public settings June 18.
Faced with that spike, Newsom also tightened business restrictions, slowing economic reopening throughout a vast majority of the state beginning in the first half of July.
At the very end of August, Newsom and the state unveiled a new four-tier, color-coded system and, along with allowing barbershops and hair salons to resume business statewide, once again allowed counties classified as having relatively low rates of COVID-19 spread to begin reopening certain types of businesses, including movie theaters, with modifications for social distancing, capacity limits and mask mandates.
State health officials now update that tier list weekly on Tuesdays. Five counties were promoted from the most restrictive purple tier to the red tier this week, including Placer and Amador counties near Sacramento, which means schools in those counties can reopen for in-classroom instruction at all grade levels, and activities like indoor dining can resume at up to 25% capacity.
‘Someone could lose their life’: Newsom addresses packed Capitol rally
Given the emphasis on discouraging large gatherings to curb spread of COVID-19, holidays have been filled with messaging campaigns from health and government leaders: Though the urge is strong, please refrain from gathering in groups with people outside your own household; and if you do, social distance and wear a mask.
Newsom in a tweet last Friday essentially pleaded with Californians to follow those guidelines and not gather over Labor Day weekend.
Nonetheless, a large event on the west steps of the Capitol — permitted for 1,000 attendees, but with around 3,000 ultimately showing up — proceeded for three hours Sunday evening. It was a “Let Us Worship” rally headlined by religious activist and Christian musician Sean Feucht, who has been holding similar events across the West Coast in recent weeks.
Images from the event show a huge crowd packed outside the Capitol, with no social distancing efforts apparent and masks extremely few and far between.
Asked about the event at a Tuesday news conference dedicated both to wildfires and COVID-19 response, Newsom said he was still “getting more details” and would get a “full report” on the Capitol rally later that day.
In a Wednesday news briefing, Newsom said he’s asking the California Highway Patrol to change its permitting protocols for large gatherings.
“It does not help to have thousands of thousands of people not practicing physical distancing, or social distancing, not wearing masks. Quite literally someone could lose their life,” Newsom said on Tuesday. “I know that’s not the intent of anyone who organizes these events, but it could be the outcome.”
Latest in capital region: Sacramento area improving, by the numbers
In the six-county Sacramento region made up of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties, close to 29,000 residents have been infected since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 450 have died.
Sacramento County has reached 19,524 cases with 339 resident deaths from the virus all-time. More than 150 of those fatalities came in August, and at least 10 more have occurred in the first five days of September, according to the local health office.
Wednesday marks exactly six months since the first county resident officially linked to COVID-19 died, according to county health officials.
Hospital data for Sacramento County show a one-day uptick: from 141 patients in hospital beds with the disease and 51 in ICUs as of Tuesday’s update, to 157 hospitalized and 58 in intensive care Wednesday. Both figures remain well below a peak reached in late July of about 280 hospitalized and 90 in the ICU, and have steadily declined since mid-August, state data show.
Wednesday’s reported total of only 64 new cases is among the lowest daily count in weeks. The county now estimates 16,368 infected patients have recovered, which means there are approximately 2,800 confirmed cases among the county’s population of 1.5 million people. That figure, since about early July, had hovered between 3,000 and 3,600.
Sacramento County remains coded purple, denoting “widespread” virus activity.
Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 2,564 COVID-19 cases and 53 deaths. The county increased the infection total by 24 Tuesday. Its most recent death was reported Friday. There are eight patients in county hospitals, five of whom are in ICU units. The county has two ICU bed remaining, according to state data.
The county has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 145 of the total number of cases and 26 of the deaths. Yolo County, like Sacramento County, is coded purple.
Placer County has reported a total of 3,238 cases and 36 deaths, reporting 22 new infections Tuesday and 18 more Wednesday, with no deaths either day. There are 31 people hospitalized in the county, a decrease of more than 10 since the weekend, and the ICU count has decreased from 13 to 10. Placer County has been promoted from the purple tier to the red tier.
El Dorado County has reported 1,013 COVID-19 cases and two deaths due to the virus, reporting low totals of five new cases Tuesday after adding just seven between Friday and Monday afternoon. The county processed 434 tests over the weekend with a test positivity rate of just 1.6% for those three days. There are currently no patients in county hospitals, state data show. El Dorado County has been coded red by state health officials.
Sutter County has reported a total of 1,526 cases and 10 deaths, with 18 cases added Monday and 14 more Tuesday. Sixteen people are currently hospitalized, with three in the ICU. In neighboring Yuba County, 1,031 people have been infected and seven have died, with 10 new cases reported Monday and 14 on Tuesday. Nine people in Yuba County are being hospitalized, with one in the ICU.
Both Sutter and Yuba counties, which share a bi-county health office, are coded purple. They also each have infection rates that are too high for either county to permit waivers for elementary school campuses to reopen.
World numbers: Global death toll closes in on 900,000
Across the globe, over 27.6 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 898,000 people have died as of midday Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States accounts for the largest share of infections and deaths of any country, with more than 6.3 million confirmed cases and close to 190,000 deaths.
Brazil is the next leading nation in terms of deaths, at just over 127,000. Brazil was recently surpassed in infections by India, which has almost 4.3 million cases, about 133,000 more than Brazil. Close to 74,000 have died in India. Next in terms of death toll are Mexico at about 68,500, the United Kingdom at more than 41,000 dead, Italy at over 35,000, and France and Peru each at about 30,000.
Although Russia is the only other nation confirming more than 1 million infections, it has only reported 17,900 deaths, putting the nation at No. 12 overall.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.
Most people develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Coronavirus update: California reports lowest one-day case total in almost 4 months."
