As the second week in February comes to an end, so does the second consecutive week of consistent declines across all California COVID-19 metrics, according to data compiled by this news organization. However, cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain at higher levels than at any time before this winter.
On Thursday, there were another 10,401 new cases and 541 COVID-19 deaths across California, both still substantial counts, but lower than the week before, while their active hospitalizations fell on a network of another 400 patients, and the total number of patients being treated in intensive care units has dropped to less than 3,000 for the first time in two months. Only 4.6% of the tests tested positive for COVID-19 last week, compared with a positive rate above 14% last month during the peak of the pandemic.
With approximately 11,320 cases a day last week, the state is experiencing an average of about a quarter of the infections it had last month – at the height of its outbreak – including a 50% decline in the past two weeks. Deaths, however, continue to reach a rate of about 414 a day last week, down almost 25% from two weeks ago, but still three times greater than any point before the winter wave.
Even as deaths drop, Californians continue to die in substantially higher numbers than in any other state.
The total death toll in the state, which recently surpassed New York to the highest number in the country, rose from 46,000 on Thursday. Last week, California recorded almost 1,000 more COVID-19 victims than the nearest state, Texas, according to the New York Times. Of the six states averaging at least 100 deaths a day in the past week, only Arizona had a higher per capita rate.
Although California tops the list in total lives lost to the virus, 30 states have lost a greater proportion of its population. Even Los Angeles County, home to 10 million people and one of the hardest hit locations in California, would rank below 10 states in lives lost per capita, although it has an overall death toll higher than seven and any another county in the nation.
On Thursday, Los Angeles County and the rest of Southern California continued to account for a disproportionate share of fatalities across the state, but 33 of its 58 counties increased their death toll.
The bay area totaled 67 across the region, led by 30 in Santa Clara County, 15 in Contra Costa County and 13 in Alameda County.
The approximately 69% share of southern California in deaths across the state on Tuesday was less than its overall share during the pandemic, but remained well above its share of the population. The region was responsible for the four highest death toll in the county and seven out of 13 with double-digit deaths: 158 in Los Angeles County, 59 in San Bernardino County, 51 in San Diego County, 42 in Orange County, 23 in Riverside County, 18 in Ventura County and 10 in Imperial County.
Now, however, southern California counties are no longer almost exclusively on the state’s list of the highest infection rates.
A month away from a state tax above 100, only three California counties recorded a daily per capita average of at least 50 cases per 100,000 residents last week. All three are sparsely populated and have combined in less than 25 total cases a day in the past week. Across the state, there were less than 30 daily cases per 100,000 residents last week, for the first time since before Thanksgiving, an infection rate lower than 21 other states, according to the Times.
Ventura, Santa Bárbara and Los Angeles are still in the top 10, but with their respective daily infection rates in the last week of 43, 35 and 34 cases per 100,000 residents.
More counties in the San Joaquin Valley now populate the state’s top ten: Kern, Kings, Stanislaus and Merced, with infection rates ranging from 39 to 45 cases per 100,000 residents.
In the bay area, no county recorded more than 30 daily cases per 100,000 residents last week, and all of its five main counties reported infection rates between 16 and 21 per 100,000.