The increase in coronavirus in California started to result in record deaths before Christmas, as hospitals struggle with their capacity and the impressive number of cases shows little sign of abating.
Local authorities recorded 363 deaths on Tuesday, an increase behind the 428 deaths reported on December 16 and far exceeding the previous peak of 215 deaths in mid-July. Nearly 36,000 new cases were reported, keeping the seven-day average for new cases stable at 45,388, according to data compiled by this news organization – an increase of more than 80% compared to just two weeks ago.
Hospitals have been overwhelmed for days by the growing need for care; As of Monday, there were 17,843 coronavirus patients hospitalized across the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. Only 1.4% of the beds in intensive care units are available, with a capacity of 0% in the entire population epicenter of the state in southern California. The Bay Area has about 13.5% of the ICU’s capacity.
Coronavirus exploded across the country during the holiday season, as people experience “pandemic fatigue”, causing the first triggered infections and now deaths across California. Before December, the state’s worst fight with COVID-19 occurred in mid-July, when the record death toll was only 215 and the seven-day average of cases never exceeded 10,000 daily infections.
The increase in the holiday broke these previous records, putting the state in its worst position since the pandemic began about nine months ago. The average daily seven-day infection in California is now more than three times the previous peak in July, while the average seven-day mortality is almost double the previous peak in early August. The test’s positivity rate is about 13.3%, a sharp increase after hovering below 5% in most of the fall and exceeding the overall US rate of about 11.1%, according to the project. COVID-19 tracking from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Los Angeles County remains the epicenter of the virus, accounting for about a third of the state’s number of cases and almost 40% of the more than 23,000 reported deaths. Local officials, including LA County Health Services Director, Dr. Christina Ghaly, are begging residents to stay home for the holidays – instead of using the COVID-19 test before the trip – as hospitals reach their maximum capacity.
Los Angeles was responsible for 85 of Tuesday’s more than 350 deaths, second only to Fresno, who reported 89 deaths.
In the bay area of 10 counties, Santa Clara County recorded the majority of cases and deaths in total during the pandemic, followed by Alameda and Contra Costa. The region as a whole recorded 39 deaths on Tuesday, of which 21 were in Alameda, eight in Santa Clara, five in San Mateo, three in Sonoma and two in Napa, in addition to more than 4,000 new cases.
Although the region has maintained more hospital capacity than Southern California in recent weeks, the possibility of more infections and hospitalizations is high thanks to Christmas. According to an analysis by the Bay Area News Group, case rates soared in the region in the weeks after Thanksgiving, which, experts say, can be attributed in part to family and friends gatherings.