Coronavirus is infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the pandemic
New daily coronavirus cases in California have tripled in the last month, a Los Angeles Times analysis has found, as pandemic conditions deteriorated dramatically around the state.
The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a new peak in related deaths by Christmas.
California averaged more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day in the seven days to Saturday. This is more than triple the number on Oct. 21, which was nearly 3,200, according to a Times analysis.
Even during the summertime surge, which led to the season with California’s worst COVID-19 death toll so far, the average daily number of coronavirus cases over a seven-day period never exceeded 10,000.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in the last month, the analysis found. And deaths have begun to climb in recent days.
In the last week, an average of 65 COVID-19 deaths were reported daily in California, up more than 50 percent from two weeks ago, when an average of 43 were reported daily.
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are coming back positive was also up dramatically in the last week — a troubling indication of the rapid spread of the highly contagious virus.
On Saturday, the state’s coronavirus positivity rate hit 6.1 percent; on Nov. 1, it was 2.98 percent.
On Saturday, San Diego and San Bernardino counties both recorded their highest single-day case totals of the pandemic, according to health officials.
In San Diego County, more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, nearly quadruple the figure from a month ago.
On Saturday, 1,478 coronavirus cases were reported, the
Officials in Los Angeles County on Sunday ordered outdoor restaurant dining areas to shut down for at least three weeks, starting Wednesday at 10 p.m.
The order means eateries can serve food only for takeout and delivery, a restriction that hasn’t been in place since May.
“New COVID-19 cases remain at alarming levels, and the number of people hospitalized continue to increase,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement.
On Sunday, officials said Los Angeles County had averaged more than 4,000 cases a day over the previous five days — more than double the number of just two weeks ago. Officials had previously warned that exceeding 4,000 would force authorities to close outdoor dining at restaurants.
Should L.A. County average 4,500 daily cases over a five-day period, officials have warned, they will impose a stay-at-home order similar to the one they put in place in the spring.
There are a number of reasons for the increase in coronavirus cases in California, where a surge began in late October, state and local health officials say.
Among the factors they point to are colder weather, which encourages people to stay indoors where transmission risk is higher; increased travel to California from harder-hit states; a general increase in social gatherings, including those to watch the NBA Finals and the World Series; Halloween; protests and celebrations related to the presidential election; and an increase in workplace outbreaks.
Cumulatively, California has recorded 1.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 18,700 deaths. Nationally, more than 12 million coronavirus infections have been reported, and more than 256,000 people have died.
Federal, state and local authorities are urging people to stay home for Thanksgiving and abandon travel plans, whether it be a cross-country flight or a drive across town, to avoid spreading the coronavirus, which can be transmitted by people who seem perfectly healthy and never fall sick.
A travel advisory issued by California in mid-November implored residents to avoid nonessential out-of-state travel and asked those who arrive from outside the state to quarantine for 14 days, meaning they should stay at home or other lodging as much as possible and have food and essentials delivered.
Officials say it’s safest to keep Thanksgiving celebrations among members of one household.
For people who do intend to invite people from outside their household, such gatherings must be held outside, according to a health order in effect for most areas of the state, with the hosts and guests coming from no more than three households, people from different households kept 6 feet apart and everyone wearing masks when not eating or drinking.
On Saturday, California’s new limited overnight stay-at-home order went into effect in counties in the most restrictive COVID-19 tier, which covers 94 percent of the state’s population, including San Diego County.
This is aimed at being less intrusive than the statewide stay-at-home order implemented in the spring and is designed to curb late-night drinking and group gatherings, where inhibitions are lowered, masks are removed, and the virus can easily spread.
The order prohibits all gatherings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. among members of different households and all nonessential activities outside the home with people from other households.
The order does allow people to leave their homes during the overnight hours to go grocery shopping, pick up takeout food, walk the dog and work for essential businesses, which includes working for restaurants that are serving food for takeout and delivery.
Experts say similar government-ordered limits on late-night activity in Europe helped drive down surges in the coronavirus there.
Lin writes for the Los Angeles Times.
