California approaches 2 weeks of improvement

As the second week of February draws to a close, so does the second straight week of consistent declines in all COVID-19 measures in California, according to data compiled by that news organization. However, cases, hospitalizations and deaths all remain at higher levels than at any time before this winter.

As of Thursday, there were 10,401 new cases and 541 deaths from COVID-19 across California, the two numbers still significant but lower than the week before, while its active hospitalizations fell by a net of 400 more patients, and the total number of patients being treated in intensive care units fell below 3,000 for the first time in two months. Only 4.6% of tests came back positive for COVID-19 in the past week, compared to a positive rate of more than 14% last month during the peak of the pandemic.

At around 11,320 cases a day over the past week, the state is averaging about a quarter of the infections it was this time around last month – at the height of its outbreak – including a 50% drop in the past. last two weeks. Deaths, however, continue to occur at a rate of around 414 per day over the past week, down almost 25% from two weeks ago, but still three times higher than any other time before the winter wave.

Even as deaths drop, Californians continue to die in significantly higher numbers than in any other state.

The total death toll in the state, which recently topped New York for most of the country, rose to more than 46,000 on Thursday. Over the past week, California recorded nearly 1,000 more COVID-19 victims than the nearest state of Texas, according to the New York Times. Of the six states that have averaged at least 100 deaths per day in the past week, only Arizona has recorded them at a higher per capita rate.

Although California tops the list in the total number of lives lost to the virus, 30 states have lost a greater proportion of their population. Even Los Angeles County, home to 10 million people and one of the hardest-hit places in California, would rank below 10 states in terms of lives lost per capita, even though it has an overall count of deaths higher than seven of them and any other county. in the nation.

Los Angeles County and the rest of Southern California continued to account for a disproportionate share of deaths in the state on Thursday, but 33 of its 58 counties added to their death toll.

The Bay Area combined to report 67 in the region, led by 30 in Santa Clara County, 15 in Contra Costa County and 13 in Alameda County.

Southern California’s roughly 69% share of statewide deaths on Tuesday was lower than its overall share throughout the pandemic, but remained well above its share of the population. The region accounted for the four highest numbers of deaths in the county and seven 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.

Today, however, counties in southern California no longer populate almost exclusively the list of the state’s highest infection rates.

One month removed from a statewide rate above 100, only three counties in California recorded a daily per capita average of at least 50 cases per 100,000 population over the past week. All three are sparsely populated and have combined less than 25 total cases per day over the past week. Statewide, there were less than 30 daily cases per 100,000 population over the past week for the first time since before Thanksgiving, an infection rate lower than 21 other states, according to the Times.