[ad_1]
The coronavirus continues to plague California at a record pace, prompting the state to re-impose restrictions not seen since the early days of the pandemic in a bid to stem the growing outbreak.
Statewide, 13,422 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Thursday – breaking the one-day record for the second time this week. The previous high water mark – 13,412 – was set on Monday, according to an independent county-by-county count by The Times.
California has now recorded four straight days with at least 10,600 newly confirmed coronavirus cases, a stretch unlike any in the pandemic. Over the past week, the state recorded an average of 10,529 new cases per day, an increase of 117% from two weeks ago.
And those skyrocketing numbers of cases aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. Authorities predict that about 12% of people who test positive will end up in hospital two to three weeks later.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 63.6% in the past 14 days, reaching 4,523, according to Dr Mark Ghaly, Secretary of State for Health and Human Services. The number of intensive care patients – 1,155 – is 40.5% higher than two weeks ago.
Given the current number of daily cases, “that means in two and a half weeks 1,200 people could be hospitalized with COVID,” Ghaly said in a briefing Thursday, and “you can see how that number is growing. added.”
“This could pose a serious challenge for our entire healthcare system, and not just for beds and buildings, but for staff,” he said.
As cases and hospitalizations rise, officials said they expected the number of deaths to rise as well. California reported 108 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday – the first triple-digit figure since October 21 – and another 93 on Thursday, according to data compiled by The Times.
California has recorded an average of 60 daily deaths over the past week, pushing the state’s overall toll above 18,500.
With the virus growing throughout the state, “the activities you normally do are at a higher risk today than they were a month ago,” Ghaly said.
“We’ve seen reports of people saying, ‘Well, I haven’t changed my behavior. I was doing the same thing a month ago, ”he said. “Well, today, because the rate of background transmission, the level of COVID in our communities, is higher, even our daily activities are becoming more at risk. And we must be determined to put our protective guards in place even more than we usually do.
In the face of the growing number of cases and steadily rising hospitalizations, officials and experts stress that residents should double down on measures that can prevent them from becoming infected – including wearing masks in public, good hand hygiene, stay home in case of illness and keep a physical away, and avoid gatherings with those with whom they do not live.
Although officials have repeatedly preached that personal responsibility is vital in the battle against COVID-19, the state also unveiled a host of new restrictions this week aimed at turning the tide of new infections.
California announced Thursday it would impose a mandatory stay-at-home order that would ban most non-essential activities outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties that are in the most restrictive category. of the plan to reopen the state, the purple level.
About 94% of Californians, 37 million people, live in the 41 counties that are currently in this level.
The ordinance goes into effect on Saturday and lasts until December 21, although it can be extended.
“We hope that today’s actions, our collective coming together, our determination to maintain our protective behaviors, will help us stem the tide and bring these skyrocketing numbers down very, very soon,” Ghaly said.
Although the hope is to avoid even more dramatic action in the future, Ghaly acknowledged that “all the tools are on the table”.
“COVID can go from 0 to 60 very quickly,” he says. “And that’s the case.
Ahead of the state’s decision, Los Angeles County officials announced additional local efforts to curb the coronavirus.
Starting Friday, the county will order non-essential restaurants and stores to close to the public from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. – though they may continue to offer take-out and delivery service during those hours – and will limit the number of people allowed at outdoor gatherings to 15, no more than three households.
The new restrictions took effect the day after LA County recorded 4,943 new cases, the highest number it has seen in a day since the start of the pandemic, according to the Times coronavirus tracker.
“At this point, no one should yet underestimate the spread of this virus, nor question the actions we still need to slow the spread and reduce its impact on our collective health and our local economy,” said the county health officer. Dr Muntu Davis said at a briefing.
If the number of cases in the county or the number of hospitalizations increases too much, officials have warned they could impose additional trade restrictions – or even issue a new local stay-at-home order.
Davis acknowledged that “these things are difficult to go through,” but said the coronavirus conditions should be a clear call for residents and businesses to redouble their infection prevention efforts.
“If people were really following all the things that needed to be done, we might not be in this place; we probably wouldn’t be in this place where we have this number of cases or where we have to take these measures, ”he said Thursday. “So really everyone has to do their part and forget about the idea that this is a hoax. It’s not.”
Warning bells are also ringing in Santa Clara County, where officials have said they are on the verge of potentially exceeding hospital capacity in three weeks.
As Thanksgiving approaches, officials urged residents to refrain from travel for the holidays – and not to view testing as a way to reunite with people outside of their homes or to indulge in d ‘other dangerous activities.
“A negative result doesn’t mean someone has a pass to put themselves and others at risk,” Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, county COVID-19 testing manager, said in a statement. “People who test negative can still carry the virus but be at an early stage of infection. It is extremely important that you do not travel during this time of increased risk of COVID-19. “
Times editors Phil Willon and Taryn Luna contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link