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More than 530 Californians now die from COVID-19 every day, pushing several counties to reach dark new milestones.
Just this week, Santa Clara County and Sacramento County each reported their 1,000th cumulative death from COVID-19, while San Diego County notched its 2,000th.
And Los Angeles County, long the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in California, officially passed 13,000 pandemic-related deaths on Thursday – a death toll higher than all but nine states.
“When we ask our residents to stay at home and follow the rules and the companies to follow the orders of health workers, it is to stop the loss of life from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer , LA County Director of Public Health, in a statement. “This disease is endemic right now, and we continue to advocate with residents, businesses and government, the community, to do whatever is possible to stop the spread.
More than 6,300 Californians have died from COVID-19 since New Year’s Day, a two-week total that represents about 20% of the state’s total of over 32,300 coronavirus-related deaths.
The most populous state in the union now has the second highest death toll from COVID-19 in the country, behind only New York, according to data compiled by The Times. Overall, California still has the 13th lowest death rate among states when factoring in population – with around 83 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 population.
However, this figure belies how quickly the death toll has increased recently.
Over the past week, an average of 534 residents have died from COVID-19 each day, a rate that increased 84% from two weeks ago and is the highest ever seen in the pandemic.
California local health officials reported 637 deaths on Thursday alone – the third highest number in a single day to date. The three highest daily death totals were all reported in the past week.
Among the recent deaths was a 19-year-old man in San Diego County, who local health officials said was the youngest resident to die from complications from COVID-19.
“We understand that the pandemic has strained the community, but today’s report reminds us that we must do all we can to protect each other and slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr Wilma Wooten, head of public health. statement Thursday.
Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Health Officer and Director of Public Health, called the attainment of 1,000 deaths “a devastating and tragic milestone for our community.”
“We mourn every life lost, and our goal remains to save as many lives as possible,” she said in a statement. “The harsh reality is that COVID-19 continues to be extremely prevalent in our county and throughout the state. Even though we have all been sacrificing ourselves for nearly a year to fight this virus, prevent infections and resume normal lives, we must remain vigilant or we will see more deaths and extreme challenges for our hospitals and healthcare systems.
The deaths represent the chilling, but inescapable conclusion to the crushing trajectory of COVID-19.
As more and more people become infected, more people will need to be hospitalized and eventually more will die. According to officials, the only way to avoid havoc down the line is to reduce transmission to begin with.
Although the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide has stabilized somewhat over the past week or so – sparking cautious optimism in some corners that the much-dreaded post-holiday surge hasn’t may not be as bad as expected – the coronavirus remains endemic.
California recorded about 44,000 new cases of coronavirus a day over the past week, including 40,865 on Thursday.
Authorities estimate that around 12% of those infected will need hospital care at some point, meaning new waves of people will need professional care in the weeks to come.
“The problem, of course, is that these numbers are already prepared. They are already made. The viral spread has already happened, ”said Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Assn. “And we in the health care delivery system cannot change these numbers of positive infections. All we can do is be ready to catch those who now need acute care.
At the current rate, California will record its 3 millionth cumulative case of coronavirus in a matter of days. LA County is approaching the million.
However, there are signs that the situation in LA County is not deteriorating as dramatically as it once was.
The average number of daily new cases across the county trended upward from Jan.4 to Wednesday, reaching an average of 15,102 per day. As of Friday morning, the rate edged down to a moving average of 14,839 new cases per day.
However, it is too early to tell if this is a snap or a sign of hope for progress.
Given the stubbornly high number of cases, LA County officials said they were weighing potential new health orders aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.
Areas likely to face further restrictions include outdoor gymnasiums, which have been allowed to open at 50% capacity, and indoor malls and retail establishments, which are said to be open to only 20% of their capacity, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday night.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr Mark Ghaly said Thursday that there are scenarios in which the pursuit of additional restrictions would make sense. But, he said, any new rule must be part of a balanced overall approach.
“There are a lot of Angelenos who have yet to feel the brunt of COVID, and they are ripe to be infected and spread significantly in their communities,” he said. “I think focusing on messaging and complying with some of the existing restrictions, as well as a big push towards masking and harm reduction … those kinds of messages, I think, should break through with restrictions as well. additional. “
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