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California Governor Gavin Newsom told a press conference on Monday that the state is considering a new stay-at-home order in purple-level counties if cases continue to rise.
The state is experiencing the highest rate of increase in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, and within one to two weeks, new cases resulting from Thanksgiving gatherings are expected to appear and accelerate the outbreak.
“If these trends continue, we are going to have to take much more dramatic, arguably drastic, action,” Newsom said.
With 51 of the state’s 58 counties in the most restrictive level, 99% of the population could fall under lockdown. The governor did not outline the details of the potential new order, but when the state released one in March, he forced people to stay indoors except for essential services and exercise.
In the Bay Area, all counties are in the purple level except Marin, which is still in the red level.
In the sobering update, Newsom provided an overview of the latest metrics used to gauge the severity of the pandemic. The seven-day average of new daily cases was 14,657 on Monday, up from 9,881 at the height of the July summer surge.
The state is implementing a record number of tests – an average of more than 200,000 a day – and as testing increases, it has said the positivity rate (the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of all people tested) becomes a key metric and shows that the increase in cases is not explained by an increase in testing.
The state’s rate was 6.2% Monday and 4.7% as recently as November 16.
Hospitalizations are of particular concern and have increased by 89% in the past 14 days.
“Current plans show hospitalizations could increase to two to three times the current amount in a month,” Newsom said, referring to the expected increase after Thanksgiving.
As of Monday, 59% of California healthcare beds were occupied, and by December 24 that number is expected to rise to 78%. In the Bay Area, 58% of beds are used, and as of Dec. 24, projects show a 78% increase.
To prepare for the expected influx of patients, Newsom said the state would begin making 11 state-of-the-art facilities across the state “fully operational.” The facilities can provide 1,862 additional beds.
On a more positive note, the governor said the state is doing “better than the overwhelming majority of other states.” He shared a slide showing the Golden State ranks 39th in the average seven-day case rate per 100,000 people in the country. California has 34.5 new cases per day per 100,000 compared to North Dakota, with the highest rate, at 112.3 cases per 100,000.
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