California’s average daily COVID-19 deaths have hit a low point not seen for several months, despite national infection rates that continue to increase.
As of Sunday, the California Department of Public Health recorded a seven-day average of deaths of 63, a level not seen since mid-summer, near the end of June and into early July. The Mercury News reported that the seven-day death average hit 61 on Friday, which was last reported by state health officials on July 5.
Compared with last week, the state’s average death toll has decreased by 16.7%, according to CDPH data, indicating a downward trajectory as autumn begins. Deaths have been consistently tapering off since the last day of July, which set a record for daily reported deaths with 219 in one day.
Infection rates have mostly stabilized in California as well. The state’s latest seven-day average for new cases is 3,264, a sharp contrast from the numbers seen in July and August. On Saturday 3,803 new cases were reported by the CDPH, but during the summer spike of infection, the highest single-day of new cases added a whopping 12,807.
A total of 846,579 Californians have been infected with the coronavirus and 16,564 have died of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. More than 16 million people in the state have been tested, reflecting a positivity rate of about 5% overall. In the last two weeks, 2.6% of people tested returned positive results.
These trends are reflected in California’s hospitalization rates, which have been declining in roughly the same pattern as infection rates. Currently, 2,209 patients are hospitalized across the state with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 612 of whom are being treated in intensive care units. At its peak, California had reported 7,170 people in hospitals on July 21. In just the last 24 hours, 55 COVID-19 patients have been released from hospitals.
The improving conditions in California come as the United States more broadly faces continual challenges. With Johns Hopkins University reporting 7.75 million infections in the U.S. and more than 214,600 dead, new cases keep pouring in. For the last four days, Johns Hopkins has reported more than 50,000 cases, including 54,639 on Saturday alone, a rate of infection not seen since August, when transmission spiked across the country.
Sacramento area figures
Sacramento County health officials have reported a total of 23,649 cases and 450 deaths so far. In the city of Sacramento, 251 are dead, while 108 of the deceased hail from unincorporated areas in the county. Elk Grove accounts for 38 of the dead, Rancho Cordova for 24, Citrus Heights for 15, Galt for seven and Folsom for six, plus one victim whose place of residence was not reported by local health officials.
A majority of the county’s deaths came in just the last two months. August left 179 county residents dead, the deadliest month yet, while 96 people died of COVID-19 in September, although additional cause-of-death investigations may still increase the month’s death toll. In July, 88 people coronavirus patients were reported dead.
In the first five days of October, at least six people in Sacramento County have died, according to health officials, and the most recent weekly average test positivity rate reported by the county is 2.8%, down significantly from its peak of almost 9% in August.
On Sept. 29, Sacramento County was moved down in the state’s regional coronavirus tier list from the most severe category, purple, into the less restrictive red tier, indicating substantial viral activity but improving conditions overall. This allowed for more economic activity, including indoor seating with reduced capacity at dine-in restaurants which had previously been forced to set up seats in parking lots and roadways due to state health restrictions.
There are currently 78 patients in Sacramento County hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 27 of whom are in ICUs. The county has 79 ICU beds available.
Yolo County, which joined Sacramento in the less restrictive red tier in late September, has reported just under 3,000 infections. Health officials have received positive coronavirus test results from 2,942 patients, and have reported 56 people dead of COVID-19. Saturday’s update added 13 new cases to the total infection count.
In Yolo County, 42,285 people have been tested and health officials reported a weekly average positivity rate of 4.17%. Daily infections have gone down significantly since mid-summer. On July 8, 70 infections were reported in a single day, setting the county’s record. Since then, daily infections have steadily decreased to the current level.
Placer County has reported 3,750 total infections and 51 deaths. Health officials consider 3,466 of these cases to be likely recovered, which means only somewhere around 300 cases are still active. Placer County, like its westerly neighbors, remains in the red tier.
El Dorado County is the only county in the greater Sacramento area to be included in the state’s orange tier, which indicates moderate viral activity and allows for significant indoor business activity. It is one of a small number of counties to have reported deaths below double-digits, with just four since the start of the pandemic. Health officials have reported a total of 1,239 infections, 494 of which are from the Lake Tahoe area, still the leading site of infection in the county.
Sutter County remains in the state’s most restrictive purple tier due to widespread viral activity. There, 1,775 people have tested positive for coronavirus and 12 have died. One person is hospitalized with COVID-19. Four new cases were reported Friday, and county officials say that just 30 cases are still active. Its positivity rate is 3.3%, which is actually lower than that of neighboring Yuba County, which is in the red tier and has a positivity rate of 4.2%. Yuba County officials have reported 1,227 infections and 10 dead. Six patients are hospitalized and five new cases were reported Friday. Health officials say 38 of Yuba County’s cases are still active.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.