California coronavirus cases surpass 500,000, surpassing N.Y. – Los Angeles Times

After a record-breaking month of fatalities linked to the coronavirus pandemic, California hit a grim turning point over the weekend: 500,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the most of any state.The overall boost in cases, now more than 516,000, comes as deaths rise. In July, California broke the single-day record for deaths 5 times, and 3 of those record-setting days happened recently.

Gov. Gavin Newsom stated Monday that the Central Valley has actually surpassed Imperial County as the state's location. Eight Central Valley counties have actually seen hospitalization and infection rates that far surpass the rest of the state.

“We don't want to see it go to where Imperial went,” Newsom said.

Nurse Jeanette Pimentel examine COVID-19 client Pedro Luera, who was airlifted from El Centro in Imperial County to Paradise Valley Hospital in National City.

(Irfan Khan/ Los Angeles Times)

Over the last two weeks, California saw approximately 121 deaths each day, Newsom said. On Friday, the state reported 214 deaths, 21% more than the previous record, set 2 days prior.

Still, there are some early indications of hope, Newsom stated. The number of individuals hospitalized statewide has fallen about 10% over two weeks, and admissions to extensive care units have actually fallen by 5%, he said.

The share of positive COVID-19 tests has actually fallen to 7%, even as the state has considerably expanded its screening capability, Newsom said.

The rate of Californians screening positive is “not where it needs to be, and it's still expensive,” he kept in mind. “But once again, it's good to see this number trending down, not trending up.”

Newsom attributed the modest enhancements to much better adherence to mask guidelines and social distancing and new “very, very challenging” state rules that

closed down bars and other industries. However 2 weeks of information heading in the best direction are inadequate to instill confidence, he said.

“We can quickly discover ourselves back to where we were just a couple of weeks earlier, a month earlier, with significant increases if we do not maintain our vigilance, if we do not keep our focus,” Newsom said. “This virus is not going away. It's not simply going to take Labor Day weekend off. It's not going to take Halloween off, the holidays off.”

About 97% of the state's residents live in a county that Newsom has flagged for high rates of illness transmission, high rates of positive tests or both. The 38 counties on the watchlist consist of every county in the Bay Area and in Southern California.L.A.

County health officials Monday revealed optimism that neighborhood spread of the coronavirus has slowed, saying this may be due to fewer opportunities for transmission in high-risk settings.Officials said there

were approximately 2,600 cases each day in the last week, below a number of weeks earlier, when the daily count topped 3,000. On Monday, the Department of Public Health reported more than 1,600 brand-new cases and 12 deaths, as well as 1,784 individuals hospitalized with verified cases of COVID-19. Advertisement The county's seven-day positivity rate, or the average variety of favorable test results among all those evaluated in

In Imperial County, a rise in COVID-19 cases previously this summer season left the county's 2 medical facilities so overwhelmed that more than 650 clients were moved to health care facilities in other parts of the state, Newsom stated. The number of new everyday cases is now steadily falling.In the Central Valley, Kern County is seeing 1,370 positive cases per 100,000 citizens, the most in the state, according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus tracker. Kings, Merced, Colusa, Tulare, Stanislaus, Fresno and San Joaquin counties are all seeing more than 500 cases per 100,000 citizens.

The pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Black and Latino homeowners, and the disparity is broadening. After changing for population, Latino citizens are now 3.1 times most likely to test favorable than white people.

Three-quarters of California's COVID-19 victims have been older than 65, according to state data. However the share of more youthful individuals who are sickened and hospitalized is increasing.

The very first child in California to pass away of problems from COVID-19 was a teenager in Fresno, authorities said last week.

“This is a sober tip of how lethal this illness is, and how it can impact anybody,” Newsom stated.