Sacramento County reaches 1,500 coronavirus cases, 59th death; California near 4,500 dead
Sacramento County has eclipsed 1,500 total confirmed cases of the coronavirus, public health officials said Friday, and the county’s death toll has risen to 59.
The county public health department increased the infection total to 1,519 in a Friday morning update, an increase of 29 from the previous day, and disclosed one additional fatality. The death came in Elk Grove.
The milestone comes as the virus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, continues to spread throughout California, the U.S. and most of the world, and as the county increases its diagnostic testing capacity while simultaneously reopening a number of Phase 2 businesses — in-store retail and dine-in service at restaurants — with modifications.
Sacramento County officials this week announced a less invasive, self-swabbing test at its main drive-thru testing site at Cal Expo.
Though the recent Elk Grove death was newly reported Friday, it occurred in May. The county’s most recent confirmed COVID-19 death happened May 26.
Of the 59 fatalities, 28 have died in Sacramento, eight in Citrus Heights, six in Rancho Cordova, three in Elk Grove, three in Folsom and 11 in incorporated territory. Three new deaths — one Friday and two Monday — have been reported this week.
The public health department’s online COVID-19 dashboard says there are 1,224 “likely recovered” cases as of Friday, out of the total of 1,519 lab-confirmed positive tests to date. The presumed recoveries include cases “for whom 21 days has passed” since either their diagnosis date, known “onset” date or the date the case was reported to the county, and excludes those who have died.
This means that, accounting for the deceased, the health department believes there are approximately 236 active COVID-19 cases countywide. In a separate dashboard for data related to hospitals and congregate care facilities, officials say there are 17 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including nine in intensive care units.
Hospital impact thus far peaked in late April, with 69 hospitalized and 33 in ICUs on April 20. The low point for those metrics came in late May — nine hospitalized and just two in the ICU on May 25.
The online dashboard now breaks down cases by their “episode date,” referring to the earliest known date among “date received, diagnosis date, onset date, date of death, or specimen collection date” and also now lists deaths by date of death, rather than the day the death was reported.
The county health website continues to say that all who have died of the virus have been either age 65 or older, or had underlying conditions or other risk factors.
Thirty-two of the 59 who have died were residents of congregate care facilities, which include skilled nursing and assisted senior living facilities, the county reports.
The dashboard shows that 35 of the deceased were males and 24 have been females, about a 60-40 percentage split.
At least 4,485 Californians have died among close to 123,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to a Bee survey of individual counties’ health departments Friday. Los Angeles County accounts for more than 2,500 deaths and almost 60,000 infections.
Worldwide, more than 6.75 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 390,000 have died, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. accounted for 1.89 million cases and about 109,000 fatalities as of midday Friday.
How does Sacramento compare to neighboring counties?
Yolo County reported two new cases in a 5 p.m. Thursday update; the county has a total of 216 cases and 24 deaths. Health authorities have now connected 17 of the 24 deaths with Stollwood Convalescent Hospital, part of the St. John’s Retirement Village complex in Woodland, where an outbreak was first reported April 13.
Yolo County’s dashboard does not include a count or estimate for active cases.
Placer County has recorded 265 cases and nine deaths, last updated at 8 a.m. Friday. Reported infections have surged recently, with 19 new cases reported Thursday morning for the highest single-day increase to date in the county. Six more were reported in Friday’s update.
Placer County reports 172 “likely recovered” cases, suggesting 84 active cases, and 11 currently hospitalized, including four in the ICU. Public health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said Thursday that the county had seen a 33 percent jump in the number of coronavirus cases since May 27, showing that the virus “is still very much here and that people should take as many precautions as they can.”
El Dorado County reported four new cases Thursday afternoon. The county had a total of 102 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday. In an emailed statement, a county spokeswoman said 34 of those cases remain active, and that one patient is hospitalized and in the ICU.
Sutter County reported three new COVID-19 cases Thursday afternoon; the county had a total of 51 cases and two deaths. The county reported two new cases Wednesday. Yuba County added no new cases Thursday, remaining at 31 people infected so far and one fatality. Sutter County reported three infected people were hospitalized on Thursday, and Yuba says none were in the hospital for COVID-19.
