Coronavirus updates: Sacramento County reports second-highest day of confirmed cases

Sacramento County health officials have reported another day of high coronavirus infections Sunday, with 232 confirmed cases — the second-highest daily increase yet.

There are 4,236 people in the county who have tested positive for COVID-19, up from 4,004 on Saturday. While the number of deaths stands at 69, hospitalizations in the county are increasing at a rapid clip. Thirteen more patients were admitted to Sacramento County hospitals Sunday. According to state data, 142 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county.

In the past six weeks, local hospitalizations have increased by more than 2,000%. By mid-May, Sacramento seemed to have a grasp on coronavirus, keeping the number of patients in hospitals below 20 for several weeks.

In the county, 42 people are being treated in intensive care units. Five weeks ago, there were fewer than 10 patients being treated in ICUs. Sacramento County still has 87 ICU beds available to its roughly 1.5 million residents.

On Saturday, Sacramento County set a new record for the highest number of daily infections since the start of the pandemic, as health officials reported 333 new cases of the coronavirus. The previous record was set Monday, when 228 cases were added.

Coronavirus infection and hospitalization rates have been increasing all across California. According to the California Department of Public Health, 260,000 people have been infected in the state, and more than 6,300 have died of COVID-19.

Cases began increasing sharply around mid-June, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom began rolling back economic restrictions. Health experts and public officials have said that the recent surge is largely tied to large family gatherings in homes, although testing capabilities have expanded as well.

In the past two weeks, infections in California have increased by nearly 50%, and although many areas have not seen dramatic increases in death rates, statewide fatalities went up by over 15% and hospitalizations went up by 58% in the same time span.

Placer County experienced its highest daily increase in infections Sunday, adding 49 new cases for a total of 877. Placer has seen several record-high days this week with 41 new cases Tuesday and another 42 on Saturday. Two deaths were also reported last week, the first fatalities in about a month, for a total of 11. Nineteen people in the county are currently hospitalized, three of whom are in ICUs, and 37 ICU beds are still available.

Yolo County has seen a total of 677 infections, adding 32 new cases on Saturday and 32 more Sunday. County health officials also reported one death on Friday, and another Sunday afternoon, bringing the total to 26. Nine people are currently hospitalized, two of whom are in ICUs, and just one ICU bed remains open.

Although no resident of El Dorado County has yet died of COVID-19, hospitalization rates have been increasing. Currently, 226 people have tested positive for coronavirus as of Friday, up by 20 from Thursday. Three people are in the hospital with coronavirus, one of whom is in an ICU. There was just one person hospitalized as of June 29.

Sutter County saw its highest day of infection yet on Friday, reporting 23 new COVID-19 cases. On Saturday, 15 more cases were added. A total of 243 people have been infected and three have died. Seven people are currently in the hospital.

Yuba County reported its second death on Saturday. The last dates back to early April. Health officials reported 14 new cases Saturday after seeing a record-high increase of 19 infections on Wednesday. A total of 120 people have been infected in the county.

Worldwide, more than 11.3 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 532,000 people have died. The United States accounts for about a quarter of all infections (more than 2.8 million) and deaths (nearly 130,000), according to Johns Hopkins University.

The world hit 11 million infections on Friday. On May 21, the world total stood at 5 million infections, then doubled in about five weeks to reach 10 million infections on June 28. On April 2, there were 1 million people sick from the coronavirus.

Yolo County facility reports outbreak

Another Woodland skilled nursing facility has a coronavirus outbreak. Yolo County health officials announced Sunday afternoon that the virus had appeared at the Alderson Convalescent Hospital, infecting multiple people there.

County health officials said there were 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the long term care facility. Among these patients, six were in residents at the facility and four were staff members. No deaths were reported.

All residents and staff were tested Thursday, but all the results are still being determined.

Those who tested positive have been isolated and all staff and residents are being monitored for possible symptoms of COVID-19, according to Yolo County officials.

“Locations like nursing facilities, where people are living in congregate settings and the population served are older or elderly with underlying health conditions, are at the highest risk of being infected,” county health officials said in a news release.

Of Yolo County’s 26 coronavirus deaths, 17 were related to an outbreak at Stollwood Convalescent Hospital in Woodland, which was first reported in April and has since spread among 32 of its residents and 34 of its staff members. Last month, the Courtyard Healthcare Center, a long-term skilled care facility in Davis, also reported an outbreak. Four residents and two staff have been infected there, but no deaths have been reported.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, disproportionately affects older patients, and a higher rate of fatality has been observed among this population. In Yolo County, 77 percent of all deaths have been in patients age 65 or older, according to state data.

First death in Lake County

Lake County, long one of the few Northern California counties spared from death amid the coronavirus pandemic, reported its first COVID-19 fatality on Friday, as the virus hits local farmworkers and infection rates surge.

Last week, Lake County was reporting a total of 42 cases. As of Friday, there were more than double with 87 cases. There are still 33 active cases in Lake County, which is almost 40 percent of all reported infections, and three people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

Health officials estimated that about half of the new cases stemmed from farmworkers.

“This pattern of spread indicates that there is at least some community transmission” the county’s health department said in a statement.

Although Lake County was not included on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s monitoring list for counties with troubling increases in infection rates, local leaders are still concerned.

“Lake County is not on the list, but with the recent rise in cases we may end up there in the next few weeks,” the county health department said.

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.

This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 1:47 PM.