Coronavirus updates: Highest single-day death toll in Sacramento; statewide closures

As coronavirus cases spike at an alarming rate in California — coupled with a rise in infected residents requiring medical care and increasingly overwhelmed hospitals in some areas — new shutdowns across the state took widespread effect Tuesday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced during his noon news conference Monday the immediate statewide closure of all indoor business at restaurants, wineries, theaters, zoos, museums, card rooms, bars and family entertainment centers.

In addition, shopping malls, gyms, indoor church worship, nail salons and barber shops would be shut down in counties that have been on the state’s monitoring list for troubling coronavirus trends for three or more days. Those closures apply to 32 counties in total — and about 80 percent of all Californians — including Sacramento, Yolo and Placer counties. San Luis Obispo County was the most recent addition, landing on the list Tuesday.

The new wave of closures are meant to sharply curtail an spiraling number of infections in California, now at more than 329,000, with more than 8,300 reported cases Sunday, according to the latest numbers released by the state public health department.

On Tuesday, Sacramento County reported its highest single-day death toll since the pandemic began. Eight more residents killed by the coronavirus, bringing the total death total in the county to 91. Nearly 6,000 in Sacramento County have been infected.

Another 260 people were reported hospitalized statewide Tuesday morning. More than 6,700 Californians infected with the virus are now in a hospital bed, with about one in four of those patients requiring intensive care. An additional 23 deaths were reported Monday, bringing the state death toll to 7,040.

“This continues to be a deadly disease,” Newsom said Monday. “This continues to be a disease that puts people in our ICUs and our hospitals. and is currently putting a strain on our hospital system and our ICUs.”

The rise in infections and hospitalizations comes as California’s positivity rate — the percentage of total tests conducted returning positive — continues to creep higher, meaning that growth in cases cannot be explained simply by more tests being conducted.

Over the last two weeks, about 7.4 percent of all tests conducted returned positive results in California. That’s an increase from 5.5 percent of tests returning positive just 14 days ago.

The World Health Organization recommends that positive rates remain at 5 percent or lower over a two-week period before a government reopens. And state public health department guidelines suggest counties should consider pulling back reopenings when they hit a postivity rate of 8 percent of more.

Highest single-day COVID-19 death toll in Sacramento

Sacramento reported its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, with eight more people killed by COVID-19, county public health officials reported.

That news comes as 224 more infections in Sacramento County were also reported Tuesday morning. In total, nearly 6,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus in the county, and 91 people have been killed.

Some of the eight new deaths reported Tuesday occurred between late June and early July: one the week ending June 27, three the week ending July 4, two last week and two more this week since Sunday.

“The daily death count is updated with the COVID confirmed deaths that public health was notified of the prior day,” county spokeswoman Janna Haynes said in an email. “Sometimes (there’s) a delay in notification that a death occurred, but it may also be a delay in determining cause of death and contributing factors.”

Sacramento County Health Chief Dr. Peter Beilenson told The Bee on Monday that the spread locally has been happening more in family and friend gatherings, but said there are numerous cases of clusters happening as well connected to recently reopened businesses.

He said, in retrospect, the state and the county likely reopened some businesses more quickly than they should have, but defended those earlier reopenings. State and local health officials had to weigh the impact on the economy and on people’s paychecks, as well as mental health.

“There are incredibly competing demands here,” he said. “It’s a huge balancing act. It was reasonable to do some of the openings, but no one has 20-20 foresight.”

Arden Mall closes again, businesses brace for financial squeeze

For many businesses, Newsom’s order came as a major blow after several weeks of cautious recovery. “There was some optimism, some hope that they had weathered the storm,” said Arden Mall spokesman Nathan Spradlin.

“The reality is, every time a center closes, it just puts that much more financial stress on tenants and their ability to reopen,” he said. Arden Fair will try to revive curbside pickup service for its stores, assuming that’s permitted under the governor’s directive, he said.

Missy O’Daniel, owner of Allure Salon and Spa in downtown Sacramento, said she implemented a rigorous sanitation program when she reopened, going so far as to require customers to don a fresh mask supplied by the salon.

“I would love to invite the governor in so he could see,” said O’Daniel, whose salon is across the street from the historic Governor’s Mansion.

She said she’s having to dip into savings and her inheritance. “That’s the only thing that’s going to keep my salon going,” she said.

Adam Attia, owner of Fitness Rangers gym in East Sacramento, said the governor’s latest announcement was “crushing.”

“And the aftereffects are far more harmful than the actual effects. Suicide rates are up, obesity is up, diabetes is up, child abuse is up, domestic violence is up. It’s just unreal. It just blows my mind,” Attia said.

Attia said his gym reopened on June 12 and “was getting back to normal.”

“People were coming back in, they were happy and being healthy again and getting back in shape,” he said. “I got my team back, I actually hired some new trainers.”

Sacramento City schools ‘highly unlikely’ to reopen in fall

The Sacramento City Unified School District announced classes would resume in-person Sept. 3, but some teachers say they are skeptical that the district has the capacity to reopen campuses safely and according to the guidelines.

The Sacramento City Teachers Association met virtually with district officials and said they urged a more robust distance learning program.

“The pandemic spike makes beginning any in-person instruction on September 3 highly unlikely,” read a statement from SCTA President David Fisher.

Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified school districts, which combined educate more than 700,000 students, will continue distance learning from home to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus through the fall. Santa Clara Unified and districts in Stanislaus County have said they would do the same.

Without a definitive statewide decision by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on whether schools should reopen their physical doors during the coronavirus outbreak this fall, each district is pursuing its own path. Local officials are left balancing teachers unions concerns over members’ safety with the demands of some parents eager for their children to return to school.

Newsom said Monday a statewide approach doesn’t work in a state with more than 1,000 districts serving more than six million children.

“Each district is unique and distinctive,” he said.

City-run events in South Lake Tahoe canceled through summer

Amid a spike of coronavirus cases and new state-mandated regulations, South Lake Tahoe will postpone all city-led events until at least Sept. 22.

The City Council announced the measure Tuesday after previously planning to resume events — like the Bijou Bash and Fourth of July parade — this month.

The postponement will continue, given Newsom’s announcement Monday of new rollbacks to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority and we know we can’t have large gatherings of people right now,” City Manager Joe Irvin said in a news release. “Council’s decision shows that the city of South Lake Tahoe is taking the health of our residents and visitors seriously.”

Cases in South Lake Tahoe continue surging past the rest of El Dorado County. Officials have linked the rise in cases to an influx of tourists and businesses not following mask and social distance regulations.

Hundreds of tourists flocked to the shores of Camp Richardson beach this weekend, despite the alarming surge. Some visitors wore masks and steered clear of others, while others flouted state-issued physical distancing guidelines.

Sacramento Kings center under quarantine after leaving NBA bubble

The Sacramento Kings will be without a key player over the next several days as they prepare to resume the Western Conference playoff race at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

Kings center Richaun Holmes said he was placed under mandatory 10-day quarantine after leaving the NBA bubble for food. Holmes issued a statement Monday, apologizing for breaking COVID-19 protocols.

“After the initial quarantine period, I briefly and accidentally crossed the NBA campus line to pick up a food delivery,” Holmes said. “I am currently in quarantine and have 8 days left. I apologize for my actions and look forward to rejoining my teammates for our playoff push.”

The NBA bubble is meant to reduce the spread of the virus within the ranks of players and staff. The NBA will allow only 1,600 people inside the bubble at any given time, and family members won’t be admitted until after the first round of the playoffs.

Latest Sacramento-area numbers: 138 dead, 9,000 infected

The six-county region of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba has reported 9,070 people infected by the coronavirus as of Tuesday morning.

Eight more deaths were reported by Sacramento County on Tuesday, the highest single-day death toll reported since the coronavirus pandemic began. The virus has killed a total of 138 in the region.

Sacramento County reports 5,938 confirmed coronavirus infections since the pandemic started, of which 91 people have died, according to the county’s data dashboard.

On Tuesday morning, the county reported 224 new cases of the virus. Another individual was reported hospitalized Tuesday, according to state data, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in Sacramento County hospital beds to 176. Of those, 61 are in intensive care.

The city of Sacramento, which accounts for about one-third of the county’s roughly 1.5 million residents, has now surpassed 3,738 cases and has had 49 residents die.

Placer County reported 37 new cases Tuesday morning, bringing the total number of infections there to 1,151. Five more people are now hospitalized from the virus, with 45 residents now in hospital beds and 10 in intensive care. Eleven people have died of COVID-19 in Placer County thus far. The vast majority of cases, about 80 percent, have originated from the south Placer area including Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln.

Yolo County on Tuesday afternoon reported 33 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death due to the respiratory disease. The county now has reported a total of 999 cases and 29 deaths. West Sacramento reported 16 new cases Tuesday, Woodland had nine and Davis had seven. Of all infections in the county, 94 have been linked to outbreaks at long-term care facilities. Stollwood Convalescent Hospital’s outbreak, which was first reported in April, accounted for 17 deaths.

El Dorado County on Tuesday afternoon reported 13 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 350. It reported 30 infections on Monday. Of those, 156 remain active cases, with two individuals hospitalized, both in intensive care. The number of hospitalized residents decreased by one as of Monday. The county is still reporting no confirmed COVID-19 deaths, but has seen case totals climb faster in the past several days. Almost half of the county’s cases have been reported in the Lake Tahoe region.

North of the four-county capital region, Sutter County reported 19 new COVID-19 cases Monday night, for a total of 421 confirmed infections. Of those, 13 are in the hospital. The county has a total of four fatalities, but no new deaths reported Monday.

Yuba County reported 13 new COVID-19 cases Monday night for a total of 211 cases. Of those, seven are in the hospital. Three have died there thus far, but no new deaths reported Monday. The county reported a death from COVID-19 on Saturday; the first of the pandemic came in early April.

In the Yuba-Sutter area, about one in four of the patients testing positive showed no symptoms of the virus, officials have reported.

World numbers: Death toll at 575,000, more than 13 million infected

More than 13 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 worldwide and over 575,000 have died as of Tuesday afternoon, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

About one-quarter of each — more than 3.4 million infections and over 136,000 deaths — have come in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins.

After the U.S., the coronavirus has hit hardest in Brazil, where 1.88 million have tested positive and nearly 73,000 have died.

Next by death toll are the United Kingdom at more than 45,000, Mexico at over 35,000, Italy at nearly 35,000, France at just over 30,000 and Spain at more than 28,000, according to Johns Hopkins.

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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 people 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 14, 2020 at 8:18 AM.