Coronavirus updates: Sacramento County nears 7,000 infections; El Dorado’s first COVID-19 death
Sacramento County’s total coronavirus infections are nearing another benchmark. Almost 7,000 residents have contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a number that is sure to rise given recent upward trends.
As of Sunday morning, 6,935 people in Sacramento County have been infected with the highly contagious virus, and 96 have died after developing the respiratory disease COVID-19. Since Saturday’s numbers came out, 242 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the county.
This week has been deadly for Sacramento County. Twelve people died. Last week, 14 deaths were reported. On Tuesday, eight deaths were reported all at once, though public health officials said that due to reporting delays, the deaths occurred between late June and the date of reporting. Wednesday brought another death, and four more deaths were reported between Thursday and Saturday. Of the fatalities, 15 were patients younger than the age of 65.
The cohort that accounts for the greatest share of infections in Sacramento County is the 18 to 49 demographic. About 4,200 infections have been in patients in that age range. Those aged 20 to 29 account for about 1,500 cases.
On July 12, there were 5,489 total infections and 83 dead, which means that in seven days, the county’s infections have gone up by almost 1,500, or 26 percent.
As infection rates increase, hospitalizations have been going up as well. There are currently 196 patients with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Sacramento County hospitals. Of these, 57 are being treated in intensive care units. There are 71 ICU beds available for the county’s roughly 1.5 million residents.
Statewide trends are roughly analogous with the surge seen at the local level. More than 375,000 Californians have been infected with coronavirus and almost 7,600 have died of COVID-19, according to the California Department of Public Health. Across the state, 6,894 people are hospitalized and 1,930 are in ICUs.
In the last two weeks, the total number of infections has increased by 45 percent and the total number of deaths has increased by 20 percent statewide. In that same time span, 1,282 people were reported dead.
California’s highest single-day death toll came July 8, when 149 COVID-19 fatalities were reported. Tuesday came close to that high-water mark, as 140 more deaths were reported by state health officials.
Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 1,123 cases and 31 deaths. On Saturday, 22 new cases were reported, and on Friday, 39 new cases and one new death were reported. There are currently 17 patients in hospitals, 11 of whom are in ICUs. The county has no ICU beds remaining. The county has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 107 of the total number of cases and 18 of all deaths.
Woodland’s Stollwood Convalescant Hospital reported an outbreak in April and it is still the most severe outbreak in the county. There, 66 people connected to the facility have been infected with coronavirus and 17 died.
At Alderson Convalescent Hospital, also in Woodland, 10 residents and eight staff members have been infected. Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis has reported infections in four residents and three staff members.
Placer County has reported a total of 1,363 cases and 11 deaths. Of these cases, 966 are considered likely to have recovered, which means about 400 are still active. On Sunday, 83 new cases were added, beating out the county’s previous record for highest daily infections from July 5, when 49 people were confirmed to have coronavirus. There are 52 people hospitalized in the county and 11 are being treated in ICUs. The county has 29 ICU beds available.
El Dorado County is the only county in the greater Sacramento area to have not been placed onto the state’s regional coronavirus watchlist, reflecting its relatively low number of cases. However, infection rates have been increasing recently and health officials reported the county’s first death Saturday. As of Friday, 394 people had tested positive for coronavirus, three were hospitalized and two were being treated in ICUs. The county has eight ICU beds available.
Sutter County has reported a total of 502 cases and four deaths. On Saturday, health officials added 11 new cases and on Friday, 21 new cases were reported. Eleven people are currently being hospitalized. The highest single day of infections was on July 10, when 35 new cases were added. In neighboring Yuba County, 257 people have been infected and three have died. On Saturday, five new cases were added and on Friday, 16 new cases were added in one of the highest single-day infection reports. On July 1, 19 people tested positive for coronavirus, which set a daily infection record. On July 10, 17 people tested positive. Six people in Yuba County are currently being hospitalized.
Worldwide, more than 14.3 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 600,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for the largest share of infections for any one country, with 3.7 million cases and 140,000 deaths. Brazil is the next leading nation, with just over 2 million infections and 78,000 deaths. India recently broke the 1 million mark for infections, and has reported 26,000 deaths.
El Dorado County’s first COVID-19 death
Health officials reported El Dorado County’s first death due to coronavirus Saturday.
The county’s public health officer, Dr. Nancy Williams, said the patient was an older man from the Lake Tahoe area.
“This morning we received the very sad news that a male over 65 years of age died yesterday of complications from COVID-19,” Williams said in a prepared statement. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends during this very difficult time.”
The county had long been one of the few in California to be spared from death amid the pandemic, although as cases surge in the region, infection rates have increased in El Dorado County.
In the past two weeks, the number of new infections in the county have gone up by 83 percent, according to state data.
The Lake Tahoe area, however, remains a popular tourist destination, even with the invisible threat of coronavirus. Large crowds have been seen at lakefront beaches in recent weeks, despite the fact that most cases in the county are occurring nearby. Of the county’s 394 total cases, 198 of them have been in the Lake Tahoe area.
El Dorado County is the only county in the greater Sacramento area to have remained off the state’s regional coronavirus watchlist as of yet, allowing slightly more freedom from economic restrictions than many of its neighbors.
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 19, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
