Coronavirus updates: Sacramento County adds 267 COVID-19 infections; 8,400 dead in California

Sacramento County health officials announced another day of broad gains in coronavirus infections, adding close to 300 cases Sunday morning.

In a morning update, the county’s official tally of total coronavirus infections rose to 8,903, up from 8,636 on Saturday, marking an increase of 267 new cases of COVID-19.

Although the increase wasn’t record-breaking — Sacramento County has added more than 300 new cases in a single day several times before — it was significantly higher than most daily increases seen in the county since the beginning of the pandemic.

In early May, daily increases were sometimes in the single digits. By mid-June, however, daily increases began to rise, breaking into triple digits for the first time. Record-high increases were seen in early July. On July 4, 333 new infections were added. On July 20, 391 more were added.

On Saturday, 82 new infections were added and five more deaths were reported, bringing the number of fatalities due to COVID-19 up to 108 in Sacramento County.

Infections in the county have gone up by 61% in the last two weeks and deaths have gone up by 30% in the same time span, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The county’s rate of increases are higher than the state average. CDPH data show that California increased its caseload by 41% in the past 14 days, while its death rate has increased by almost 20%.

A total of 453,659 Californians have been infected by the coronavirus thus far, and 8,416 have died of COVID-19. There are almost 7,000 people in hospitals across the state with confirmed cases of coronavirus, nearly 2,000 of whom are being treated in intensive care units.

Sacramento-area cases and deaths from the coronavirus

Since mid-June, statewide hospitalizations have more than doubled, a rate which Sacramento County has also outpaced. According to CDPH, there were 33 patients hospitalized with coronavirus in the county on June 15. As of Sunday, there are 239 people hospitalized, an increase of more than 600%. There are 76 people being treated in ICUs and 77 ICU beds remaining open for the county’s roughly 1.5 million residents.

Yolo County health officials have reported 1,394 cases and 37 deaths. On Sunday, 53 new cases were added to the total. Saturday’s update added 27 additional cases. There are currently 12 patients in county hospitals, five of whom are in ICU care. The county has three ICU beds remaining, according to state data. Yolo has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 112 of the total number of cases and 20 deaths.

Woodland’s Stollwood Convalescent 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 have died. The facility will permanently close this fall.

At Alderson Convalescent Hospital, also in Woodland, 11 residents and nine staff members have been infected. Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis has reported infections in six residents and four staff members.

Placer County has reported 1,648 cases and 14 deaths. On Sunday, 43 more people were confirmed to have coronavirus. On Saturday, 46 new cases and another death were added. County officials reported a record-high day of infections on July 19, when 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 60 people hospitalized in the county and 12 are being treated in ICUs. The county has 30 ICU beds available.

El Dorado County has reported 513 cases and one death from COVID-19. One week since the county’s last reporting date, 394 people had tested positive for coronavirus, meaning that in seven days the total number of infections has increased by one-third. There is currently one person being treated in an ICU in a county hospital. The county has 15 ICU beds available. El Dorado County, despite reporting its first death last week, remains 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.

Sutter County has reported a total of 637 cases and four deaths. As of last Saturday, the county reported 502 cases, indicating an increase in infections of 26% in eight days. On Saturday, 22 new cases were added. On Thursday, health officials added 35 more cases of coronavirus, tying a record for highest daily infections. Twelve people are currently being hospitalized.

In neighboring Yuba County, 372 people have been infected and three have died. On Saturday, 16 new cases were reported. On Tuesday, 20 people tested positive for coronavirus, which set a daily infection record. Eight people in Yuba County are currently being hospitalized.

Around the world

Worldwide, more than 16.1 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 646,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States accounts for the largest share of infections for any country, with 4.2 million cases and 146,000 deaths.

Brazil follows, with nearly 2.4 million infections and 86,000 deaths. India is third in cases at 1.3 million and sixth in deaths with 32,000. Nearly 46,000 have died the United Kingdom, more than 43,000 in Mexico and over 35,000 in Italy.

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 26, 2020 at 1:31 PM.