Coronavirus updates: Sacramento COVID-19 hospitalizations cut in half since late July
Coronavirus hospitalizations are down significantly in the Sacramento area and across California, representing progress in the continuing struggle to diminish spread of the coronavirus.
In Sacramento County, half as many patients are hospitalized with the respiratory disease as the peak total reached at the end of July. The figure went from 281 on July 30 to 141 in Tuesday’s data update from the California Department of Public Health. Fifty-one of those patients are in intensive care units, down from a peak of 91.
Statewide, more than 737,000 Californians have tested positive for COVID-19 and over 13,750 have died, according to CDPH.
But Tuesday’s update brought bundles of good news in the short term: the one-day increase, of 2,676 new lab-confirmed cases, was the state’s smallest daily total dating all the way back to June 15. The daily death toll, officially reported at 32, was also relatively low. And as California continues to process more than 100,000 diagnostic tests a day, only 3.8% of those tests returned positive results in the past week.
The statewide positivity rate hovered near 7.5% for most of the summer infection surge that saw new cases and hospitalizations skyrocket from mid-June through late July. The state sets a goal, for itself and counties, of keeping that number below 8%. Doing so is one of the requirements for counties to be removed from the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s reopening system. Purple denotes “widespread” COVID-19 activity, a classification that still applies to most of California.
California’s overall hospitalization totals have declined steadily and significantly: with just over 3,300 patients hospitalized and 1,080 in ICU beds as of Tuesday’s update, the rates nearly match the period of stability California enjoyed from April to mid-June, when those needles barely moved and state leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom boasted we were successfully bending the pandemic’s growth curve.
Death toll still rising in Sacramento
Data involving deaths can lag weeks behind changes in hospitalization and infection trends due to the time it takes for the coronavirus to progress to a fatality in its most severe cases.
Sacramento County health officials are continuing to disclose more resident deaths from COVID-19 that occurred at the tail end of August. As of Monday, county data indicate that month was by far been the region’s deadliest, resulting in nearly 160 coronavirus fatalities of the 332 reported in the past six months. Seven have died in the first two days of September, the county reports.
The city of Sacramento, which makes up roughly one-third of the county’s population of 1.5 million, accounts for the bulk of the virus cases at 11,500 and deaths at 190, but 30 have died in Elk Grove among 2,000 confirmed cases there. Another 16 have died in Rancho Cordova, 15 in Citrus Heights, six in Folsom and six in Galt. Unincorporated parts of the county make up the remaining 68 deaths.
The county is approaching 20,000 all-time confirmed cases, reaching 19,346 as of Monday’s update. Recent test positivity, though, has been declining in line with the statewide trend, from a rolling average of about 8.5% of tests coming back positive in early August to 5.6% by the end of that month.
Rest of Sacramento area: Infection rates slowing
Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 2,564 COVID-19 cases and 53 deaths. The county increased the infection total by 24 Tuesday. Its most recent death was reported Friday. There are eight patients in county hospitals, six of whom are in ICU units. The county has one ICU bed remaining, according to state data.
The county has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 145 of the total number of cases and 26 of the deaths. Yolo County, like Sacramento County, is coded purple.
Placer County has reported a total of 3,220 cases and 36 deaths, reporting 22 new infections and no new fatalities Tuesday morning. There are 32 people hospitalized in the county, a decrease of 10 since the weekend, but the ICU total remains about the same at 12. Placer County is also coded purple.
El Dorado County has reported 1,013 COVID-19 cases and two deaths due to the virus, reporting low totals of five new cases Tuesday after adding just seven between Friday and Monday afternoon. The county processed 434 tests over the weekend with a test positivity rate of just 1.6% for those three days. There are currently no patients in county hospitals, state data show. El Dorado County has been coded red by state health officials, indicating substantial viral activity while still allowing for some greater leeway in economic reopenings.
Sutter County has reported a total of 1,512 cases and 10 deaths, with 18 cases added Monday. Twelve people are currently hospitalized, with two in the ICU. In neighboring Yuba County, 1,017 people have been infected and seven have died, with 10 new cases reported Monday. Nine people in Yuba County are being hospitalized, with one in the ICU. Both Sutter and Yuba counties, which share a bi-county health office, are coded purple.
World surpasses 27 million infections, nearing 900,000 dead
Across the globe, over 27.4 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 894,000 people have died as midday Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States accounts for the largest share of infections and deaths of country, with more than 6.3 million confirmed cases and close to 190,000 deaths.
Brazil is the next leading nation in terms of deaths, at just under 127,000. Brazil was recently surpassed in infections by India, which has almost 4.3 million cases, about 133,000 more than Brazil. Over 72,000 have died in India.
Although Russia is the only other nation confirming more than 1 million infections, it has only reported 17,900 deaths, putting the nation at No. 12 overall.
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 September 8, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
