Here’s where Sacramento-area COVID-19 numbers stand as region enters stay-at-home order
The Sacramento area learned Wednesday that it will have to enter a stay-at-home order, the tightest restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic since March, no later than 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
The state-ordered shutdown was triggered by hospitals’ plummeting intensive care unit capacity, as the region is pummeled by the worst surge yet of the global health crisis.
The 13 counties that make up Greater Sacramento are Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.
Among those 13, most of the activity throughout the pandemic has come in what The Sacramento Bee considers the six-county capital region: Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba have combined for more than 69,000 confirmed cases and at least 851 COVID-19 deaths as of midday Wednesday, according to those counties’ local health offices, and they had more than 650 patients hospitalized with the respiratory disease known as COVID-19.
Here’s a look at recent and cumulative infection, hospitalization and death numbers for the six-county Sacramento area. The counties are sorted by descending death toll.
Sacramento
Sacramento County has reported a total of 45,336 infections and 646 COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. The county blew past another daily record with 1,262 new cases reported Tuesday, breaking the mark of a little over 1,100 set one week earlier. Wednesday brought 648 more.
Countywide, 398 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, yet another new record, with 85 of them in ICUs, state data show.
In terms of episode date, which is the earliest of either onset of symptoms or the positive test specimen being collected, Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 marked the county’s four largest case loads of the pandemic by far, at 986, 981, 927 and 884, respectively. The previous high had been 675 infections connected to Nov. 23, county data show.
Local health officials have now confirmed at least 109 virus deaths among Sacramento County residents for November — seven short of September for second-deadliest month of the pandemic, but death confirmations for last month still coming in as those determinations are made official.
Four county residents died of the virus on Thanksgiving and 31 died in the five days leading up to the holiday, county data show. Seven deaths have already been confirmed for the first four days of December.
The city of Sacramento has reached 365 dead and over 25,000 infected. The latter equates to one in every 20 capital city residents having tested positive for the virus since the start of the health crisis.
Yolo
Yolo County has reported a total of 5,549 infections and 84 deaths, with three fatalities coming Saturday. The county reported 59 new cases Tuesday following 125 on Monday.
Yolo had a record-high 26 hospitalized with the virus, including 11 in intensive care as of Wednesday.
A majority of Yolo’s COVID-19 fatalities have been linked to skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, both of which cater to vulnerable populations. At least 51 such deaths have been linked to those types of congregate care homes, mostly in the city of Woodland.
Placer
Placer County health officials have reported a total of 8,173 infections and 81 deaths, updated Tuesday to add 194 cases.
State data as of Wednesday showed 158 people were in Placer hospitals with COVID-19, a record, including 23 in ICUs.
The latest county data indicates a weekly positivity rate of 10.6%, compared to 3.9% one month earlier, reflecting an increase in true spread for the virus even as testing capacity sees a boost.
Yuba-Sutter
In Sutter County, at least 4,435 people have been infected and 26 have died. Local health officials confirmed a record-high 204 cases Tuesday as well as one fatality, following 319 cases and three fatalities for the stretch of Saturday through Monday.
Neighboring Yuba County has reported 2,650 infections, adding 78 on Tuesday following 169 for Monday plus the weekend. Yuba’s reported death toll is 10.
The bi-county health office dashboard showed 36 Sutter residents and 13 Yuba residents hospitalized as of Tuesday, though not all of them are being treated at Adventist-Rideout in Yuba County. Rideout as of Wednesday’s state data update had 45 coronavirus patients, including a record-setting 11 in intensive care.
Sutter and Yuba are two of California’s hardest hit counties in the current statewide surge.
Sutter led all 58 counties with more than 70 new cases per 100,000 for the survey week ending Nov. 28, and was second-worst in test positivity rate at 21%, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Public Health. Yuba was fourth-worst in positivity at nearly 18%.
El Dorado
El Dorado County has reported a total of 3,356 positive test results and eight total deaths as of Tuesday. The county’s case count was at 2,882 a day prior, but officials wrote in a Monday’s update to its health dashboard that it had a large, outstanding backlog from the weekend.
Health officials say 24 people are hospitalized and 13 in ICUs with the virus in El Dorado, both all-time highs.
El Dorado reported four fatalities last week after reporting just four total for the first eight-plus months of the health crisis.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
