COVID updates: Grammy Awards postponed; 8,000 hospitalized with virus in California
The surging omicron variant of COVID-19 has already forced the cancellation of New Year’s events, overwhelmed testing systems and delayed returns to in-person learning from winter break for tens of thousands of university students in California.
It is now also contributing to a sharp spike in hospitalizations with the coronavirus, as the state rapidly approaches its peak from summer 2021.
The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported 8,032 COVID-positive patients were in hospital beds statewide Tuesday, more than double the 3,781 being treated 10 days earlier on Christmas. The state reported 1,390 in intensive care units, a 47% increase from 947 on Christmas.
At the height of the delta variant surge in late August, the hospitalized virus total peaked around 8,350 and ICU patients around 2,100. California’s all-time records are about 22,000 hospitalized and 4,900 in intensive care, both reached in January 2021.
California also expanded on its record-high COVID-19 test positivity rate, increasing to 21.3% on Wednesday from 20.4% Tuesday, according to CDPH. The state’s per-capita case rate has increased to a seven-day average of 89 per 100,000, rapidly approaching the all-time record of 112 per 100,000 set in the winter 2020 surge.
Researchers have determined that a smaller proportion of omicron cases contract severe illness than with delta. But it is also far more contagious, as record-breaking caseloads across numerous U.S. states and other nations demonstrate, which health officials warn could outweigh the proportional decline in severity and threaten to overwhelm health care systems.
CDPH is not reporting at the statewide level how many hospitalized patients were admitted specifically for COVID-19 compared to how many were admitted for other reasons and happened to test positive while hospitalized.
Estimates on that distinction appear to vary widely by health jurisdiction, and many local health offices including most in the Sacramento region do not routinely track that information.
One exception is Placer County, where health officials reported that about 84% of its hospitalized COVID-positive patients on Monday, and 95% of its COVID-positive ICU patients, were admitted specifically for the virus.
Mask order extended
California’s mask requirement for indoor public places has been extended by a month and will now remain in place through at least Feb. 15, state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced Wednesday afternoon.
The order, which took effect Dec. 15 in response to omicron, had originally been set to last through Jan. 15. Health officials said the state would evaluate conditions on or before that date to determine whether the mandate would continue.
“We are and continue to be concerned about our hospitals,” Ghaly said on a call with reporters Wednesday, though he said hospitals remain in a better position than last winter.
Grammys postponed
The 2022 Grammy Awards, which had been planned for Jan. 31 in Los Angeles, have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks,” the Recording Academy announced in a statement Wednesday morning.
“We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
Sacramento State, others announce remote start in 2022
Sacramento State on Tuesday announced it will begin the first two weeks of its spring 2022 semester, Jan. 24 to Feb. 6, with most classes conducted virtually.
Cal State Los Angeles will hold classes remotely for three weeks, from Jan. 24 through Feb. 11.
UC Davis in December announced it would begin the winter quarter with one week of remote instruction, planning to return next Monday. Six other UC campuses on the quarter system — UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara — announced a two-week delay, slating returns for Jan. 18.
UC Merced, which is on a semester system, will hold its first week of classes remotely from Jan. 18 to Jan. 22. UC Berkeley, also on the semester system, currently plans to return with in-person learning Jan. 18.
The CSU and UC systems have also required that students, staff and faculty members receive booster vaccine doses when eligible in order to remain on campus.
Libraries give out 91,000 at-home test kits
The Sacramento County Library and Folsom Public Library systems gave out 91,000 free rapid antigen at-home test kits Tuesday and early Wednesday, which were distributed by the Sacramento County health office.
Sacramento County Library gave out about 84,000, distributing them from all 28 branch locations on Tuesday and giving out a limited supply from half its locations Wednesday morning.
The Folsom library gave out roughly 7,000, all distributed Tuesday.
Both library systems in online updates said they have exhausted their supply and do not anticipate receiving more from the county health office.
The kits, which each contain two tests, were limited to two per person.
Latest Sacramento-area COVID numbers
Sacramento County has recorded 182,482 total lab-confirmed cases and 2,559 deaths from COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic, according to local health officials.
The county on Wednesday reported its daily case rate at 83.7 per 100,000 for the week ending New Year’s Day, again extending on an all-time record. Prior to the omicron surge, Sacramento’s highest case rate had been 63.5, set in December 2020.
According to CDPH, Sacramento County’s latest test positivity rate is 18.6%.
County hospitals were treating 291 patients with confirmed COVID-19 as of Tuesday, up from 189 one week earlier. The ICU total increased to 55 from 44.
Placer County has tallied 42,075 cases and 488 virus deaths to date, last updated Monday.
Local health officials last reported the daily case rate at 20.8 per 100,000 for the week ending Dec. 22.
Placer’s positivity rate is 17.4%, according to CDPH.
Placer County hospitals had 131 COVID-positive patients Tuesday, up from 93 one week earlier. The ICU total dropped to 23 from 26.
Yolo County has confirmed 22,459 infections and 266 deaths from COVID-19, last updated Monday.
The county’s latest reported case rate is 19.3 per 100,000, for the week ending Dec. 31.
CDPH reports Yolo County’s positivity rate at 6.4%, among the state’s lowest.
Yolo County hospitals were treating 12 patients with COVID-19 on Tuesday, down form 13 a week earlier. The ICU total ticked up from three to four.
El Dorado County has reported 18,470 cumulative cases and 175 deaths from COVID-19, last updated Tuesday.
El Dorado’s latest reported case rate, for the week ending Dec. 28, was 36 per 100,000.
The county had a positivity rate of 22%, CDPH reported Wednesday.
Hospitals in El Dorado County had 15 COVID-positive patients Tuesday, up from 11 one week earlier. ICU patients increased from four to six.
Sutter County has recorded 15,548 cases and 201 deaths, and Yuba County has recorded 12,048 cases with 90 deaths, according to a Tuesday update from the bi-county health office.
The per-capita case rate shown on the bi-county dashboard has not been updated since early December. CDPH reported each county at 28 per 100,000 as of Wednesday.
Positivity was 19.6% in Sutter County and 20.9% in Yuba County, according to CDPH.
The lone hospital serving Yuba and Sutter counties, Adventist Health and Rideout in Marysville, as of Tuesday had 22 patients with confirmed COVID-19, up from 13 one week earlier. Its ICU total has held at six.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 10:48 AM.
