COVID-19 cases continue to rise in California, but deaths and hospitalizations remain low
COVID-19 cases in California are continuing to tick up as residents socialize with friends, head back into the office and travel for vacation, new state data released this week show.
Deaths remain relatively low despite the recent wave of infections, with the official death toll standing at 90,488 as of Tuesday, according to California Department of Public Health data, up 106 new deaths since Friday.
The current case rate is 26.8 cases for every 100,000 people in California, an increase from last week’s case rate of 23.2 per 100,000. Hospitalizations remain relatively low compared to previous surges, a sign that the prevalence of vaccinations and boosters is helping slow severe cases of COVID-19.
Still, the number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals is climbing from low levels in mid-April. Just over 1,960 people in a hospital bed tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday’s state update, an increase of about 21% compared to last Tuesday.
The number of virus-positive patients in California hospitals has also started to climb, with 224 Californians with COVID-19 in the ICU as of Tuesday, up from 208 last week.
This week’s figures are still significantly lower than levels in January, when a massive surge of omicron cases hit California.
Last week, Yolo County became the first Sacramento-area county to be labeled as a “medium” community level of COVID-19 risk, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Residents at high risk for severe illness who live in a county with a “medium” community level of COVID-19 “should talk to your health care provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions,” according to CDC guidance. Residents should also get tested if they have symptoms, and stay up to date on booster shots if eligible.
While new, more contagious variants have increased the number of breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people, health officials still encourage residents get vaccinated and receive their booster shots when eligible.
According to the Mayo Clinic, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter period of time than do unvaccinated people. COVID-19 shots also still provide some protection against severe COVID-19.
In the last week of April, unvaccinated people were 4.9 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who received their booster dose, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Sacramento-area covid numbers
Sacramento County’s latest case rate is about 27 per 100,000 residents, state health officials said in Tuesday’s update, a roughly 17% increase from Friday. As of Tuesday, Sacramento County hospitals were treating 138 virus-positive patients, up from 112 last week. The ICU total increased from 9 to 15.
Placer County’s latest case rate is about 24 per 100,000 residents as of Tuesday, a roughly 26% increase from Friday. Hospitals in Placer County were treating 49 virus-positive patients Tuesday, up from 44 last week. The ICU total increased from three to five.
Yolo County’s latest case rate is about 30 per 100,000 residents as of Tuesday, a roughly 15% increase from Friday. Hospitals in Yolo County were treating three virus-positive patients Tuesday, up from one last week. The ICU total was at zero both days.
El Dorado County’s latest case rate is about 18 per 100,000 residents as of Tuesday, a roughly 29% increase from Friday. Hospitals in El Dorado County were treating six virus-positive patients Tuesday, up from four last week. The ICU total was two both days.
Sutter County’s latest case rate is about 13 per 100,000 residents and Yuba County’s is 21 per 100,000, state health officials reported Tuesday. The county shares a public health office. Sutter’s case rate increased roughly 18% since Friday, while Yuba’s case rate increased roughly 24%.
The only hospital in Yuba County, which serves the Yuba-Sutter bi-county area, was treating eight virus-positive patients Tuesday, up from four on Friday. The ICU total increased from zero to one.
Long COVID symptoms
About 1 in 5 adults may develop at least one long COVID-19 symptom after having a coronavirus infection, according to research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
For those 65 and older, the risk of developing at least one “post-COVID condition” is slightly higher and may affect 1 in 4 people, the CDC said.
Adults 18 and older who get over COVID-19 are twice as likely to develop pulmonary embolism — a traveling blood clot that forms somewhere in the body and moves to block a lung artery — or respiratory troubles, according to the CDC report.
The most common long COVID-19 conditions in all adult patients were found to be “respiratory symptoms and musculoskeletal pain,” the study noted. Those 65 and older had a higher risk of developing neurological symptoms and mental health conditions such as anxiety, the research said.
CDC researchers reviewed electronic health record data of 353,164 adults previously diagnosed with COVID-19 from Cerner Real-World Data between March 2020 and November 2021. That means the findings “might not be representative” of COVID-19 case among patients infected with recent variants, the agency said.
The agency predicted that the number of people living with long COVID-19 symptoms is “likely to increase.”
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 1:37 PM.