The Los Angeles Post

State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts

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SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Department of Public Health provided latest facts around COVID-19 including California reaching 2 million positive cases.

“Today California hit a sobering milestone, we have surpassed 2 million COVID-19 cases. While this means we are leveraging our testing capacity, it is a reminder that this virus continues to spread through our communities,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency. “Hospitals are full, ICU beds are few, people are dying. The simplest thing we can do, but also the most significant, is to stay home. We are the first line of defense against this virus and we must act now.”

Due to high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations impacting the health care system, California is under a Limited Stay at Home Order. The order applies to all counties that are currently under the Regional Stay at Home Order and those in Tier One (Purple) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The Limited Stay at Home Order will expire after the Regional Stay At Home Order has been terminated in all regions of the state.

Based on current ICU data, four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area are under the Regional Stay at Home Order. Based on current trends, it is likely that the Regional Stay at Home Order will extend for many regions in California. Regions must remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order for at least three weeks and shall continue until ICU capacity projections for four weeks from the day assessed are above or equal to 15%.

 

The earliest dates that regions may be eligible to exit are:

  • San Joaquin: December 28
  • Southern California: December 28
  • Greater Sacramento: January 1
  • Bay Area: January 8

Current available ICU capacity by region:

  • Bay Area: 9.24%
  • Greater Sacramento: 15.3%
  • Northern California: 27.5%
  • San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
  • Southern California: 0.0%

See region map. Read the full Regional Stay Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Today:

  • California has 2,003,146 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
  • There were 39,070 newly recorded confirmed cases Wednesday.
  • The 7-day positivity rate is 12.1% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.4%.
  • There have been 30,769,749 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 301,189 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
  • As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 23,635 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.