State reports more than 20,000 virus cases in a day

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California reported more than 20,000 new Coronavirus cases on Wednesday, shattering the state’s previous one-day record as Gov. Gavin Newsom — himself quarantined at home after his family was exposed — considers a new stay-at-home order.

Following an early summer surge that prompted a new round of restrictions, California’s cases plummeted in August and September. The state relaxed restrictions, allowing more businesses to operate, indoor religious services to resume and many schools to reopen for classroom instruction.

But new cases have exploded in recent weeks to the point that the state is averaging 15,000 new cases a day and the infection rate has more than doubled. A record 8,500 people are in the hospital, including more than 2,000 in the intensive care unit, leaving the state with fewer than 2,000 available ICU beds.

Overall, California has reported more than 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and more than 19,300 deaths. The state reported 20,759 new cases on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 18,350 set just last week.

Newsom warned Monday that “red flags are flying,” saying if numbers don’t improve he would take “drastic action.” Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties already have done that, imposing new stay-home orders.

Newsom is expected to follow suit, perhaps as early as today. The new measures would come during a critical time for retailers and restaurants, which were counting on a robust holiday season to rebound from a year marked by forced closures.

Last month, the state’s beleaguered restaurant and hospitality industry added 66,000 jobs as the state’s unemployment rate dipped below 10% for the first time since March. But new restrictions are threatening those gains.

And the surge of new cases is coinciding with a rash of politicians violating the very rules they are urging the public to follow, cratering their credibility.

State public health officials said Wednesday’s record case total is not a true day-over-day change as the number includes cases from previous days. But they acknowledged the alarming increase.

Experts said the skyrocketing new cases likely don’t yet reflect travel and gatherings around Thanksgiving. Brad Pollock, associate dean for public health sciences at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, said he expects cases from Thanksgiving to start showing up in hospitals around Christmas.

“I think the ICUs are going to be very busy during Christmas,” he said.

California reported 113 Coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, the most since 162 were reported on Oct. 13. Still, Pollock noted the mortality rate has fallen as the virus has infected a younger population.