Single week case count highest yet
First week of December's 472 cases surpasses September high
OROVILLE » Based on new COVID-19 cases reported over the past week, Butte County just experienced its worst week of the pandemic nearly nine months into it.
According to Butte County Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard, 472 new cases were reported during the week of Dec.17, more than any other week dating back to March.
The single-week record in cases went above the previous high
mark of 443 cases reported during the Sept. 1-7 week, which represented the peak of the county’s second wave over the latter stages of summer.
Butte County Public Health updated its dashboard Monday afternoon with 221 cases added since the last update on Friday, Dec. 4. There were 101 cases on Dec. 5; 78 cases on Dec. 6; and 42 cases on Monday. The 472 cases marks the fourth straight week in which the number of new cases was higher than the previous week. That trend began during the week of Nov. 3-9.
The county health department also reported two additional deaths due to complications from the virus that occurred on Nov. 24 and Nov. 30, respectively. One individual was between 65 and 74 years old, and one individual was 75 or older. Sixty-two Butte County residents have died from COVID-19 since the county confirmed its first positive case in March.
As of Monday, 36 county residents who tested positive for the virus were hospitalized. The state’s hospital data, which reports on a one- day lag time, indicated a total of 51 people, both residents and nonresidents, were hospitalized as of Sunday, Dec. 6 in the county, with the majority at Enloe Medical Center in Chico (23) and Oroville Hospital (24). Four patients were at Orchard Hospital in Gridley.
One day prior, on Dec. 5, Butte County had 57 hospitalized patients, more than any other day of the pandemic. Butte County Public Health said in a press conference Dec. 3 that its hospitals are not overwhelmed by the increase in patients, though it continues to monitor the situation closely.
The number of patients in intensive care units, six, has remained relatively steady over the last two weeks even as the number of cases and overall hospitalizations increased more rapidly. Fifteen ICU beds are currently available in the county.
After Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Dec. 3 a new regional stay- athome order determined by ICU capacity, that number will be an important one to follow in Butte County and the rest of the “Greater Sacramento” region it is assigned to.
If a region’s ICU capacity drops below 15%, greater restrictions are imposed the day after hitting that threshold. Under those restrictions, private gatherings of any size are prohibited, and many sector operations are forced to close with the exception of “critical infrastructure and retail,” according to the state’s covid19.ca.gov website.
The Greater Sacramento region currently has 20.3% ICU availability. Butte County and neighboring Plumas County are the northernmost counties in the region. Also included are Alpine, Amador, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.
The Northern California region, which includes Glenn and Tehama counties and everything north to the Oregon border, currently has 28% ICU availability.