STATE REACHES ONE-DAY RECORD FOR TOLL
585 deaths reported; S.D. County hits record with 4,478 daily cases
California started the new year by reporting a record 585 coronavirus deaths in a single day after a health official said the pandemic was pushing state hospitals to the “brink of catastrophe” as some medical centers scramble to provide oxygen for the critically ill.
The previous single-day record of 432 deaths was set on Tuesday, according to the California Department of Public Health. Nearly 26,000 people have died from the virus in the state.
San Diego County officials on Friday reported 58 deaths from the virus, close to the single-day record of 62 deaths reported Thursday. That brings the county’s toll to 1,592. The numbers likely reflect deaths that occurred in the days or weeks before the New Year’s Day holiday, since death certificates are not finalized and reported immediately.
The county started the new year with 4,478 new infections — the highest-ever daily mark and the first time the 4,000 mark has been crossed.
San Diego County has confirmed a total of four cases involving a more contagious variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the United Kingdom. Other cases in the U.S. have been confirmed in Florida and Colorado.
The first local case of the variant, known as B.1.1.7, was found in a man in his 30s with no history of travel. He first became symptomatic Sunday and tested positive Tuesday. The county reported the case Wednesday. He has been hospitalized and contact tracing is under way.
The additional three cases, reported by county health officials Thursday, were found in two men in their 40s and one in his 50s. Contact tracing shows two men did not travel outside of the county while the third case has yet to be fully interviewed. None of the men had any known interaction with each other or the other confirmed case.
The three newly confirmed variant cases were initially identified by the local company Helix during diagnostic testing, then confirmed by whole genome sequencing by Scripps Research. The four individuals who have tested positive for the B.1.1.7. strain live in La Mesa, Mission Beach, Otay Mesa and the Carmel Mountain/Rancho Bernardo area.
Officials now believe that the new strain is widespread in the community.
“We believe that many more cases of the B.1.1.7. strain will be confirmed in the coming days and weeks,” said Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of the County Epidemiology and Immunizations Services branch. “This strain of the virus has been reported to be spread more easily in the U.K., and so it is therefore crucial that now more than ever before in this pandemic, we follow the public health orders and keep each other safe.”
Local officials also reported 45 new hospitalizations and three of them in
intensive care units, further straining the region’s thinly stretched hospital capacity. Countywide, about 35 percent of hospital beds were filled by COVID-19 patients, and 62 percent of ICU beds were occupied by patients with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, as of Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced California would begin collaborating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and upgrade outdated oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles County hospitals.
Assessments could begin as early as today, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The collaboration comes as older hospitals are having difficulty maintaining oxygen pressure in aging infrastructure and some were scrambling to locate additional oxygen tanks for discharged patients to take home.
“By working to upgrade challenged oxygen delivery systems at these older hospitals we can improve the ability to deliver life sustaining medical care to those who need it,” Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said in a statement Friday.
Hospitals, particularly in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, have been overrun with virus patients and don’t have any more intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients.
More than 7,600 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has a fourth of the state’s population of 40 million but has seen 40 percent of its virus deaths. L.A. County on Friday reported 20,414 new confirmed virus cases and 207 additional deaths.
The virus is pushing hospitals “to the brink of catastrophe,” said the county’s health services director, Dr. Christina Ghaly. “This is simply not sustainable. Not just for our hospitals, for our entire health system.”