California infections reach a new high
It was arguably the darkest day yet of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U. S. on Wednesday, and the California sunshine didn’t make the day any less grim here.
California’s average daily cases climbed to another new high — near 15,000 per day — after its third-highest single- day total of the pandemic with 19,108 new cases, according to data compiled by this news organization. Active hospitalizations, too, hit a new high, with more than 8,500 COVID- confirmed patients in hospital beds around the state. And counties around the state combined to report 118 new victims of the virus, six more than the day before and the most in six weeks.
The U. S. recorded its highest single- day death toll of the pandemic Wednesday, and for the first time, more than 100,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
A total of 2,885 new deaths were repor ted Wednesday, according to the New York Times, nearly equal to the American lives lost in the September 11 attacks and the second consecutive day with a death toll greater than Pearl Harbor.
With nearly 200,000 new cases nationwide, the U. S. also recorded more infections Wednesday than all but one other day of the pandemic.
In total, nearly 14 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19, including more than 1.2 million in California, and more than 273,000 have perished from the virus, including 19,443 Californians.
In the Bay A rea, We d n e s d a y ’ s total amounted to the region’s third- highest single- day tally of new cases, topped only by two other days in the past week. With 2,440 new cases around the region, the daily average rose to nearly 23 new infections for every 100,000 residents.
While cases have slowed nationally and statewide, the daily average in the Bay Area is 50% higher than it was two weeks ago. On a per- capita basis, however, its infection rate remains well below the overall rate in California — about 37.5 daily infections per 100,000 residents — and nationally, where the rate is about 50/100K. In Alameda County, 465 new cases Wednesday — its third- highest singleday tally — pushed its cumulative total over 30,000, second only in the region to Santa Clara County. In Contra Costa County, the 350 new cases were its seventh-highest total in a single day and pushed its cumulative total over 25,000. The 488 new cases in Santa Clara County, where hospital beds and intensive care units are nearing capacity, were the most anywhere in the region.
The Bay Area accounted for 18 of the newly reported fatalities around the state, led by six in Alameda County and four in Santa Clara County. Half the deaths from COVID-19 in the region have occurred in those two counties, slightly more than their approximate 45% share of the population. The Bay Area, where the cumulative death toll crossed 2,000 this week, is responsible for about 10% of the statewide death toll, despite accounting for roughly 20% of California’s population.
Los Angeles County reported the largest share of the new casualties in California, with 40 deaths on Wednesday, followed by 16 in San Diego County, nine in San Joaquin County and seven in San Bernardino County.
The 118 total deaths were the most reported in California since Oct. 21. On Tuesday, the state reported 112 new fatalities, for a two- day total of 230, its most over 48 hours since the final two days of September. The U. S. on Tuesday recorded its fifth-highest single day death toll of the pandemic, before setting an all-time record Wednesday.