State reports most new cases in almost four weeks
California averaging 333,501 daily vaccinations
California reported nearly 4,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest single-day total in almost a month, amid otherwise declining death and hospitalization numbers and an increasing share of the adult population fully vaccinated against the virus.
The 3,984 new cases reported by counties, according to data tracked by this news organization, are the most reported in a single day since March 9.
The state now has a sevenday average of 2,643 daily cases, the highest the average has been since March 15.
The slight increase comes after weeks of low and declining case numbers, which in turn followed a massive winter surge that began in early November, peaked over the holidays and declined through February.
The Friday numbers were led by Sacramento County, which reported 605 new cases on Friday, the most in the county since Feb. 22. Los Angeles County, the largest and hardest-hit in the state, reported 603 cases and San Diego County 496 cases. They were followed by Stanislaus, San Bernardino and Santa Clara counties.
Other coronavirus numbers were more encouraging. There were 2,147 patients hospitalized in the state with confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, a 2.4 percent decline from the preceding day. There were also 562 patients in intensive care unit beds with confirmed cases, also a 2.4 percent decline from the previous day. That’s the lowest number of confirmed ICU patients since March 31, 2020.
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the state has also continued a slow decline from the winter surge. There were 206 deaths from COVID-19 reported on Friday, and the state now has a seven-day average of 143 daily deaths — the lowest average since Dec. 8.
San Bernardino County reported 63 COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, followed by Los Angeles County with 46 and Riverside County with 23. They were followed by San Diego, Kern and San Joaquin counties.
At the same time, the pace of vaccination has been increasing significantly in California. The state has administered almost 18.9 million doses as of Thursday, 78 percent of the doses delivered to the state, according to data from the Department of Public Health. California is averaging 333,501 daily injections, a 16 percent increase from the daily average a week ago.