Coronavirus updates: California infections slowing down, but deaths continue to mount

Coronavirus cases in California are still rising, but the rate at which infections are spreading is dropping despite a sharp rise in deaths across the state.

Sacramento County has experienced this rising death rate firsthand. This week, 34 deaths have been reported by health officials for a total of 142 fatalities since the coronavirus pandemic began.

In the past two weeks, the total death toll for Sacramento County has gone up by 40%, which is nearly double the statewide rate. According to the California Department of Public Health, the state’s deaths have gone up by 21% in the same span.

Although 9,224 Californians have died of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, new infections are being reported at a lower rate now than was commonplace for much of July.

State data show that 500,130 Californians have been infected with coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. But average number of new cases reported daily by state health officials is slowly going down. In the past week, the daily average has dropped by nearly 22%.

In Sacramento County, 10,067 people in the county have been infected, according to local health officials, but in the past week, the average daily number of new cases has dropped by 35%.

Still, the current rate of infection in Sacramento County is much higher than it was in May or early June, when daily triple-digit increases in infections were rare. Comparatively, county health officials reported triple-digit infections every day from June 22 through July 20, according to local data.

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Latest Sacramento-area cases and deaths

Reported infections this weekend reflect a markedly lower rate of infection in the county. On Saturday, 82 cases were confirmed, along with five deaths. Sunday morning’s update added 51 more infections.

According to CDPH data, 265 people are currently hospitalized in Sacramento County. Of those, 90 are being treated in intensive care units. The county has 79 ICU beds available for its roughly 1.5 million residents.

Statewide, hospitalizations appear to be tapering off somewhat in response to the lowered rate of infection. A total of 6,459 Californians are being held in hospitals with lab-tested cases of coronavirus. Of those, 1,966 are being treated in ICUs. Amid a peak in hospitalizations, the state reported a total of 7,170 people hospitalized on July 21, a figure which has since dropped by nearly 10%.

Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 1,572 cases and 42 deaths. On Sunday, 27 new cases were reported. On Saturday, 34 more infections were reported and one death was added to the tally. There are six patients in county hospitals, all of whom are in ICUs. The county has five ICU beds remaining, according to state data. The county has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 118 of the total number of cases and 21 of the deaths.

Woodland’s Stollwood Convalescent Hospital reported an outbreak in April and it is still the most severe outbreak in the county. There, 66 people connected to the facility have been infected with coronavirus and 17 have died. The facility will close permanently in September.

At Alderson Convalescent Hospital, also in Woodland, 11 residents and nine staff members have been infected. Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis has reported infections in seven residents and four staff members.

Placer County has reported 1,925 cases and 16 deaths. On Sunday, 13 new cases and one new death were reported. On Saturday, 36 new cases were reported and on Friday, 54 more people were confirmed to have coronavirus. County officials reported a record-high day of infections on July 19, when 83 new cases were added, beating out the county’s previous record for highest daily infections from July 5, when 49 people were confirmed to have coronavirus. There are 60 people hospitalized in the county and 14 are being treated in ICUs. The county has 31 ICU beds available.

El Dorado County has reported a total of 637 cases and just one death from COVID-19. On Friday, 24 new cases were reported by county health officials. There are currently two people in county hospitals and one person being treated in an ICU. The county has 14 ICU beds available. El Dorado County, despite reporting its first death last month, remains the only county in the greater Sacramento area to have not been placed onto the state’s regional coronavirus watchlist, reflecting its relatively low number of cases.

Sutter County has reported a total of 786 cases and six deaths. On Friday, health officials added 13 new cases of coronavirus, and earlier this week added two additional deaths. On Saturday, 20 more infections were reported. Eleven people are being hospitalized. County health officials reported one of the highest single-day infections on Tuesday, adding 34 more confirmed cases to the total. The last record was set on July 23, when 35 infections were reported.

In neighboring Yuba County, 485 people have been infected and four have died. On Friday, six new cases were reported and on Saturday, 13 more were added. On Wednesday, 26 people tested positive for coronavirus, which set a daily infection record, and one death was reported. Nine people in Yuba County are being hospitalized.

Worldwide: Nearly 18 million infections and over 687,000 deaths

Worldwide, more than 17.9 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 687,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States accounts for the largest share of infections for any one country, with nearly 4.7 million cases and over 154,000 deaths.

Brazil is the next leading nation, with just over 2.7 million infections and 93,000 deaths. India is third in reported infections with more than 1.7 million infections and fifth in deaths at over 37,000. Mexico has jumped to third in deaths at more than 47,000, followed by the United Kingdom at over 46,000.

What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?

Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”

Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.

Most people develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.