Coronavirus updates: Nevada County deaths rise 50%; California surpasses 9,000 hospitalized
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to show indicators of worrisome spreading, Nevada County has seen a dramatic increase in deaths.
The county had only recorded nine total deaths prior to this week, but added one death earlier this week and five new deaths on Thursday alone.
Four of the five newest fatalities were related to a COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home in Nevada County, according to a news release from the county. The other death was an older adult who was not associated with the nursing home.
“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased, as well as the healthcare staff who cared for them. This is a sober reminder of the threat of COVID-19,” said Jill Blake, the Nevada County public health director. The official reminded residents to follow CDC guidelines to maintain physical distancing and to wear masks.
Nevada County is in the purple tier, signaling widespread community transmission of the coronavirus. Blake said the widespread transmission is making outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities more likely and more difficult to control.
The county has seen comparatively low numbers of cases of the coronavirus when compared with other counties in the greater Sacramento region, with 1,517 cases as of Friday morning.
Nevada County currently has 17 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with three of them in ICUs.
Facing record-level new cases, Newsom unveils stricter plan
A significant recent jump in fatalities could be an indicator of the worsening state of the pandemic across all of California.
The total number of patients in California hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 also continues to expand on its record high, surpassing 9,000 Friday, a net growth of 234 patients from Thursday, which previously held the record high of over 8,800 Californians hospitalized for the coronavirus.
The state also set a new record with 2,152 intensive care unit patients, surpassing the high from Thursday of 2,066 and the summer peak of 2,058 ICU patients.
Available ICU capacity hit an all-time low of 1,673 on Friday, breaking the previous record low of 1,731 on Thursday. The ICU capacity in California has been rapidly dropping, signaling a concerning benchmark for the pandemic that could force a shelter-in-place order. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the Newsom administration’s top health official, said in Monday’s briefing that ICU capacity would be the “primary trigger” for more restrictive health orders.
The state added more than 20,000 new cases on Wednesday, setting a new record, and another 18,591 cases on Thursday, the second-highest total of new cases in a single day. With this week’s record levels of new cases, the two-week average for California has surpassed 15,000 new cases and reached a week-long average statewide test positivity rate of 8.5%, the highest percentage in more than four months.
But in numerous areas, positivity is far above the statewide rate. Fifteen counties had 10% or more of their diagnostic tests return positive for the week ending Nov. 25, one day before Thanksgiving, the latest CDPH data show. Sutter County, home to 106,000 people, breached 20%.
To date, about 1.26 million Californians have tested positive for the coronavirus. The state reported 145 deaths on Friday, more than in any day in November, and 113 COVID-19 deaths each of Wednesday and Thursday for an all-time total of 19,582.
In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday rolled out additional stay-at-home restrictions.
The latest system groups counties “based on pre-existing mutual aid (hospital) systems in the state of California,” and will institute tighter business and gathering restrictions when a region’s hospitals fall below 15% of intensive care unit capacity.
The five regions are: Greater Sacramento, Northern California, Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
ICU beds are in short supply statewide, Newsom warned Monday. In Thursday’s announcement, Newsom said the Greater Sacramento, Northern California, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions are all currently projected to fall below 15% “within the next week or so,” while the Bay Area “may have a few extra days” before maxing out.
The Greater Sacramento region is composed of 13 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.
Combined, hospitals in those counties had 24% ICU capacity remaining as of Monday, Newsom said, but that number has dropped quickly during the current surge, as it has throughout the entire state.
For regions failing to keep 15% or more of ICU beds available, the new order will prohibit nonessential gatherings and require people to stay at home as much as possible.
Playgrounds, indoor recreation, salons, museums, zoos, aquariums, movie theaters, wineries, bars, casinos, live-audience sports and amusement parks must close in regions subject to the order.
The order will still let people in affected regions continue with essential activities like going to the doctor, buying groceries and picking up takeout. It also allows distanced outdoor exercise. Schools that have already opened for in-person learning can stay open.
But essential businesses like retail and grocery stores in counties impacted by the regional order will have to set a 20% capacity limit.
Newsom first hinted in a Monday news conference that the state might need to take “drastic” action to rein in COVID-19 activity.
In the three days since those remarks, matters have only gotten worse, data from the California Department of Public Health show.
Sacramento County’s health chief resigns
Dr. Peter Beilenson, director of the Sacramento County Department of Health Services who has overseen the county’s pandemic response, submitted his resignation this week.
Beilenson says he is returning with his wife to their former home in Baltimore due to an ongoing family crisis.
“It is not related to the job at all,” he told The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday. “It’s not because of pressure. Honestly, it’s that there are family emergencies.”
County officials are in the process of choosing a replacement for Beilenson, who will depart in two weeks. He and county Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye are holding a Zoom forum Thursday evening for an update on COVID-19 in Sacramento County.
Latest in capital region: Sacramento area surpasses 800 deaths
The six-county Sacramento area has combined for at least 802 deaths and more than 61,000 total confirmed infections during the health crisis.
As of Thursday, hospitals in those six counties were treating a reported 580 COVID-19 patients, including at least 118 in intensive care. The latter figure is a record during the pandemic.
Sacramento County has recorded 41,096 lab-positive coronavirus cases and 614 resident deaths from the virus, crossing the 600 milestone with the addition of 12 reported deaths Thursday and 11 more on Friday.
Health officials reported 1,115 new cases Tuesday, blowing past the previous single-day record of 957 set Nov. 24. Wednesday added a comparatively low 368 infections, before Thursday brought another 938 and Friday brought 791.
Hospitalizations continue to surge and have surpassed the summer record of 281 concurrent patients. By Friday, the countywide total reached a record-high 373, including 71 in ICUs, according to state data. 79 ICU beds now available.
At least 63 Sacramento County residents died of COVID-19 from Nov. 1 through Nov. 26, health officials said Wednesday. The month has surpassed October’s death toll.
Yolo County has reported 5,068 total lab-confirmed cases during the pandemic, adding 92 Wednesday and 52 Thursday. The county set a single-day record on Nov. 25 with 114.
At least 81 Yolo residents have died of COVID-19 to date, including five fatalities reported Wednesday. At least 49 of those deaths have been linked to skilled nursing or assisted living facilities, most of them in Woodland.
Recent outbreaks at Cottonwood Post-Acute Rehab in Woodland and Riverbend Nursing Center in West Sacramento have resulted in at least two deaths and one death, respectively, according to the county’s health office.
Yolo as of Thursday had 20 hospitalized virus patients including a record-tying 11 in ICUs, with 6 ICU beds available.
Placer County has reported 6,784 cases, reporting 42 new cases Tuesday. The county did not report daily case data Wednesday and added 120 new cases Thursday, with a note on its online dashboard saying it is facing a system issue and lag in documenting new cases that it expects to be resolved soon.
The countywide death toll stands to 72, with two fatalities added in Monday’s update, another added Tuesday and one more added Thursday.
Placer continues to break hospitalization and/or ICU records on essentially a daily basis. The county on Thursday reported having 138 patients in hospital beds with confirmed coronavirus, 123 of them (89%) in hospitals specifically “because of COVID.” The county says 22 were in ICUs, a new record high, with 21 of them being treated specifically for the disease.
State data, which has varied slightly from the county’s own numbers, on Thursday showed 131 hospitalized with 19 in ICUs.
El Dorado County is one of a few California counties with a single-digit death toll, with just five fatalities since the start of the pandemic, adding one death on Thursday. But new cases are coming at an accelerated pace and hospitalizations are rising fast as well.
County health officials added 91 cases Wednesday, bringing the cumulative total to 2,735. El Dorado reported 98 new cases as of Friday morning, 35 on Tuesday, 231 covering the weekend and Monday, and 185 cases Friday for the two-day period including Thanksgiving.
El Dorado had 13 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Thursday, down one from the previous day, with one patient in an ICU. Eight ICU beds remain available in the county.
Sutter County health officials have reported a total of 3,810 people positive for the coronavirus and 19 deaths, including two fatalities Tuesday. The county added 80 cases Thursday, 97 Wednesday and 70 Tuesday after a record-smashing 168 on Monday.
Yuba County has reported a total of 2,357 COVID-19 infections and 11 deaths. Yuba added 46 new cases Thursday and 87 cases Wednesday to set a new single-day high, surpassing the 85 reported Nov. 24.
Sutter and Yuba, sister counties that share a public health office and have just one general acute hospital between them, have seen their COVID-19 patient total skyrocket: from two patients on Nov. 7 to 48 by the end of November — with 30 Sutter residents and 18 Yuba residents, the local health office says. Six in each group were in ICUs.
According to state data updated Wednesday, Rideout in Marysville was treating an all-time high 45 coronavirus patients, including eight in ICUs. The overall total dropped to 37 Thursday but the ICU total rose to 10, with only one one staffed ICU bed remaining available.
The Yuba-Sutter dashboard, last updated Thursday, said 50 residents of those two counties were hospitalized, including eight in intensive care, though not all of those were necessarily at Rideout.
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World numbers: Global death toll passes 1.5 million
Worldwide COVID-19 deaths have surpassed 1.5 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University on Friday morning.
The U.S. continues to lead the world in fatalities, with almost 277,000, according to Johns Hopkins. Over 14 million have tested positive nationwide, which is 21% of the world’s 65.4 million infections.
Following the U.S. by death toll are Brazil at over 175,000, India at almost 140,000 and Mexico approaching 109,000. After that are the United Kingdom at over 60,000, Italy at 58,000 and France at 54,000. Iran is closing in on 50,000 virus deaths.
Another 46,000 have died in Spain, 41,000 in Russia, 39,000 in Argentina, 37,000 in Colombia and over 36,000 in Peru, according to Johns Hopkins.
The Bee’s Tony Bizjak, Sophia Bollag and Noel Harris contributed to this story. Listen to our daily briefing:
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