COVID-19 spikes in California at start of the new year. Which counties have it worst?

Brianna Taylor
·2 min read
31

The number of reported COVID-19 cases across California spiked in the weeks following Christmas, with several counties in the northern portion of the state bearing the worst of the virus.

JN. 1, the latest COVID-19 variant being tracked by health experts, has been rapidly circulating. COVID-19 test positivity was at 11.8% as of Jan. 12, according to the California Department of Public Health, compared to 9.6% on Dec. 22.

In the past week, 3,611 patients were admitted to the hospital due to the coronavirus, and about 3.7% of deaths were COVID-19-related, the state health department wrote in its weekly report.

Nearly 1,540 COVID-19-related deaths have been recorded across California, between Oct. 1, 2023, and Jan. 6, 2024.

California counties with the most COVID-19 cases

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 17 out of California’s 58 counties have reached medium levels for COVID-19-related hospitalizations.

The following counties have the most COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents, according to CDC data through Jan. 6, daata posted on Jan. 16:

  • Alameda County

  • Contra Costa County

  • El Dorado County

  • Lake County

  • Mariposa County

  • Mendicino County

  • Merced County

  • Napa County

  • Nevada County

  • Orange County

  • Placer County

  • Sacramento County

  • Sierra County

  • Solano County

  • Stanislaus County

  • Tuolumne County

  • Yolo County

These counties recorded between 10 and 19.9 new coronavirus-related hospitalizations per 100,000 people over the past week, the CDC stated.

Roughly 71% of California remains at low levels, meaning less than 10 people per 100,000 have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus.

No county has reached a high level. A high level means more than 20 people per 100,000 have been admitted to the hospital due to a COVID-19-related illness.

Are there new symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19-related symptoms could appear within two weeks of exposure, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Possible symptoms include:

  • Fever

  • Cough

  • Fatigue

  • Chills

  • Sore throat

  • Headache

  • Muscle aches

  • Runny nose

  • Headache

  • Chest pain

  • Pink eye

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Rash

  • Nausea

Breathing could also become difficult, the clinic stated.

Symptoms could change based on the COVID-19 variant and vary depending on a person’s vaccination status, according to the CDC. Loss of taste and smell is not a common symptom with recent strains.

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