The number of coronavirus cases in California is now the lowest in the continental US, a performance that is a reflection of months of hard-won progress against the pandemic in the wake of the state’s devastating fall and winter rise.
The state’s latest seven-day rate of new cases – 40.3 per 100,000 people – is dramatically lower than the nationwide rate of 135.3 and only edged by Hawaii, 39.1, during the same time period, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the other end of the spectrum is Michigan, which has by far the highest seven-day rate in the country at 483 per 100,000 people. Others at the top of that troubling ranking are New Jersey, 269.7; Delaware, 264.1; Pennsylvania, 248.5; and Minnesota, 238.4.
Among the larger states, the comparable rates over the same period were 201.1 in Florida and 65.9 in Texas.
While long-term hope continues to come from the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, the pandemic is still a more immediate threat – especially in areas where the number of cases is increasing.
“Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in some parts of the country, and cases among younger people who have not yet been vaccinated are also on the rise,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky at a briefing earlier this week. “Like all of you, I want to get back to doing the things I enjoy with family and friends that I haven’t been able to see in the past year. We all have a role to play in turning this tide and reducing our business. “
California has so far avoided the hikes elsewhere.
The state’s case rates have been among the lowest in the country for some time, and the numbers reflect the continued and significant progress the state has made – all the more important as the state is rushing to vaccinate as many people as soon as possible and the kind of spikes that hit other parts of the country and the world, officials say.
“To prevent the continued decline in COVID-19 transmission, we will have to remain vigilant and take precautions in the coming weeks so that we have time to vaccinate more people,” said Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County director. Public Health in a statement. .
In the past week, California has reported an average of 2,320 new cases per day – a 13% decrease from two weeks ago, according to data collected by The Times.
Last winter, the California average peaked at more than 40,000 new cases per day.
The state’s other statistics have also continued to move in an encouraging direction.
On Tuesday, 1,774 coronavirus-positive Californians were hospitalized statewide, with 437 in intensive care. While those numbers chased a bit every day, they are among the lowest the state has seen since last spring.
And for the past week, the state has recorded an average of 81 COVID-19 deaths per day – a still sobering toll that has nonetheless declined steadily from the peak of the wave, when the average daily fatalities were close to 600. Show the data of the times.
California’s progress is reflected in the reopenings as many parts of the state have recently been able to lift coronavirus-related restrictions.
This week, the counties of Fresno, Santa Barbara, Kings, Calaveras and Mono moved to the orange tier – the second most indulgent of the state’s four-category color-coded reopening blueprint.
This will allow a large number of companies in those areas to resume their indoor operations on a larger scale with greater capacity.
Now 38 of California’s 58 counties have reached the orange level and three have entered the last, mildest yellow level. None of them remain in the strictest purple layer.
On March 9, 34 more provinces were still in the purple layer, and only four had turned orange or yellow.
But officials insist that progress is not permanent and that it is the collective responsibility of residents and businesses alike to ensure that allowing additional activity does not lead to an increase in the transmission of the coronavirus.
“Every member of our community plays an important role in helping to achieve and continue to enjoy the benefits of easing disability,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County health officer, said in a statement. “We need to remain aware of safety practices, including wearing masks, taking physical distance, washing hands and getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”
The latter point is particularly important, both in order to smooth out possible new waves of COVID-19 in the short term and ultimately end the pandemic once and for all.
Statewide, suppliers have administered 27 million doses of vaccine to date, and 44.5% of Californians have already received at least one injection, figures from the CDC show.
More than a quarter of the state population is fully vaccinated – meaning they either received required doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or received the one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine before interrupting administration while federal health officials possibly related to extremely rare blood clots.