The pace of new positive tests slowed over the weekend, but longer reporting delays than usual could lead to an abnormally large number of coronavirus cases to start the week.
Still, California’s seven-day average rose more than ever on Sunday with another 4,507 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the average number of daily cases to more than 5,200, according to data compiled by this news organization. The state’s six highest daily case counts were recorded in the past seven days, bringing the seven-day average up 43% higher than a week ago. Nearly 215,000 Californians have tested positive for the virus, while the state’s death toll is close to 6,000 after another 35 deaths reported Sunday.
Labs across the state are processing more tests than ever, but the percentage showing positive results only continues to increase. Before last week, the seven-day positivity rate had not exceeded 5% since mid-May, when the state was conducting about a third of the tests it is now. After a week of tests and record cases, that number reached 5.9% with Sunday’s results.
Many counties no longer report new results on Sunday, but problems with CalREDIE, which uses the system’s health departments to track cases, caused others to also skip the reports on Saturday. Those results could cause an influx of new cases on Monday, which is traditionally already a high-reporting day due to normal weekend delays.
Even without new data from San Mateo, Solano, Santa Cruz and Napa counties, the Bay Area recorded one of the highest cases in the region since the outbreak began. Santa Clara (178), Alameda (177) and Contra Costa (114) reported more than 100 cases each Sunday for a total of 632 in the entire region.
Alameda, Santa Clara and San Francisco have fueled an increase in hospitalizations across the region to levels not seen since the end of April. There were 362 patients in Bay Area hospital beds who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the most recent day for which data was available, an increase of 52% from a week ago. Those three counties account for 65% of the region’s new hospitalizations in the past week, although at least in San Francisco, part of that comes from nonresidents who are transferred to hospitals with more capacity.
The statewide hospitalization count had been outpacing the Bay Area, but that changed last week. The total, which hit a record 4,577 on Saturday, rose 28% last week and has grown 48% since two Saturdays. Central California counties of San Joaquin, Kern and Fresno have seen their hospitalizations increase by 58% in the past week and have overtaken all counties in the Bay Area.
It’s worth noting that, despite the Bay Area increasing at a faster rate than the rest of California, it is starting from a much lower point than other parts of the state. Five counties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside, continue to lead the state in hospitalizations, cases, and deaths from the virus. Hospitalizations in those counties have increased 23% in the past week and represent 71% of the total statewide.
Los Angeles County, the country’s most populous, was one of seven that Governor Gavin Newsom ordered Sunday to close the bars, after they began to reopen. Bars were also ordered closed in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.
Contra Costa County was slated to allow restaurants, bars and gyms in person to reopen this week, but suspended those plans amid growing cases and hospitalizations. Officials announced the hiatus shortly after San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city, which had not yet allowed the reopening of indoor bars or restaurants, would also halt plans to reopen open-air lounges and bars.
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