California has become the first state in the nation to surpass 600,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
As of Friday morning, there were more than 603,000 recorded cases. The state has now also reported 11,000 deaths.
Yet despite the gruesome numbers, there is growing evidence that the increase in infections and deaths that began when California reopened its economy in May is starting to slow down.
In Los Angeles County, the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus is now around 0.86 – meaning that each infected person transmits the virus to an average of 0.86 other people. Last week, the rate was at 0.91.
And statewide, an ensemble computer model known as the COVID assessment tool in California estimates the total transfer from California to California at about 0.96.
Hospitalizations are also falling in many regions of California. Stateless seems to be the average number of people admitted to hospital highlight at the end of July, when an average of nearly 7,000 people were hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections over a seven-day period; by Wednesday, that number had dropped to 5,710.
“While our gains may feel slow and our future remains fragile, our success over the past three weeks has been real,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday. “We are beginning to see signs of light.”
As the most populous state in America, California was early seen as a model in the fight against COVID-19. But the summer spike has made the state a cautious story instead.
One week ago, the state registered 10,000 deaths. By Friday, that number had increased by 10%. The weekly death toll is almost double as it was in April, when the first wave of coronavirus cases and deaths peaked.
Still, with 11,000 deaths, California remains well below New York – one of the first hotspots for the virus – which has recorded more than 30,000 deaths.
Los Angeles County reported the largest number of cases and deaths of coronavirus in California, more than one-third of the common cases and nearly half of all deaths. On Thursday, public health officials reported 64 new deaths and 1,999 additional cases.
Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said on Wednesday that the disease rate is still too high for colleges and universities to allow personal instruction, with limited exceptions such as lab work or arrangements for students who will be part of the essential workforce.
“The very nature of the way colleges and universities work creates a significant risk of COVID-19 outbreaks,” Ferrer said.
