California now has the most confirmed coronavirus infections of any state, beating New York, as a statewide steady increase in the number of infections has brought its overall case count to more than 409,000.
As of Wednesday morning, data from Johns Hopkins University showed that California had reported about 1,100 cumulative cases of COVID-19 more than New York, which was besieged by the virus in early spring, but has since seen the number of recently confirmed infections, deaths, and hospitalizations. drop dramatically.
California, however, tends in the opposite direction.
Shortly after noon Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said 12,807 new coronavirus infections had been reported in the past 24 hours, a record high, bringing the state total to 413,576.
“It is just another reminder … of the magnitude of the impact this virus continues to have,” he said.
Despite the increased number of cases, California has not experienced as many deaths as New York.
The Empire State has recorded more than 25,000 COVID-19 deaths, three times more than California.
The fact that California is by far the most populous state explains, in part, the large number of infections. The state’s population of nearly 40 million is more than double that of New York.
“I did not over-read the importance of that number myself,” California Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday when asked about California beating New York as the state with the most confirmed cases. , pointing both to the two states. population and geographic size.
“I see every day as an opportunity to do more and improve our response to COVID-19, and in the end, I really hope and hope that California is the state that has adapted the most, learned the most, prepared the best, and that we are really going to reduce its impact. “
Newsom agreed that, especially given the size of the state, “It is not surprising now, in some respects, as we have begun to reopen key sectors of our economy, people continue to mix and people continue to be in close contact with others who they may have had this disease, our numbers would start to increase. “
Still, he said, the California case count is “a sober reminder of why we are taking things as seriously as we are.”
Authorities have voiced alarm over the California trend, and not just the total number of cases.
Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have reached record levels in the state. According to the state Department of Public Health, more than 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized statewide as of Monday, and more than 2,000 were in intensive care.
California also reports worsening death rates. For the one-week period ending Monday, 674 deaths were reported in California, the highest weekly total to date. That number broke the record set in the previous seven-day period, when 640 died; the week before that, it was 474.
Experts say hospitalizations and deaths are lagging indicators of the spread of the coronavirus and may reflect exposure to the virus that occurred weeks earlier.
According to officials, that is one of the key challenges in the fight against COVID-19: it may take weeks to see if the steps taken to stop the spread of the disease are working.
Conversely, it can also take weeks to see the repercussions of residents and business owners failing to take the necessary steps to protect themselves, which officials say includes keeping distance from people you don’t live with, washing and disinfecting Hands regularly and wear a face covering in public, particularly when physical distancing is not possible.
California has taken significant steps to curb the spread of COVID-19 in recent weeks, issuing a statewide mask order on June 18 and renewed restrictions on numerous activities and businesses last week.
It is not yet known how long those measures will have to be applied. According to Ghaly, “We can take up to three, four, even five weeks to feel the full impact of some of those changes.”
“I wish I had that crystal ball that said, ‘This is when we are going to be ready,’ but we will continue to communicate the kind of story from the field, understanding how it affects the entire state, so that we don’t do anything too soon,” he said. “But we are also aware of the impact of doing things too late, and trying to strike that delicate balance is what we will continue to do.”
Health officials have said the rise in infections is being fueled by younger Californians. Approximately 69% of the state’s total confirmed cases have been between the ages of 49 and younger, according to the latest available data.
That trend is true in Los Angeles County, which remains the focus of the California outbreak.
Of the new cases reported by the county Department of Public Health on Tuesday, 57% were residents under the age of 41.
While it is true that younger groups are generally less likely to become seriously ill as a result of COVID-19, officials emphasize that this does not mean that they are immune or cannot transmit the disease to others who are ill. More at risk.
“The tragedy of what we are witnessing is that many of our younger residents interact with each other and do not adhere to recommended prevention measures, while our older residents continue to experience the results of this further spread with the worst health outcomes, including death, “said county public health director Barbara Ferrer in a statement.
“People over the age of 65 account for 11% of all cases, but they account for almost 75% of all deaths. Our behaviors, including the use of facial covering and adherence to physical detachment (simple actions of kindness and care) can protect those we love. “
Times team writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Iris Lee, Colleen Shalby, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
