Coronavirus Infection, Hospitalization and Mortality Rate Across California Counties
The Coronavirus has swept through the country since the first case was reported in Washington on January 20, 2020. So far, lives have been lost, with lockdown and social distancing rules enforced across states all over the country. In California, several measures have been taken to reduce the growing number of infections and deaths. This article focuses on coronavirus infection, hospitalization, and mortality rate across California counties and the outlook for the next several months.
Overview of Coronavirus in California
The United States has so far recorded more than 31 million coronavirus cases and over 568 thousand deaths. According to data from the New York Times, California accounts for at least 3,723,271 cases and 61,083 deaths.
California is leading the nation in case counts, and this should not be surprising considering it has the largest population in the country. At least 1 out of every 11 people in California have tested positive, and on average, there have been 2,320 new cases and 81.3 new daily deaths. While new cases and deaths are announced every day, delays are typical due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
The coronavirus has been found in all of California’s 58 counties.
Key Infection and Mortality Infection (As of April, 20th 2021)
- Case counts have dropped from peak levels, with an average of 2,320 cases daily— a decrease of 13.4% from two weeks ago. Over the past week, about 1.6% of tests have returned positive.
- Across the state, hospitalizations are still falling, with 1,796 confirmed cases hospitalized, a -10% decrease from two weeks ago.
- Since older people are more susceptible to COVID-19 and certain races contact the virus faster, disparities in age and race, regarding infections and death counts exist. Among the fatal cases, 74% occurred in people aged 65 and older, while Latinos are 2.6 times more likely to test positive than whites.
Reasons for Declining Infection and Mortality Rates
- Increased testing: After starting slowly, California has increased testing. In the last seven days, 1.2% of the 1,353,492 tests conducted returned a positive result. As daily trials ramp up, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to fall.
- Stay-at-home orders: More and more people have adhered to stay-at-home and social distancing orders. As a result, the number of confirmed cases in hospitals statewide dropped by -10% to 1,796 hospital patients compared to two weeks ago.
- The rollout of vaccination: Even though vaccines have slowly arrived, about 42.2% of the California population, or roughly 16.5 million people, have received at least one dose, and about 25.8% of those have been fully vaccinated. (i.e., received two doses)
Average Cases and Deaths In all Counties
Reasons for Disparity in Hospitalization and Death Rates
1. Age (contraction higher among the elderly)
While positive tests have been recorded more among younger adults, deaths resulting from coronavirus have skewed mainly toward the elderly, with roughly 74% of the dead 65 years C or older.
2. Race (blacks and Latinos contract and die from COVID-19 more)
It has been observed that blacks and Latinos contract the virus faster compared to Caucasian and Asian people. In fact, after adjusting for population, Latinos test positive 2.6 times more than white people. Also, among all age groups, black and Latinos died more often compared to the rest of the population.
3. Nursing Homes
Another thing that influences the disparity is the number of hospitalizations and deaths in nursing homes, which have been a tragic focal point of the outbreak. Staff and residents, who are mostly older people, have accounted for 4% of coronavirus cases across the state and 22% of deaths.
Conclusion
We hope the information provided here gives you a better understanding of how counties are handling the coronavirus. From cities to rural towns, it is crucial to stay informed on where COVID-19 is spreading to understand how it could affect your families, commerce, and travel.