The number of coronavirus cases in California surged last week, with record tallies reported on consecutive days.
But the spike still does not account for tens of thousands of people who have attended protests over the past few weeks across the state, many demanding police reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
That’s largely due to the fact that people do not typically get tested for the virus before evidence of symptoms, which can take up to 14 days to appear, and because of the lag time between testing and reported results.
It is possible, however, that this week’s case counts will include numbers from the protests, which began after Floyd’s death on May 25.
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On Monday, there were more than 152,000 COVID-19 infections and over 5,000 deaths related to the virus in the state. Nearly half of the number of cases are in Los Angeles County, which also accounts for nearly 60% of all deaths.
Health officials have previously said that contact tracers do not identify cases that have stemmed from public spaces, like protests, indoor malls and restaurants, so it will be difficult to pinpoint the exact path of transmission.
“Nobody knows you were there,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said about individuals who have been to public spaces. “No one will call you.”
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Instead, officials are encouraging residents to take a proactive approach. Protesters and anyone who has attended a large gathering in recent weeks, especially those who came into contact with a person not wearing a face mask for more than 15 minutes, have been encouraged to get tested for the virus. Though many protesters have worn face masks, it is nearly impossible to avoid coming in contact with crowds.
In the absence of a vaccine and medical therapies, testing is still one of the biggest weapons in preventing the spread of COVID-19. In L.A. County, more than 803,000 tests have been conducted. Of those tested, 8% have been positive for the virus. It’s unclear how many individuals have been tested for the virus because people can be tested multiple times.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Services, said Friday that overall case counts are not necessarily a measure of how the state is faring in its fight against the novel coronavirus.
“We’ve ramped up testing in an extraordinary way, nearly hitting our goal that was set for August — not June, not July, but August — of getting to 60,000 to 80,000 tests a day,” Ghaly said. “We’re already knocking on that door, averaging in the mid- to high 50s over the past few days across the state.”
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Instead, officials are closely monitoring the positivity rate, which is the proportion of people who have tested positive out of all those who have been tested, and the daily number of hospitalizations. The latter is a number that officials worry may increase amid the state’s continued reopening.
Furthermore, Ghaly said the openings are not the source of the increased cases, noting that increased testing can drive up the number of cases as more infections are identified among those who are not seriously ill.
In Los Angeles County, officials reported an increase in the transmission rate of the virus and warned that hospitals could become overwhelmed in the next few weeks. Such a surge has already hit other states that previously lifted stay-at-home restrictions.
According to an Associated Press analysis, Texas recently set a new record with hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In Arizona, a surge in new cases and hospitalizations occurred about 10 days after the state lifted its stay-home orders.
