California hit another one-day record for novel coronavirus cases Tuesday as the state’s total case count climbed steadily toward 100,000.
As of Wednesday, California’s 2,283 new COVID-19 case average over the last seven days is the highest rate since late March, far exceeding a May 11 peak when the state averaged 1,878 cases over the seven-day period. Health officials are now reporting 99,735 total cases statewide and a total death count of 3,822 people.
Southern California continues to bear the brunt of the rising caseload and deaths. Los Angeles County reported 1,804 new cases and 27 deaths Tuesday, while Riverside County reported 135 new cases and 11 new fatalities. Orange County reported 109 new cases. Those three counties alone have accounted for two-thirds of California’s coronavirus deaths and about 60% of cases to date.
Even as average new cases surged, however, the state’s seven-day death average has continued to fall in recent days. California has averaged about 59 new deaths daily over the last week, the lowest it’s been since April 15, when the state averaged about 54 deaths. That number climbed to 80 by April 24, and has hovered between 70 and 80 average deaths since then.
The Bay Area has also seen a spike in cases, with notable increases recorded in seven of the region’s ten counties over the last week. Alameda County recorded the largest spike, peaking Tuesday with 66 new average daily cases over the past week. The county now has the Bay Area’s largest share of coronavirus cases, outpacing Santa Clara County with 2,986 total cases compared to Santa Clara’s 2,675.
Statewide, there has been 1.7% uptick in COVID-19 related hospitalizations and a 2.1% uptick in COVID-19 patients in the ICU, though total hospitalizations have dropped to lows not seen since April.
In the 10-county Bay Area, hospitalizations have dropped off since last Thursday, when nearly 700 people in the region were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That number had decreased to 477 as of Monday, part of a longer-term slowdown since a peak of 839 people were hospitalized on April 7.
