California will surpass New York as the U.S. state with the most coronavirus deaths, a cruel reminder of the toll of the pandemic, even as the vaccine rolls out and a dramatic drop in new cases hopes that life will finally return will become normal.
The deaths of Covid-19 on Tuesday reached 44,494 in California, the most populous U.S. state. In New York, which was hit hard especially in the early days of the pandemic, the total death toll stood at 44,969 on Tuesday.
California started the pandemic as a leader in the fight against the virus, but emerged this winter as the country hardest hit. It took the Golden State six months to record its first 10,000 deaths, but in barely a month, from December to January, the total rose from 20,000 to 30,000. The state now averages 450 deaths a day .
Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the country, has been hit hardest by the state, and public health officials estimate that one in three Los Angeles residents is infected at some point. Nearly 41% of Covid-19 deaths in California come from the state of Los Angeles, which makes up a quarter of the state’s population.
Due to nationwide trends, the pandemic hit the population of California unequally and left residents of Latino out of proportion. Latinos make up 38.9% of the state’s population, but are responsible for 46% of deaths, according to figures from the California Department of Public Health. The average number of Latino residents dying of coronavirus daily in the province of Los Angeles has increased by more than 1,000% since November.
Nationwide, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to Covid-19 are declining rapidly. Also in California, the numbers dropped. Hospitalizations decreased by 34% and admissions to intensive care units by 26%.
# COVID-19 UPDATE:
A month ago, we reported 53,000 cases. Today: 8 251 cases.
A month ago we reported a test positivity rate of 14%. Today: 4.8%.
– Hospitalizations: 34% lower in the last 2 weeks.
– ICU admissions: by 26% lower in the last 2 weeks.
Hopeful signs continue.
– Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 9, 2021
But in California as well as in other states, the improvement covers an ongoing rise in disease and death, which is now higher than the previous peak of the pandemic last summer.
Public health experts fear that a boom driven by Super Bowl parties on Sunday, as well as the advent of new, highly contagious variants of the virus, could once again lead to a further leap before most Americans are vaccinated.
In an effort to speed up the deployment of vaccines expected to stop the spread of the pandemic, Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that his government plans to increase the number of vaccine doses sent to the states on February 15. increase.
A portion of the expanded offering will be sent to community health centers in an effort to improve access to vaccines for the mostly poor and minority population serving the centers, the White House said Tuesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received about 33 million Americans at least one dose of vaccine to fight the coronavirus by Tuesday.
“This vaccine is the weapon that will win this war!” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference Tuesday. Ten percent of New York State residents received the vaccine, he said.
Part of the reason for the high death toll in California is the large population of the state, nearly 40 million. In terms of deaths per capita, California, with 113 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, ranks 32nd in the country. By comparison, New York, with 248 deaths per 100,000, is second only to New Jersey, which had about 230 deaths per coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants.
But some are still cautious, especially after Govin Newsom, the governor of California, lifted the state’s second shelter mandate late last month while facing the funeral industry in the province of Los Angeles with a horrific backlog of thousands of bodies. Many small businesses welcome the reopening and the chance to start earning again, while others question the disproportionate impact on reopening. essential color workers.
In the next phase of virus delivery, Newsom moved to open a number of vaccination sites throughout the state. Sites are already up and running at Disneyland and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, with new sites announced just this week at PetCo Park in San Diego and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.