New cases of coronavirus in California are on the rise as the total number of vaccinations in the state continues to rise, positive signs that a massive winter surge in the number of cases and deaths in the state is coming to an end.
On Friday, California counties reported 3,652 new COVID-19 cases, according to data tracked by this news organization. The state now has an average of seven days of 3,677 new cases, the lowest being the average since October 22, before the December 22 surge averaged as high as 45,388 cases. There have been 3,594,282 cases in California since the beginning of the pandemic, although this does not include cases where an individual has been infected but has never been tested for the virus.
Los Angeles County, the largest and hardest hit in the state, reported 889 cases Friday, San Diego County reported 362 and Kern County reported 199. They were followed by the provinces of Riverside, Sacramento and Orange.
Vaccinations, meanwhile, are still on the rise. So far, 11,169,839 doses have been administered in the state, out of 15,384,710 doses delivered according to the California Department of Public Health, and 25.2 percent of Californians 18 and older have received at least one vaccine dose while 11.8 percent according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been fully vaccinated.
Although cases have returned to normal, mortality rates remain high – mortality rates usually lag behind. On Friday, provinces reported 325 deaths in the state, with an average of seven days of 228 deaths daily: This is the lowest average since December 30th. The state recorded 55,467 deaths due to the virus.
Los Angeles County reported the most deaths on Friday with 100 deaths, followed by San Bernardino County with 57 and Riverside County with 30. They were followed by Orange, Santa Clara and Kern.
The improvement over the past few weeks has also been the number of patients admitted to the hospital or in intensive care units with confirmed COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, there were 3,335 patients admitted to the state with the virus, a decrease of 4.1 percent from the previous day and the lowest number of hospitalized patients since November 9th. The number of patients in ICB beds increased by 0.5 percent on Thursday to 966 patients, although it is still the least number of patients since 13 November.
In the Bay Area, Santa Clara County reported the most new cases on Friday, with 145 infections and 22 deaths for a total of 112,470 cases and 1,858 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. Alameda County reported 119 cases and three deaths for a total of 81,866 cases and 1,327 deaths. Contra Costa County reported 118 cases and no new deaths for a total of 63,860 cases and 716 deaths.
San Mateo County reported 59 cases and six deaths for a total of 39,349 cases and 534 deaths. And San Francisco reported 32 cases and five deaths for a total of 34,495 cases and 445 deaths during the pandemic.