California Became the First State to Reach 5 Million Cases, Despite an Increase in Omicron Infections

By Jessa Martin On Dec 29, 2021

As a result of the holiday weekend, the state dashboard didn’t go live until Tuesday, but California became the first state to register more than 5 million known coronavirus illnesses, according to the dashboard.

Fortunately, the grim milestone, as reported by the California Department of Public Health, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents poised for a spike in new infections during holiday parties and family gatherings that have been forced inside due to an unusually severe string of winter storms.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in California occurred on January 25, 2020, according to the California Department of Public Health. It took 292 days to reach 1 million infections on November 11, that same year, and 44 days after that to reach 2 million infections.

California’s caseload is likewise significantly higher than that of other large states. As of Sunday, Texas had over 4.4 million residents, while Florida had more than 3.9 million.

More than 75,500 deaths have been reported in California as a result of COVID-19.

In comparison to many other states struggling with a coronavirus outbreak, the state has fared significantly better, with locations in the Midwest and Northeast experiencing the greatest increase in cases and hospitalizations as a result of chilly conditions that have kept people indoors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States categorizes California as a “high” transmission area for the virus, along with practically every other state in the United States.

Although California had an average of 16.4 new cases per 100,000 individuals in the last week, this was less than a third of the national rate.

Meanwhile, coronavirus-related hospitalizations in California have been steadily increasing, with an increase of around 12 percent in the last seven days to 4,401. That’s fewer than half the number of cases reported at the late summer peak and one-fifth the number reported a year earlier before vaccines were widely distributed.

As a result of the increasing number of cases being handled, the city of San Francisco stated on Tuesday that it would cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration, while Contra Costa County in the Bay Area declared that masks would be required in all public indoor venues starting on Wednesday.

Previously, some persons who had received vaccinations had been permitted to remove them.

The history of COVID-19 in the United States frequently returns to California. It was home to some of the early documented cases among tourists from China, where the outbreak first started.

The death of a San Jose woman on February 6, 2020, was the first reported coronavirus fatality in the United States. The same month, California reported the first case of Ebola in the United States that was not tied to travel, as well as the first case of Ebola that spread within a community.

In an effort to minimize hospital overcrowding, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order on March 19, 2020, shutting down businesses and schools across the state.

It is not known how many of the newly reported cases were caused by the omicron coronavirus variety, which has not yet been confirmed. A great deal about omicron is still unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe sickness than other bacteria.

Scientists believe that omicron spreads even more quickly than other coronavirus strains, such as delta, and that it will become prevalent in the United States by early next year at the earliest.

Early studies suggest that those who have been vaccinated will require a booster shot in order to have the highest chance of avoiding an omicron infection; nonetheless, even without the additional dose, vaccination should provide significant protection against serious disease and death.

Following an increase in claims, the nation’s largest state-based health insurance marketplace urged more than 1 million uninsured Californians to apply for subsidized coverage by Friday in order to have it effective January 1.

Covered Despite the fact that the average cost of an intensive care coronavirus hospitalization in California is $127,000, the state estimates that 85 percent of people qualifying for state-brokered health insurance can obtain coverage at no cost through government help.

The first day of coverage for those who sign up after Friday will be on February 1.