Coronavirus updates: 100,000 dead worldwide; California sets up testing task force
While there is cautious optimism that California’s strong social distancing efforts appear to be succeeding in flattening the coronavirus growth curve, preventing deaths and hospitalization rates from reaching the most catastrophic projections, government and health officials continue to call widespread testing an urgent priority.
All nonessential businesses have been shuttered and gatherings of all sizes canceled under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home mandate, which went into place March 19. Sufficient testing is considered to be a crucial step on the path to reopening society and the economy, but the state is still struggling in that regard, Newsom says, along with much of the rest of the United States.
Between late February and this Thursday, California tested only about 178,000 of its roughly 40 million residents. The state continues to lack adequate materials to run the tests, including cotton swabs and personal protective equipment like masks and gloves for the workers collecting samples, officials say. As a result, thousands of tests are backlogged.
“What’s painfully clear is – despite the federal government’s protestations to the contrary – easy, fast and widespread testing is something that’s not available to all Californians,” said Dr. David Lubarsky, CEO of UC Davis Health.
The state is setting up a new task force focused on testing for the virus, which causes the deadly disease known as COVID-19. The goal is to conduct 25,000 tests per day by the end of April, according to Dr. Charity Dean, assistant director at the California Department of Public Health and co-chair of the task force, along with Blue Shield of California CEO Paul Markovich.
Newsom recently mentioned an antibody test being developed at Stanford University that could determine who is immune to the coronavirus as a promising development. Unlike diagnostic tests showing whether someone currently has the virus, antibody tests would determine whether someone was infected in the past, information that would be invaluable.
But on Thursday, state leaders tempered antibody expectations, saying more research must be done. Dr. Mark Ghaly, head of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said during a daily news briefing that some countries that have made quick decisions about antibody tests, also known as serological testing, are now “rethinking how they are used.”
The U.K., for example, ordered 17.5 million home antibody test kits, only to announce that none of them met the necessary medical standards.
California has surpassed 580 deaths among more than 21,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to a Sacramento Bee survey of county public health department data as of Thursday evening. The case total doubled in one week.
More than 1.69 million people have been infected by the virus worldwide and death totals surpassed 102,000 on Friday evening, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for a world-high of nearly 500,000 confirmed cases and more than 18,000 fatalities, second-most worldwide behind Italy.
Two more deaths, 40 new cases in Sacramento County
Public health officials on Friday morning disclosed two more COVID-19 deaths in Sacramento County for a total of 24. The two latest deaths came in unincorporated parts of the county, according to the public health website.
Six have died outside city limits, 14 have died in Sacramento, three in Elk Grove and one in Citrus Heights, according to the county. More than 30 have now died in the four-county Sacramento region.
Sacramento County also increased its total of confirmed coronavirus cases to 653, an increase of 40 from the previous day.
Increase in unemployment benefits: $600 a week
Qualifying unemployed Californians will get an extra $600 per week in benefits starting Sunday as part of the federal government’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief stimulus package, Newsom’s office announced Thursday.
The money will be added automatically to the regular state benefit through the Employment Development Department, which previously maxed out at $450 per week.
In the last three weeks, about 2.3 million people in the state have sought benefits for the first time, including 925,000 last week — a 2,418 percent increase over the same period last year.
Waits for receiving benefits could take about three weeks, according to the EDD. Department spokeswoman Loree Levy said those looking to file unemployment claims should do so through the online system if possible, calling it: “by far the best option to help us get claims processed as fast as possible, and it can be done through a mobile phone not just a computer.”
She said that applying on paper “will slow down the processing so it’s really important for people to know that.”
The department website has a variety of links to help answer questions and file a claim.
Some cities, counties and businesses urging use of masks
Health officials in many California jurisdictions are now recommending or even mandating the wearing of face coverings while in public.
Sacramento County health officials have begun wearing masks in public and are advising others do so, but have not taken the step of formalizing that request. A Northern California grocery store chain, Nugget Markets, announced it will require all customers to wear masks starting next Monday.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced this week that businesses and stores there can refuse customers who are not wearing masks.
Also in Southern California, Riverside County issued an order mandating that everyone wear facial coverings when in public, though Sheriff Chad Bianco assured residents that deputies will not stop, cite or arrest anyone for not wearing a mask.
As recently as the start of last week, health officials at the state and local levels had told the general public that there was no need to wear masks.
What changed?
Late last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing new studies, altered its stance and began to recommend “wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” saying such coverings can be made from household items and “can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.”
Department of Public Health Director Sonia Angell said that there might be “some benefits” from using masks or face coverings, “but only when they’re used well.”
Officials have expressed concern that the general public may begin to purchase medical-grade masks, leaving them in short supply for hospital workers who desperately need them and other personal protective equipment as they treat patients with the highly contagious virus.
But Newsom earlier this week said the state has secured 200 million new masks a month in a series of purchases.
Masks are still seen as a secondary measure to keeping at least six feet of distance from others, health officials say.
“The far, far, far most important thing is social distancing, particularly when we are clearly bending the curve now,” Sacramento County’s health services director Dr. Peter Beilenson said. “We have to keep the pedal to the metal.”
Easter goes online
Churches have been barred under the statewide stay-home order from congregating in person, but religious worship can still continue electronically.
A number of Sacramento-area churches have been live-streaming their services on the internet, and will continue to do so on Good Friday and on Easter. Turnout has been strong for some churches. Bayside Church, which has eight large campuses in Northern California, had 40,000 watching its services last weekend, pastor Ray Johnston said.
More details about “church from home” services being offered this weekend can be found here.
Latest Sacramento-area numbers: 31 dead
As of Friday morning, the four-county Sacramento region had reported a total of 883 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 31 fatalities.
Sacramento County reports 653 confirmed cases and 24 deaths. Health officials provided the most recent update at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The county on Tuesday released data and a map breaking down infection totals, but not deaths, by ZIP code for each that had at least five confirmed COVID-19 cases. The numbers were updated Thursday.
Placer County reports 123 confirmed cases and four deaths, last updated Friday afternoon.
Yolo County reports 75 confirmed cases and three deaths, last updated 5 p.m. Friday. The county had 36 cases in West Sacramento and 21 in Woodland.
El Dorado County reports 32 cases and no deaths, last updated 4:30 p.m. Friday. The county had 13 cases reported in El Dorado Hills and nine in the Lake Tahoe area.
World totals: More than 100,000 dead from coronavirus
The global death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 102,000 as of Friday evening, with the United States now second only to Italy as the nation with the most fatalities.
Italy has recorded more than 18,800 deaths, the U.S. was just shy of 18,600, France had 13,200 and the United Kingdom was near 9,000, according to the Johns Hopkins data map.
The world infection total was just over 1.69 million as of 5:30 p.m. Pacific time. At over 496,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the U.S. has more than triple the total of the next highest country, Spain, where more than 158,000 infections have been reported. Italy, France and Germany each had between 122,000 and 150,000 confirmed cases.
China, the original epicenter for coronavirus activity but where reported case and fatality totals have essentially stopped growing, stands at 83,000 infected and about 3,400 dead.
Another 4,200 have died in Iran, 3,000 in Belgium, 2,700 in Germany and 2,500 in the Netherlands, according to Johns Hopkins.
More than 7,800 deaths have come in New York state, and of those 5,800 have been in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins. The state accounts for about 40 percent of the nation’s fatalities and one-third of its total cases at 172,000.
New York is among several hot spots within the United States. Neighboring New Jersey has surpassed 54,000 cases and 1,900 reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Michigan has surpassed 22,000 cases and over 1,200 fatalities. California is above 21,000 cases and at 583 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.
Louisiana, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania each had between 19,000 and 21,000 confirmed cases as of Friday evening, with death tolls of 755, 599 and 418, respectively. Florida has confirmed over 17,000 cases and 390 deaths, and Illinois has seen nearly 600 die among nearly 18,000 infections. Indiana, Washington state, Connecticut, Georgia, Texas and Ohio all have death tolls between 200 and 500.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 7:49 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: 100,000 dead worldwide; California sets up testing task force."
