Statewide Covid surge continues

A COVID-19 surge continues to overwhelm Intensive Care Unit capacity in California, according to updated figures released today.

 The California Department of Public Health announced that four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area, continue under the Regional Stay at Home Order.

Projected ICU capacity over the next four weeks in San Joaquin Valley and Southern California remains below 15% — the threshold for the Regional Stay at Home Order. Once a region’s four-week projection shows an ICU capacity of greater than or equal to 15%, the order will be lifted for that area. ICU projections are calculated daily.

Current Available ICU Capacity by Region

• Bay Area: 10.4%
• Greater Sacramento: 19.1%
• Northern California: 27.9%
• San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
• Southern California: 0.0%

Current Status of Regional Stay at Home Order in Affected Regions

• San Joaquin Valley: Remains under order because four-week ICU projections are less than 15%.
• Southern California: Remains under order because four-week ICU projections are less than 15%.
• Greater Sacramento: Will remain under the order until January 1 at the earliest with the potential to extend depending on four-week ICU capacity projections.
• Bay Area: Will remain under the order until January 8 at the earliest with the potential to extend depending on four-week ICU capacity projections.

The ICU capacity projections are based on four factors: current estimated regional ICU capacity available, the measure of current community transmission, current regional case rates, and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted. Decreasing community transmission and increasing the health system capacity can help a region’s projected ICU capacity so they can exit the order.

Read the full Regional Stay Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.

Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Dec. 29

• California has 2,187,221 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
• There were 31,245 newly recorded confirmed cases Monday.
• The 7-day positivity rate is 12.0% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.6%.
• There have been 32,374,471 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 245,955 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
• As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 24,526 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.