California Tops 80,000 COVID-19 Deaths As Instances Tumble From Omicron Surge – CBS San Francisco

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s coronavirus death toll has surpassed 80,000, and another 3,000 people are expected to die by the end of the month, even as infections, hospitalizations and ICU cases fall nearly as fast as they did during the rapid-fire Omicron -wave of the pandemic have risen .

The toll hit 80,688 on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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That’s the highest in the US, but the country’s most populous state has a per capita death rate that’s among the lowest at 38. Texas has just a few hundred fewer deaths than California, but has 10 million fewer residents and therefore a higher per capita rate.

Another 220 deaths in California were reported Thursday, and the state’s forecast models show the death toll will top 83,600 by the end of February. Despite the dismal record, other indicators showed that California has clearly passed the peak of the latest and most contagious wave.

The state’s hospital admissions have fallen by more than 3,300 from a peak of 15,435 two weeks ago, well below the all-time high of nearly 22,000 in January 2021.

There were fewer than 2,300 intensive care patients, 300 fewer cases than 10 days ago and less than half the number in January 2021.

“We’ve definitely peaked and are seeing a downward trend in the numbers, but we’re not over the hill yet,” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County Health Officer.

Hospitalization rates in the state’s capital region and many other regions remain high, and waves of infection continue in places, including Sacramento County’s two jails. Nearly 5,000 of the California state penitentiary’s 97,000 inmates are infected, along with 2,900 correctional workers.

However, the state’s case rate and positivity rates have fallen from their highs in early January, and models predict the number of those infected will continue to decline across geographies.

The hopeful trends mean Los Angeles is among counties moving toward relaxing mask mandates. New cases in the country’s most populous county on Thursday accounted for about a quarter of the daily record number of cases set a few weeks ago.

About 3,200 people infected remained in the Los Angeles County hospital Thursday, but the number has fallen and Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the winter surge will be considered over if it falls below 2,500 for seven days in a row.

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Once that threshold is met, Los Angeles County will end mask requirements for large outdoor events such as concerts and sporting events, as well as for outdoor spaces in schools and childcare facilities.

The indoor mask requirements will remain in effect until the county has two consecutive weeks at or below a “moderate” rate of 50 new cases per 100,000 residents and no reports of a new, troubling variant circulate, Ferrer said. The fall rate is now almost three times above the threshold.

“Post surge doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, or that transmission is low, or that there won’t be unpredictable waves of surges in the future,” Ferrer warned.

California’s statewide mask mandate expires on February 15, although local governments can still maintain their own mandates.

California’s confirmed number of coronavirus cases has now surpassed 8 million, but the 37,000 new cases reported Thursday are dramatically below the seven-day average of nearly 120,000 in early January.

The state’s models predict hospital admissions will fall by two-thirds to about 4,200 in another month, while intensive care unit cases will fall to less than 500, a fifth of what they are now.

The Omicron variant spreads even more easily than other strains of coronavirus and more easily infects those who have been vaccinated or previously infected with earlier versions of the virus.

However, early studies show that omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than the previous Delta variant, and vaccination and booster shots still offer strong protection against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

Officials said unvaccinated Californians are 30 times more likely to die than people who got their booster shots; nearly 15 times more likely to be hospitalized; and are 7.5 times more likely to contract COVID-19.

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