Most experts point to changes in behavior. In the fall, masking dipped in California while social distancing fell to the lowest levels since the pandemic began, according to one analysis. Meanwhile, the numbers of Californians attending gatherings with 10 or more people peaked.
And when a coronavirus wave started building in October, Californians didn’t cut down on their risky activities as quickly as they had earlier in the year. That caught officials off-guard and sealed the state’s fate, as the virus crossed a tipping point into explosive growth.
“Had we had the same level of compliance that existed with the first wave, we could have avoided the magnitude,” said UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Robert Kim-Farley. “This wave has turned into a tsunami.”
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California may look worse than Florida in terms of cases. But how much testing you do affects your case counts. If you don't test that many people, your case counts look artificially low.
This is how FL and CA compare in cumulative death counts, a much more reliable metric
We all remember when someone asked to "slow down the testing, please."
As he said, "When you test, you create cases.”
California has tallied 90 COVID deaths for every 100,000 residents compared with 119 out of 100,000 in Florida. In other words, if California had the same death rate as Florida, California would have a cumulative death toll of more than 47,000, instead of its 35,000.
I cannot count the number of people who've tweeted at me about how masking and social distancing don't work, and how California's surge is proof. Florida is the most common point of contrast, since while California was suffering in December, things in Florida were quiet(ish).
Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pointed to CA as evidence that lockdowns and mask mandates are ineffective.
So, why was COVID calm in Florida when it was exploding in California? There's some randomness to when outbreaks hit , so everyone won't be hit at the same time.
Yes, CA has a higher compliance with masking and social distancing but CA *needs* higher compliance to stave off a New York-style disaster. CA is just far more vulnerable to a big outbreak, due to its higher levels of poverty, crowding & because it's a travel hub
Omg: So many people have died in Los Angeles County that officials have temporarily suspended air-quality regulations that limit the number of cremations. latimes.com/california/sto…
Health officials and the L.A. County coroner requested the change because the current death rate is “more than double that of pre-pandemic years, leading to hospitals, funeral homes and crematoriums exceeding capacity, without the ability to process the backlog.”
“There exists an urgent need for additional human crematory services to deal with the increased demand for such services resulting from deaths due to COVID-19, and other causes...” aqmd.gov/docs/default-s…
California health officials are warning that a new coronavirus variant, 452R, is being increasingly found throughout the state. It is unclear whether it is more transmissible than other variants and is different from the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the UK.
The variant has shown up increasingly in CA since November and has been identified in several large outbreaks in Santa Clara County. “The fact that this variant was identified in several large outbreaks in our county is a red flag,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the county's health officer
Santa Clara County has found that the 452R variant was present in specimens from large outbreaks where very high numbers of people exposed contracted the virus. Analysis regarding the role of this and other variants in outbreaks is ongoing, officials say.
as of yesterday, 1,303,518 vaccine doses have been administered in California, about 40% of the supply the state has received
in terms of what percentage of our population has gotten a dose, we're at about 2.2%, and behind almost every other state -- ranking 46th in the nation
gonna use this moment to promote some great reporting by my colleagues on California' vaccine rollout!
Only about 5% of long-term care facility residents in California's vaccination program — including people in skilled nursing homes and assisted living centers — have been vaccinated so far latimes.com/california/sto… via @jackdolanLAT
LA County officials have confirmed the first case of someone infected with the UK variant of the coronavirus, which is believed to be more contagious. Officials say that though this is the first identified case, the virus is likely already circulating here.
The variant was identified in an individual who recently spent time in Los Angeles County. The individual is a male who traveled to Oregon, where he is currently isolating. The variant was confirmed by Quest Laboratories in Washington state.
LA County crossed 1 million cases of the coronavirus today. That’s one case for every 10 people in the county.