State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts
Date: December 21, 2020
Number: NR20-344
Contact: CDPHpress@cdph.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO ā The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19, including data on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity across the state. Based on ICU data, four regions, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area are under the Regional Stay at Home Order.
Regions must remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order for at least three weeks and will be eligible to exit the order and return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy only if ICU capacity projections for the following month are above or equal to 15%.
The dates regions will be eligible to exit are:
Current available ICU capacity by region:
Bay Area: 13.7%
Greater Sacramento Region: 16.2%
Northern California: 28.7%
San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
Southern California: 0.0%
See region map. Read the full Regional Stay Home Order, Supplement to the Order, and frequently asked questions.
Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Today:
California has 1,892,348 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
There were 37,892 newly recorded confirmed cases Sunday.
The 7-day positivity rate is 13.3% and the 14-day positivity rate is 12.0%.
There have been 29,860,404 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 395,234 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 22,676 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Vaccinate All 58
The COVID-19 shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in California, and additional shipments will continue to arrive throughout this week. The first doses are being administered to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The state is working closely with community partners and stakeholders to help ensure the vaccine is distributed and administered equitably across California. For more information, visit the CDPH COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and Vaccinate All 58.
Testing Turnaround Time
The testing turnaround dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of December 6 to December 12, the average time patients waited for test results was 1.8 days. During this same time period, 46% of patients received test results in one day and 75% received them within two days. The testing turnaround time dashboard is updated weekly. At this time, all four tiers in the Testing Prioritization Guidance have equal priority for testing.
Blueprint for a Safer Economy
The Blueprint for a Safer Economy is a statewide plan for reducing COVID-19 and keeping Californians healthy and safe. The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease. Californians can go to covid19.ca.gov to find out where their county falls and what activities are allowable in each county.
Data and Tools
A wide range of data and analysis guides Californiaās response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.
Popular links include:
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Each week, the California Department of Public Health updates the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported in the state. As of December 14, 152 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, we are not providing total counts at this time
MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life threatening. Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired. Contact your child's doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients is critical to preventing long-term complications.
New Health Equity Dashboard
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in health that are the result of structural racism and poverty, and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African Americans. As part of its commitment to reduce health inequities and ensure the best outcomes for all Californians, the state has launched a Health Equity Dashboard on www.covid19.ca.gov that tracks California's health equity measure and data by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Health Care Worker Infection Rates
As of December 20, local health departments have reported 64,019 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 242 deaths statewide.
Your Actions Save Lives
California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet ā faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic and this summer. If COVID-19 continues to spread at this rate, it could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes. Protect yourself, family, friends and community by following these prevention measures:
- Staying home except for essential needs/activities and following local and state public health guidelines when visiting businesses that are open.
- Following the Limited Stay at Home Order that requires all non-essential work and activities to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order took effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21, and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. December 21.
- Staying close to home, avoiding non-essential travel, and practicing self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival if you leave the state.
- Keeping gatherings small, short and outdoors and limiting them to those who live in your household.
- Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public.
- Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
- Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
- Answer the call if a contact tracer from the CA COVID Team or your local health department tries to connect. Contact tracers will connect you to free, confidential testing and other resources, if needed.
- Following guidance from public health officials.
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