California has hit 20,000 deaths related to complications from COVID-19, bringing reality to an almost unthinkable statistic mere months ago.
The grim milestone came late Monday according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s coronavirus tracker, accounting for each death contributed to the virus by county since the start of the pandemic. The state finds itself marking the occasion in the midst of an unprecedented surge of new cases.
The California Department of Public Health reported a single-day high of over 30,000 new coronavirus cases this past weekend, with another 24,735 new cases and 59 deaths reported Monday.
ICU capacity in two of the state’s five regions - San Joaquin Valley and Southern California - is now well below the mandated 15% capacity. The Bay Area (25.7%), Greater Sacramento (20.3%) and Northern California (28.2%) remain above the level that would trigger California’s strict stay-at-home order, for now.
Health officials believe we have not yet seen an anticipated surge from gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday against state and local recommendations.
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