LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 across California is approaching record numbers established during the winter 2020 surge.
Last week, hospitalizations averaged 52,000 people daily. That number included patients who were admitted for other reasons in addition to testing positive for COVID-19.
The rate has already exceeded that linked to the summer 2021 surge driven by the Delta variant, which maxxed out at 50,000 hospitalizations, according to state public health data.
The overall pandemic record of 55,000 people hospitalized daily was reached last year and averaged over a seven day period.
The number of COVID-19 patients in California’s ICUs has also surpassed summer’s peak numbers. On Tuesday, there were 2,404 COVID-positive patients in ICUs statewide, over a summer record of 2,128. That’s still well below the pandemic high of 4,686 recorded in Jan. 2021.
Spikes in hospitalizations across California are getting less extreme, however. From Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, hospitalizations jumped 69%, according to public health data. The following week, it only rose 53%. Growth from Jan. 11 to Tuesday was only about 23%.
Still, hospitalization rates in California cities, such as L.A., San Francisco, and Sacramento, are at all-time highs.
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